Marc DigitalParc, Author at DJ Products

5 Reasons Industrial Ergonomics Matter

Improved Safety with a Motorized Tug

Industrial ergonomics plays an important role in protecting workers from injuries. The use of ergonomics in warehouses and similar workplaces where manual labor is done helps ensure a safer environment. This type of design reduces injuries workers can get from doing repetitive tasks or pushing or lifting heavy loads. A simple change, such as using a motorized trailer dolly, can help support ergonomic design in these settings. Learn more about the kinds of benefits industrial ergonomics provides.

Increased Productivity

Workplace injuries, such as muscle strains, can make it difficult for workers to be productive. A loss of productivity can have a negative impact on your business. Ergonomic equipment makes it easier and more comfortable for workers to handle everyday tasks, resulting in increased productivity.

Better Workplace Safety

Operating forklifts, manually pushing heavy loads, and doing other tasks in industrial settings comes with a wide range of risks and safety hazards. Using ergonomic design and equipment, such as motorized trailer dollies, helps boost safety in the workplace and reduces the risk of injuries.

Reduced Costs

Workplace injuries and accidents can lead to high costs for companies in terms of workers’ compensation, healthcare costs, and staff turnover, and decreased productivity. Ergonomics helps keep these costs low through higher productivity, improved safety, and stronger employee morale.

More Employee Engagement

Providing a safe and comfortable workplace environment for workers helps reduce the risk of having them leave. This helps keep employee turnover lower, so companies don’t have to spend significant time and money finding and training new staff. Having happier employees thanks to industrial ergonomic design also helps increase productivity.

Improved Service or Product Quality

When workers have injuries or fatigue on the job, this can lower the quality of products or services they handle from day to day. Making changes in the workplace through ergonomic design and equipment can help improve product or service quality. This helps companies boost customer satisfaction.

If you’re looking for a motorized trailer dolly for your workplace, please contact DJ Products. Our team can assist you in finding one that fits your needs, so you can enjoy the benefits that ergonomic equipment provides.

4 Ways Ergonomic Motorized Equipment for Manual Material Handling Improves Safety

Motorized Material Handling Equipment

Workplace musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) include injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, back strains and hernias. Did you know that, in addition to direct treatment costs, WMSDs can cost up to five times as much in indirect costs? Find out how equipment such as our motorized trailer dolly can increase workplace safety and reduce risk of WMSDs.

How Does Ergonomic Motorized Equipment Improve Material Handling Safety?

1. Minimizes strain and fatigue

Excessive stress placed on joints and muscles is one of the leading causes of WMSDs. Employees may lift materials that are too heavy or

perform repetitive motion tasks that create undue strain. Use of motorized equipment takes the physical burden of such activities off the employees, relieving the causes of musculoskeletal stress.

2. Encourages correct posture and position

Have you ever seen workers attempting to extend their reach to retrieve an object on a high rack? Maybe you’ve noticed people bending over to pick up heavy items, rather than bending at the knees and using their legs. When an employee operates our motorized trailer dolly, they can maintain optimum posture as the dolly performs any necessary turns, twists and lifting.

3. Limits time spent on manual tasks

Alarmingly, nearly three-quarters of workers who participate in manual material handling, or MMH, experience back-related pain. These injuries, in turn, account for approximately one-third of compensation costs and lost productivity. Motorized material handling equipment moves items safely and efficiently, without the need for manual labor.

4. Reduces risk of slip-and-drop accidents

Many objects in a warehouse are heavy and bulky or have an irregular shape. This makes it difficult for workers to get a secure grip when handling or transporting these items. As a result, an employee may twist their body or limbs to gain better control, or they may lose their grasp altogether, causing injury to themselves or damage to the item.

Choose the Motorized Trailer Dolly from DJ Products

Are you ready to make safety a priority in your warehouse? Contact us at 800.686.2651, where our knowledgeable Sales Engineers are standing by to help you find the right ergonomic motorized tug, mover or pusher for your application.

Essential Safety Tips for Powered Industrial Movers from OSHA

Motorized Dolly OSHA Safety

Forklifts and powered industrial movers are a common part of warehouses. This type of equipment is used to move items from place to place conveniently, but it comes with risks. Whether operating a forklift or using a powered trailer dolly, OSHA offers the following safety tips to help keep warehouse workers as safe as possible on the job.

Pay Close Attention to Rated Loads

Forklifts and powered industrial trucks are able to carry or move heavy items and equipment, but there are limits. Those operating these warehouse vehicles should always be aware of the rated load. Exceeding this load is unsafe and can lead to injuries or accidents.

Ensure Proper Training

Operating a forklift or powered industrial truck requires training. Only workers who have been properly trained should operate these vehicles. Warehouse owners should ensure that workers receive training on the type of vehicle they will be operating, including how to use it safely in workplace conditions. The use of a motorized trailer dolly reduced the risk of injury as this electric tug does not require any special training or licenses.

Check for Damage Before Using

Forklifts and powered industrial trucks can develop damage from wear that makes them unsafe to operate. These types of warehouse vehicles should be carefully checked for any conditions or damage that makes them unsuitable for use. Repairs should be made before these vehicles are used again.

Go Slow in Certain Areas

Driving a forklift or powered industrial truck should be done with caution in areas that are crowded. These congested areas have a higher risk of injuries as these vehicles pass through. Forklifts and powered industrial trucks should also be operated carefully when surfaces are slippery in order to lower the risk of accidents.

Ensure Routine Maintenance

Warehouse vehicles, such as forklifts, can develop minor damage that goes undetected, which puts drivers and other warehouse workers at risk of injuries. These types of vehicles require routine maintenance to keep them in safe operating condition.

Consider Trailer Dollies

Motorized trailer dollies provide a safer way to move items around warehouses compared to forklifts. Warehouse owners should consider switching to these dollies to make their warehouse safer.

If you’re exploring trailer dolly options for your warehouse, contact DJ Products. Our experts can help you choose the right dolly to improve safety and efficiency.

Reduce the Impact of Truck Driver Shortages with a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Benefit of a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Truck driver shortages, already a serious issue, have become even more critical in the post-pandemic world. Mitigate the challenges of a limited labor force by operating a trailer yard anchored by the use of our electric trailer dolly.

How Does a Trailer Yard Work?

In the past, delivery and unloading were often two parts of a single process. Trucks would pull up directly to a dock for loading or unloading. While this may sound logical in theory, the process included many inefficiencies, such as creating congestion. that interfered with timely completion of a job.

Several of the disadvantages of the traditional process are eliminated with use of a trailer yard. Delivery and unloading are handled as two separate tasks for streamlined operations.

1. When a truck arrives for delivery, instead of pulling up to a loading dock, the driver parks the trailer in the yard’s holding area.

2. A single worker employs a yard dog to move the trailer to the appropriate dock for loading or unloading.

3. Once the work is completed, the trailer is staged back in the holding area.

4. Instead of waiting for the loading or unloading to be done, the driver can pick up another trailer and be on their way.

Benefits of an Electric Trailer Dolly

- Since the truck driver never enters the loading and unloading area, there’s less risk of safety concerns and accidents.
- The cumbersome and time-consuming process of directing a driver into the proper orientation to the docks is eliminated.
- As the world has become more aware of the spread of infectious diseases, use of an electric trailer dolly reduces the number of “outside” personnel on the premises.
- The trailer dolly also cuts down on the possibility of sensitive or proprietary information being exposed to outsiders.
- Our electric trailer dolly is battery-powered, creating a more sustainable workplace with much lower levels of CO2 emissions.

Put Our Trailer Dolly to Work for You

Is your warehouse as productive as it could be? Let our qualified Sales Engineers help you find the right mover, tug or pusher for your specific application. Contact us today at 800.686.2651 to learn more.

Move More with Less with an Electric Tug on Your Side

Improve Safety and Efficiency

Having employees manually pull or push heavy loads or carts around can take a toll on their physical well-being and raise the risk of injuries. Manual labor also takes a longer time overall, since employees need to move carefully to avoid accidents. When you want to improve safety and efficiency in your facility, and there are many benefits to electric tugs.

How an Electric Tug Works

An electric tug runs on a motor rather than requiring manual operation. Some tugs also have hydraulic lift systems that can pick up loads for carrying. Being motorized allows employees to maneuver the tug and direct it from place to place without the use of physical labor. These tugs run on battery power, which can be recharged as often as needed. Many have a charge that lasts for a full workday.

Benefits of Electric Tugs

Using an electric tug provides several benefits for companies, including better safety and greater efficiency. These tugs prevent workers from having to manually pull and push heavy loads and equipment around. Instead, they can use the tug to move large pieces of equipment, heavy loads, and wheeled vehicles around. This helps reduce the risk of injuries and accidents in your workplace. The amount of force needed to move equipment or loads around is considerably less with an electric tug.

An electric tug can also help employees get work done more efficiently. These tugs can push or pull heavy loads and equipment around more quickly than manual labor. This allows employees to accomplish more during the workday instead of spending a significant amount of time moving one load or piece of equipment.

Electric Tug Solutions from DJ Products

DJ Products offers electric tug solutions for multiple industries. These tugs have a variety of wheel load, cart, and attachment configurations available, making them versatile. Our CartCaddyHD Chain Drive Electric Tug can move up to 50k pounds of equipment and lift up to 6k pounds. We also have the CartCaddy WagonWheel Shorty Tug that can pull up to 3k pounds.

If you’re interested in purchasing electric tugs, contact DJ Products. Our customer service team can help you find the right solutions for your business.

How To Improve Your Material Handling Warehouses Productivity and Safety

Improved Safety and Productivity

Material handling is defined as, “the movement of goods and materials around manufacturing and storage facilities.” Clearly, material handling forms the backbone of your warehouse operations. Here are some tips on how use of our trailer dolly and other methods can improve material handling productivity and safety.

1. Optimize the warehouse layout.

Is there a smooth, logical flow to your warehouse layout, or do workers jockey for space as they constantly travel from one end to the other? Basic warehouse layouts are U-shaped, L-shaped and I-shaped. Analyze your operations and determine whether the current layout works.

2. Invest in a warehouse management system (WMS).

The days of manual recordkeeping with pencil and paper are long gone. A warehouse management system tracks every piece of inventory from the time it arrives to the time it leaves, allowing for more accurate and timely data. Other benefits include alerts and reminders, such as an advance ship notice that a delivery is on the way.

3. Plan storage space carefully.

Are the warehouse aisles cluttered with overflow? Maybe order selectors are losing time having to move one product to reach another. Figure out how much inventory can be safely stored in your warehouse at any one time.

4. Implement RFID tags and scanners.

RFID, or Radio Frequency IDentification systems, are a significant improvement over barcodes. Line of sight isn’t required for RFID scanners, which can detect inventory anywhere from 20 to 100+ feet away, depending on the base technology.

5. Conduct employee safety training.

Good old-fashioned manpower is still required for certain material handling tasks. Develop regular safety training on best practices for manual processes, such as the best way to lift materials.

6. Provide the correct equipment.

Would construction workers dig a foundation using a tablespoon? Make sure your employees have the proper equipment, such as our trailer dolly, to help them work smarter, not harder.

The Trailer Dolly and Other Solutions from DJ Products

Implementing safe and efficient equipment improves employee morale, which in turn raises productivity. Contact us at at 800.686.2651 to learn more about our material handling solutions from our cheerful and experienced Sales Engineers.

Explore RV Trusted the Trailer Caddy to Optimize Productivity and It Can Do The Same For You

A Motorized Trailer Dolly is Essential

RV dealerships and rental companies need dependable ways to move RVs around in showrooms, on lots, or from one location to another. For Explore RV, this involves using motorized trailer dollies from DJ Products to handle these moves. Find out more about why Explore RV has nothing but praise for the TrailerCaddy 6K 36V trailer dolly.

Versatile Performance

Explore RV carries a large selection of rental RVs, including small bumper pulls and spacious fifth wheels. Hauling these RVs around requires a solution that works for all sizes. Instead of having to invest in multiple forklifts, the company uses the TrailerCaddy to move all of its RVs, from the smallest bumper pull to the largest fifth wheel. This kind of versatility helps save Explore RV money, while also providing efficient ways to move a variety of RVs.

Dependability

Our motorized trailer dollies offer reliability and durability, which helps Explore RV and other businesses reduce costs on equipment expenses. Explore RV has been using the TrailerCaddy without any issues. Instead of having to deal with equipment that breaks down often or requires major repairs, our trailer dollies provide exceptional performance over the years. Explore RV recommends the TrailerCaddy for moving trailers short distances thanks to its dependable quality.

Improved Efficiency and Safety

Explore RV appreciates how easily our trailer dollies can move RVs around in different types of settings and on various surfaces, especially indoor venues where forklifts can’t be used. The company has been able to move their RVs around on their lots and within their showrooms with better efficiency using our battery-powered trailer dollies. They’ve also used our trailer dollies to move RVs from their location to convention centers or other locations for shows. These solutions have helped the company boost safety and efficiency overall.

Try Our Trailer Mover Solutions

Our trailer dollies can help your business handle the challenges that come with having to move large pieces of equipment or vehicles around.

If you’re looking for a reliable trailer dolly for your business, contact DJ Products. Our motorized trailer dollies are suitable for a wide range of businesses, including RV dealerships, warehouses, and airport hangars.

Managing Warehouses in a Blended Environment of Change

Improve Efficiency with Our Trailer Dolly

Historically, the material handling industry has been highly fragmented but relatively stable. Manufacturers were able to specialize in a particular subsegment, maximizing brand awareness and sales growth. The new millennium has brought eCommerce, artificial intelligence and other factors that are forcing manufacturers and warehouses to keep up with these rapid changes. DJ Products, makers of the electric trailer dolly, identifies four strategies that can help to navigate the new blended environment.

The Changing Landscape of Material Handling

So what are the primary elements driving this shift?

- Advances in technology have created new subsegments, including AGV (automated guided vehicles) and ASRS (automated storage and retrieval systems).
- Segments are challenged to adapt to trends such as new regulations, response to COVID-19 and increased customer demand.
- Since different segments have varying degrees of market resilience, companies should consider diversifying material handling solutions.
- Cost control is a consistent throughline that runs through all segments and trends.

Four Pathways to Success

1. With the growth in eCommerce, it’s difficult for companies to be equally responsive to challenges such as same-day delivery, fluctuating volumes and urban area logistics. Instead of specialization, companies are better served by expanding into a comprehensive suite of capabilities.

2. Cost control, combined with the need for more efficient distribution channels, means companies can benefit from new delivery models in order to stay competitive. Options include pay-per-use or leasing-and-rental contracts.

3. As labor remains scarce and workforces continue to age, automation is a need, not a luxury. During the transition to more advanced technology, make sure that all subsegments can be integrated with each other to avoid disruptions and reduced productivity.

4. Customers value “one-stop solutions.” Leverage your solutions and partnerships to create a seamless experience for consumers.

Our Trailer Dolly Serves Multiple Needs

Eco-friendly, cost-effective, easy to use, ergonomically designed – the battery-powered trailer dolly from DJ Products checks all the boxes for a state-of-the-art material handling solution. In addition, we offer a wide variety of options for customization to fit any specific applications.

Call 800.686.2651 or use our online chat feature to be connected with one of our friendly and helpful Sales Engineers.

Warehouse Automation Trends – Are You Ready?

The Future of Warehousing

Advancements in technology are leading to new and improved ways to automate warehouse processes and tasks. From the way fleets are managed to the way picking and packing is done, automation is making big strides in the industry. Using automation can help warehouse owners and managers increase productivity, boost safety, and fulfill orders more quickly and efficiently.

Keep in mind that investing in motorized solutions, such as an electric trailer dolly, and making use of automation tools can benefit warehouses even more. Learning about the latest automation trends can help you determine if your warehouse is ready.

Wireless Fleet Management

More and more warehouses are depending on wireless fleet management using the latest technological tools. Some of these systems use Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to manage warehouse vehicles. This kind of technology can provide real-time monitoring for safety purposes and detailed analytics for cost savings.

AI and IoT Analytics

The combined use of artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT analytics can help warehouses improve the way data is collected and analyzed. This helps provide more accurate predictive analytics for the purpose of improving logistics.

Mobile Robots

Some warehouses are already using robots to handle stationary tasks, such as sorting or inspecting items. Robots have also been handling picking and packing, which has helped speed up order fulfillment. Mobile robots, such as automated guided vehicles, are becoming more common in warehouses. These automated robots are able to handle multiple kinds of tasks with minimal training. In some cases, warehouses retrofit traditional forklifts for automated purposes during busy seasons. Afterwards, they restore forklifts to their traditional use.

Motorized Solutions

While automation can be beneficial, retrofitting forklifts and changing them back is a time-consuming task. Warehouse owners can instead invest in an electric or motorized trailer dolly. This type of dolly is safe and simple to operate and doesn’t require operators to have a special license. These trailer dollies can go a long way toward boosting operations in your warehouse.

If you’re interested in buying an electric trailer dolly to improve warehouse safety and productivity, please contact DJ Products. Our team can assist you in finding the right solution for your warehouse.

Sony Pictures Uses the Trailer Caddy Extreme Find Out Why You Should Too

DJ Products Had the Solution for Sony Pictures

When Sony Pictures became frustrated with the cumbersome performance of their lot tractor, they turned to DJ Products. Find out how our trailer dolly became the solution to a long-term problem.

The TrailerCaddy: One Company’s Experience

Sony Pictures is one of the “Big Five” major American film studios, with billions of dollars in sales each year. Their properties include the iconic Karate Kid, Men in Black and Ghostbusters franchises.

For years, Sony used a tractor to move equipment and cast trailers around their massive lot. Use of the tractor required two employees, one to operate the tractor and one to serve as spotter. Sony realized this was costing them time and money.

While researching possible options, Sony discovered the battery-powered TrailerCaddy from DJ Products. Our Sales Engineers worked with Sony to create a customized version that fit their particular needs.

It took just a short presentation to get Sony’s lot employees up to speed. They were able to use the TrailerCaddy right away, without an awkward learning curve. There was an immediate improvement in the ability to move set pieces and trailers quickly and efficiently, using a single employee.

After more than four years, the TrailerCaddy continues to operate as well as it did on the first day. Sony recommends our trailer dolly as a safety- and labor-saving solution for any company that moves heavy trailers.

What Can the TrailerCaddy Do for You?

Let’s take a look at some of the specific features of our TrailerCaddy.

Moves trailers weighing up to 100,000 pounds
Battery-powered for eco-friendly operation, as well as less maintenance and noise
High-tech speed controller allows for precise regulation
Emergency stop switch and horn for added safety measures
Ergonomically designed to minimize risk of repetitive motion injuries.
6,000-pound hydraulic lift kit works with king pin, ball and pintle hitch trailer connections.

Does your application call for additional features? We offer a wide range of optional accessories to customize your TrailerCaddy, just as we did for Sony Pictures.

Find Your Trailer Dolly at DJ Products

Are you ready for increased productivity and improved safety at your company? Contact us to learn more from our helpful Sales Engineers.