Tag: auto industry

Video: CarCaddy Vehicle Puller: Ideal Solution to Maneuver Cars at Auto Repair Facilities

The CarCaddy Vehicle Puller increases efficiency and profitability for auto service centers, vehicle dealerships, and automotive testing facilities. The compact CarCaddy VP7K allows one person to safely maneuver inoperable vehicles from point A to point B.

Cost-Effective

Previously, Lexus of North Miami Collision Repair Center had to rely on tow vehicles, fork trucks or third-party car moving services to relocate inoperable vehicles within their facility. The CarCaddy Vehicle Puller is a much more affordable solution that is ready to use as needed. No waiting necessary.

Easy-to-Use

The CarCaddy VP7K is easy-to-operate. The operator can either stand on the ride-on platform or on the ground while steering. Unlike clumsy fork trucks, it allows for tight turns and easy maneuverability in crowded workshops or factories.

Small Footprint

Tow trucks and fork lifts are large, bulky and take up valuable shop space. The CarCaddy Vehicle Puller is compact and can be stored in convenient locations to charge and use whenever its needed. For more information, reach out to a sales engineer at 1-800-686-2651 or complete this form to request a quote.

Automakers Strive to Tap into Social Currency to Boost Sales

Modern technology
Social Currency and Auto Makers

Social media, with its ability to gather unprecedented amounts of data, has revolutionized marketing methods. How can big-ticket items like automobiles, where purchases often involve more time and research, take advantage of this access to consumers?

The Value of Social Currency

Vivaldi Group, a global marketing consulting firm, has come up with a creative way for car companies to create consumer engagement. CEO Erich Joachimsthaler has dubbed this process “Social Currency,” which applies both figuratively and literally.

As conceptualized by Vivaldi, social currency consists of seven dimensions. The top two, personal identity and social identity, are self-explanatory; they define a consumer’s self-image and place within the social structure.

How Social Currency Boosts Consumer Engagement

While the first two dimensions are already established, the other five present valuable opportunities for automakers to engage with consumers and help them solve problems. These dimensions are:

  • Expression, or brand identity
  • Conversation, or brand-consumer discussion
  • Affiliation, or how the brand builds a peer community
  • Information, or how the brand and the peer community combine to educate consumers
  • Utility, or how these dimensions personally affect consumers

In addition to creating a bond with consumers, social currency provides companies with avenues for real-world feedback so they can continually evaluate and refine their approach.

Improve Workplace Safety with a Car Pusher from DJ Products

Whether you’re moving autos around a lot or down an assembly line, a battery-operated car pusher from DJ Products lets a single employee maneuver vehicles up to 20,000 pounds. Call 800.686.2651 and let one of our friendly sales engineers help you find the right solution for your needs.

 

Auto Recalls Hit Dealership Pocketbooks

MP910216373[1]
Big Payouts From Auto Recalls
In a battle of legal and ethical concerns, new and used car dealers across the nation are grappling with a crisis of dead inventory. At the center of the problem lies millions of Honda cars with recalled airbags.

Used cars with open recalls may be sold legally, but industry leaders and the Federal Trade Commission are pushing for transparency. Customers need to be warned about open recalls, and that often shuts down the sale.

On lots across the country, dealers are looking for ways to store used cars that cannot be sold. At the same time, dealers need new inventory pumped in to keep sales numbers afloat.

For dealers who need to move dead inventory to storage lots, part of the solution will be a motorized car pusher. These pieces of equipment can maneuver vehicles to service centers, around lots, and onto trailers. The operator walks along and steers while a battery-powered motor propels the car pusher up to 3 miles per hour.

In the case of the Honda airbags, the manufacturer says parts will be available to address the huge 2.2-million vehicle recall by late summer 2016. Dealers with stock on their hands may want a solution to set affected vehicles aside.

Of course, there will be more major auto recalls. The head of AutoNation has pledged not to sell vehicles with recalls, and CarMax offers online info about recalls. Whether new regulation is created or not, it seems clear that used car dealerships are moving toward restricting sales of recalled vehicles.

For more info about a motorized car pusher to assist with transporting vehicles, contact DJ Products.

How Did U.S. Automakers Get Themselves into This Mess?

President-elect Obama yesterday asked President Bush to throw a lifeline to the battered U.S. auto industry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also called for “emergency and limited financial assistance” for auto makers and suppliers, introducing legislation to make the big three automakers eligible for help under the $700 billion Congressional bailout passed last month. The move followed disastrous third-quarter losses reported by Detroit’s Big Three: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

Prior to its election break, Congress passed legislation providing $25 billion in government-backed loans to automakers to help them retool for the production of more fuel-efficient vehicles. Since then, the Big Three and United Autoworkers officials have asked for an additional $25 billion to keep the automakers afloat and a further $25 billion to fund future healthcare payments to 780,000 retirees and their dependents. Legislation currently being written in the House and Senate is expected to severely limit executive compensation and demand vigorous federal review in exchange for bailout funds.

Critics say Detroit is suffering from decades of short-sightedness and poor decision-making. In iterating the missteps that have led automakers to the edge of bankruptcy, critics cite the auto industry’s failure to invest in new products, failure to aggressively pursue fuel-efficient cars, failure to meet the competitive challenge of Asian imports and failure to take on growing union demands.

“There’s been 30 years of denial,” said Noel Tichy, a University of Michigan business professor, author and auto industry consultant. “They did not make themselves competitive. They didn’t deal with the union issues, the cost structures long ago, everything that makes a successful company.”

Tichy says the auto industry’s problems started in 1980s when Toyota and Honda mastered the production of reliable, fuel-efficient cars. Detroit, unfortunately, failed to see this as an omen of future trends. Cheap gas and a strong U.S. economy made Detroit blasé about the public’s fledgling interest in ecology and “green” lifestyles. Driven by high profits and consumer demand, the Big Three automakers continued to invest in the traditional “bigger is better” model, flooding the American market with luxury vans, trucks, SUVs and the ultimate example of overindulgence, the Hummer.

By the 1990s, Detroit had effectively ceded the small and midsize car markets to Toyota and Honda. When fears of global warming, pollution and high oil prices began to gain affect public opinion and buying habits after the millennium, U.S. automakers were caught unprepared. Skyrocketing fuel prices over the past year sent sales plummeting and sealed their fate. Coupled with a recessive economy and tight credit, failure to address future trends has driven the U.S. auto industry to the brink of extinction.

Next time: Hope for the future: Changes that will redefine the U.S. auto industry

Auto Industry Retooling Should Include Ergonomics

The U.S. auto industry is starting to make its comeback. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded the first loans from the $25-billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program authorized by Congress to support the U.S. manufacture of energy-efficient cars and automotive components: 

  • Ford Motor Co. was granted $5.9 billion to retool factories in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio to manufacture fuel-efficient vehicles.  
  • Nissan North America received $1.6 billion to retool its Smyrna, Tennessee manufacturing plant to produce electric vehicles.
  • Tesla Motors got $465 million for production of advanced electric vehicles in California.

Other signs of industry recovery include Gestamp Corporation’s $90 million investment in a Chattanooga, Tennessee stamping operation to produce parts for Volkswagen’s new mid-sized sedan, and Ralco Industries’ $6.4 million expansion of its Pontiac, Michigan facility to increase production of welded assemblies  for the auto industry.

It’s a relief to finally see the first twitch of life in the U.S. auto industry. And it’s exciting to see the industry retooling for what promises to be a robust future. But along with forward-thinking changes in their product line, the auto industry should be implementing innovation changes in their production practices. Retooling initiatives should include ergonomic material handling equipment on the assembly line, on plant floors and in factory storage lots to ensure the protection of workers’ health and safety. The workers who made concessions in pay and health benefits to keep the auto companies alive deserve to work in an environment that promotes good health. The citizens who provided the cash that the government is using to fund the loans that are jump-starting new life into the auto industry deserve to know that every possible measure is being taken to create a financially lean manufacturing operation. Ergonomic material handling equipment accomplishes both goals.

Ergonomic equipment like DJ Products’ CarCaddy car and vehicle pusher pushes heavy equipment down an assembly. The CartCaddyLH electric tug can push a vehicle down a rail or be used to push/pull from station to station heavy carts of raw materials or parts weighing 10,000 to 50,000 pounds. The DealerCaddy car and truck pusher easily maneuvers cars and trucks around storage and dealer lots. All DJ Products’ material handling carts and movers are ergonomically designed to prevent expensive and debilitating musculoskeletal injuries. Ergonomic equipment and practices have been proven to cut production time and costs, protect workers’ health and safety, improve worker morale, and significantly reduce the musculoskeletal injury expenses that cost U.S. businesses more than $150 billion each year. Including ergonomics in auto industry retooling efforts just makes sense — for the auto industry, for workers, and for taxpayers.

Material Handling Solutions for the Auto Detailing Industry

Americans love their cars, and they tend to hang onto them for a long time. That’s doubly true in times like these. When the economy slows and prices rise, people keep their cars until time and mechanical failure finally take their toll. Some owners are able to stave off the inevitable for years, sometimes decades, with attentive maintenance and expert body care. America’s love affair with the automobile coupled with a tight economy has created a growth boom in the auto detailing and reconditioning industry.

For many Americans, their car or truck is an outward extension of their personality. Their ride is part of their personal image. The considerable time and money spent on detailing their car or truck on a regular basis is as much an investment in image as in prolonging the life of the vehicle. These customers demand perfection.

If you are an auto detailer or reconditioner, you’re well aware of the hours of painstaking labor that go into detailing a car and buffing the finish to the clear, deep gloss your customers demand. DJ Products has a product that allows you to move cars around your lot and in and out of service bays without damaging that carefully buffed finish. DJ Products’ CarCaddy car and vehicle pusher is perfect for auto detailers and reconditioners and vehicle service centers where cars must be moved short distances without damage.

The front push pad of the ergonomically-designed CarCaddy is made of a soft, durable, padded material specifically designed to preserve the paint and integrity of the vehicle. Even more, this compact, battery-powered pusher will prevent worker injury. No more pulled muscles and strained backs trying to muscle a vehicle into position. DJ Products’ CarCaddy does the “heavy lifting” so your workers can concentrate on serving your customers.

Lessons to be Learned from the Auto Industry Meltdown

The plight of the American automobile industry should serve as a cautionary tale for all U.S. manufacturers and businesses. To survive in today’s global marketplace, you must be flexible, embrace change, and constantly re-shape your business to meet future trends. Survival is as much about preparing your business for the future as it is about being competitive today.

Detroit’s problems are complex and have been exacerbated by a 15% sales drop as the economy has worsened, but at their core is the failure of U.S. auto executives to acknowledge the trend toward more fuel-efficient cars and to innovate. Rather than meeting the challenge posed by rising well-made, fuel-efficient Asian competition, Detroit continued business as usual, putting its efforts into advertising and Congressional lobbying to support bigger, better, fuel-guzzling cars. And until the rising cost of gas bit us in the wallet, the American public played along.

The sad thing is that back in 2000 Detroit did flirt with a program to push fuel-efficient vehicles but abandoned the effort as too expensive and unnecessary. It makes you wonder if the auto industry would be in cardiac arrest today if industry leaders had had the foresight to imagine the future and the courage to make the hard decisions necessary to prepare for it.

In the material handling industry, DJ Products faced this dilemma successfully. With the vision to spot new trends and the flexibility to act, DJ Products was one of the early responders to need for ergonomic material handling equipment. Well before the high price of repetitive stress injuries became a national cause, DJ Products saw a need to design material handling equipment that would reduce the potential for musculoskeletal injuries and improve the health and safety of workers.

DJ Products manufactures ergonomically-designed motorized carts and powered cart, equipment and vehicle movers that eliminate the pain and strain of manually pushing and pulling heavy carts and wheeled equipment. Our products are less costly, smaller, more maneuverable and more versatile than traditional material handling equipment used to move carts and equipment, such as forklift trucks, walkies and riding tugs. Forward-thinking business owners are revitalizing their operations and positioning themselves for the future by turning to ergonomic equipment to meet their material handling needs.

With an Obama administration expected to increase ergonomic standards and requirements in the next year, a proactive approach toward worker health and safety is a  smart business move. And it’s a decision that will have a positive impact on your bottom line. The cost of most ergonomic equipment purchases are recouped in the first year in savings on medical costs, insurance, workers’ compensation and lost work days. A move to ergonomic equipment also provides a substantial benefit in improved worker morale and increased productivity.

To find out how ergonomically-designed material handling equipment can help prepare your business to meet the challenges of the future, contact the ergonomic experts at DJ Products.

Failing Auto Industry a Warning to U.S. Manufacturers

The auto industry bailout is in peril and may be beyond saving. The demand by Senate Republicans that the UAW agree to slash auto workers’ salaries to compete with their Japanese counterparts may have put “paid” to the deal approved by the House. If any of the Big Three automakers fail, the fallout is expected to send our already troubled economy plummeting even further downward. The strain on unemployment and social resources, the trickle-down effect on the industry’s supply chain, irreparable erosion of America’s already diminished manufacturing base, a drastic decrease in consumer choices — we’re going to be paying for Detroit’s poor management and poor choices for years to come. There is no silver lining here, but there are important lessons to be learned.

While the issues are complex, experts have boiled the U.S. auto industry’s woes down to four basic problems: failure to embrace the future, lack of flexibility, failure to effectively manage labor, and failure to rein in expenses. These are the basic cornerstones for success in any business.

  • Embrace the future. Globalization of the economy, resource depletion, and the speed at which technology changes will continue to bring vast changes to industry and manufacturing. Companies with the vision to position themselves to meet future needs by taking advantage of these changes will prosper. Those like the U.S. auto industry who don’t will eventually fail.
  • Maintain flexibility. Rapid response will separate the men from the boys. Companies with the mental, financial and physical flexibility to react quickly to changing market needs and strictures will prosper most.
  • Manage labor. U.S. labor costs are the arena in which America is least competitive globally. An inability to manage labor demands is one of the core causes of Detroit’s failure. To remain competitive into the future, American businesses and the workers that depend on them for their livelihood will need to address this issue and both sides may need to moderate their expectations.
  • Rein in expenses. Maintaining tight control over expenses and instituting proactive accounting practices are essential for survival in a poor economy. But maintaining these practices as the economy improves will give you the financial flexibility to reach future goals.

DJ Products ergonomically-designed, powered carts and tugs can position you to meet the future successfully. On Monday, we’ll tell you how.

Hope for the Future: Redefining the Auto Industry

Despite harsh criticism, the President and Congress seem poised to throw a lifeline to America’s struggling auto industry. Critics say Detroit’s problems stem from 30 years of short-sightedness and poor decision-making. Failure to recognize future trends toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles compounded by failure to aggressively address budget-busting labor demands head critics’ lists of the poor management practices that have led to the U.S. auto industry’s financial woes (see our Nov. 12 post). Today, the auto industry defends itself.

U.S. auto industry representatives dispute their critics, saying critics oversimplify the issues and don’t credit automakers for the significant progress made in recent years. “In the last five years, there’s been more restructuring done in the automotive business than any other business in the history of the United States,” said Tony Cervone, General Motors VP of communications.

Auto industry spokesmen cite a decade’s worth of tough cost cutting measures, improved productivity and their switch to the production of more competitive, fuel-efficient cars as indications that Detroit has been working hard to reverse course and increase its competitiveness with popular foreign imports. They point out that their ability to compete is severely hampered by the demands of powerful labor unions and the strictures of multiple government regulations.

The recessionary economy and tight credit have placed additional burdens on automakers. New car sales are down, in part, because consumers aren’t spending. Across the economic board, consumers are harboring their financial resources and taking a wait and see attitude about the nation’s economic future. Adding insult to injury, the tight credit market has made it nearly impossible for people who want to buy a new car to get financing. Burned by the mortgage meltdown, banks have reined in lending practices and raised loan requirements.

The news isn’t all doom and gloom, however. Capitalizing on fuel-efficient designs initiated in 2000, Detroit is finally rolling out cheaper, competitive alternatives to the Asian-designed vehicles that dominate that sector of the market. Financial pressure is forcing the industry to consolidate and streamline production practices. President-elect Obama’s reminder to the American people that we will all have to sacrifice if the country is to weather the current economic crisis could play out in more reasonable labor contracts. And that Congressional lifeline is likely to come with lots of strings attached that should give Detroit the needed incentive to redefine itself more competitively.

Next time: Lessons to be learned from the auto industry meltdown

America Needs to Rebuild Industrial Base to Survive

The auto industry bailout and its repercussions are topics of hot debate. It now appears that federal money will come with some long apron strings that will force Detroit to become smarter, leaner and more forward-thinking. That’s never a bad thing for any business and could enable a mighty phoenix to arise from today’s ashes.

Detroit’s problems put a glaring spotlight on America’s loss of the massive industrial base that made us a world superpower. Many of the major industries and manufacturing enterprises that once dominated the American economy have been shipped overseas. To stay competitive with the flood of cheap foreign products that have inundated our markets, American businesses have been moving manufacturing plants overseas where labor and often transportation and natural resources are cheaper. Since 2001, millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs have been lost, contributing to the more than 10 million Americans now unemployed. Politicians are just beginning to understand the high economic price exacted by outsourcing our manufacturing base.

In a recent column posted on the Alliance for American Manufacturing’s blog ManufactureThis, the economic benefits of manufacturing jobs were explained by Peter Navarro, a CNBC contributor and professor at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California-Irvine. “Without a robust manufacturing base, the U.S. economy will lack the core strength to sustain any robust longer-term economic growth,” Navarro says. With nearly 3 million American workers relying on the auto industry and its supply chain for their income, America can’t afford to lose an industry that constitutes one-fifth of the 15 million manufacturing jobs left in America.

It’s the “multiplier effect,” the ability to create jobs downstream, that makes manufacturing jobs so valuable to economic stability and growth. Service jobs, which account for the bulk of U.S. jobs today, have a multiplier effect that is less than half that of manufacturing jobs. As Navarro explains, “This means that for every one job created — or saved! — in manufacturing, an additional four to five jobs are created downstream — from cops, firefighters, and teachers to dry cleaners, insurance agents, plumbers, and real estate brokers.”

But the economic effect of manufacturing jobs is even greater because they generally pay more than service sector jobs. This means more money going back into the economy, Navarro points out. Bailing out the auto industry, one of America’s last major manufacturers, is essential to our economic recovery. As Navarro says, “the U.S. economy will still never return to its former levels of long-term growth, glory and prosperity without a full restoration of its manufacturing base.”