Business Productivity Archives

The Military Can Teach Business Owners the Value of Supporting Family

If you’re looking for advice on family dynamics, the U.S. military might not be the option that leaps to mind. In reality, the challenges of managing a massive workforce that’s continually on the move make the military a unique source of tips on how companies can support employees and their families.

Managing Career and Family: How to Succeed at Both

• Working parents have difficulty balancing the demands of the job against sharing quality time with their families. Show consideration by keeping their job commitments as predictable as possible. End meetings on time and limit last-minute assignments to true emergencies.

• People often compartmentalize their personal and professional lives, but shifting gears on a dime can actually keep us off-kilter. Encourage employees to settle into a moderate routine that prevents drastic shifts in tone.

• Your company probably offers a quality employee assistance program including counseling and other resources, but people are often reluctant to use them. Bring the program into the open with signs and other reminders placed in highly visible spots and make sure your managers are talking about it with their associates.

• In addition to your formal employee assistance program, give associates help in forming a network of peers, whether it’s online or in person. Working parents can learn a great deal from others who share similar experiences.

DJ Products: Helping DOD Equipment Suppliers Keep a Safe Workplace

DOD equipment suppliers deal with a diverse assortment of products, from explosives to boats and aircraft. Visit our website to learn about our full line of electric tugs, movers and pushers such as our WagonCaddyHD.

The Benefits of the Dumpster Caddy

Few pieces of heavy equipment require as much movement as dumpsters. They’re necessary containers at all types of facilities, from office buildings to hospitals to apartment complexes. Simplify this regular task with use of the Dumpster Caddy from DJ Products.

Fully loaded dumpsters can weigh thousands of pounds, particularly those used at locations such as shopping malls or hotels. Although they generally have wheels, they’re cumbersome to move and turn. They’re often stored in an underground lot where they need to be transported to ground level for pick-up by a waste management or recycling service. It’s not unusual for this task to require at least two or three employees to complete.

Our Dumpster Caddy fastens securely to the container to safely move loads of up to 10,000 pounds. Corners and tight spaces are easy to negotiate thanks to the caddy’s compact size and efficient operation. In addition, battery power enables the caddy to go up and down inclines as well as over ice, snow and other outdoor conditions.

Using a Dumpster Caddy can help streamline your overall operations as well. You can have only one person handle the job instead of sending two or three others. Its ergonomic design reduces the possibility of injury and job-related absences.

DJ Products has a full line of caddies and tugs that can address any of your material handling problems. Our products fit applications from moving shopping carts to maneuvering aircraft. Contact our knowledgeable Sales Engineers at 800.686.2651 for information on solutions to fit your needs.

How To Save Your Business Money

Today’s business climate of increased competition and economic uncertainty makes fiscal responsibility more important than ever. Labor costs are usually the largest part of a company’s budget, with workers compensation claims falling under that umbrella. Many people may disregard those costs, assuming they’re covered by insurance, but disability claims include significant hidden costs that impact your bottom line.

Insurance companies resolve claims by footing the bill for medical costs and wage replacement. However, a study by the Stanford University Department of Civil Engineering found that indirect costs of workers compensation claims often exceed the direct costs. These hidden expenses can include:

Hiring and training replacement labor

Overtime costs associated with reduced efficiency due to the loss of a skilled worker

Administrative time on the part of employees involved in claim processing

Clean-up and repair of any damage to equipment or facilities

Some claims may also result in OSHA fines, legal fees and other liability costs.

Incorporating top-of-the-line safety measures is the most effective way to prevent workplace injuries. Material handling activities generate a major number of injuries due to the physical effort involved, making this a vital area to implement better procedures.

Our comprehensive line of electric tugs, tows and pushers is designed with workplace safety in mind. They’re powerful enough to allow a single person to easily move up to 50,000 pounds. In addition, they’re equipped with ergonomic features like variable speed twist grips to prevent repetitive stress injuries.

Our friendly and knowledgeable Sales Engineers are ready to assist you in finding the perfect solution for your particular application. Call 800.686.2651 to find out how you can become a member of Team Cart Caddy.

Warehouse Productivity Tips

How your warehouse functions and makes use of its available space can have a tremendous impact on your profit. To anyone not familiar with your business, managing the storage, movement, and shipment of goods and material may appear simple. But you know otherwise. Regardless of the size or purpose of your warehouse, there are a few basics tips that can improve productivity.

Organize to optimize

Real estate and monthly leases can be costly. You do not want wasted space or to have workers tripping over non-essential items and having to move materials more times than is absolutely necessary. Streamline order pulling and restocking based on which products move, or need to move, most often.

Consider ROI when buying equipment

Order picking and shipment is the most important logistic process in your warehouse. Products and shipment sizes vary. Versatile material moving equipment like cart movers can work in tight spaces and move any cart. By having reliable and easy-to-use material moving equipment readily available, you reduce back strains, injuries, and damage to product.

Re-evaluate and re-slot

Do not stay with a process that is not working just because it was a good way to do things previously. Many companies get locked into a slotting method that can’t adjust as their company and orders evolve. By reducing the travel time in order picking, you can reduce labor cost, damage to product, and reduce injuries.

Our knowledgeable and courteous Sales Engineers can help you improve efficiency in your business and warehouse with the material handling equipment that is best suited to your needs. You can reach them at 800.686.2651 or by using the online chat feature.

Highlighting The Shopping Cart Pusher

Your customers may take shopping carts for granted, simply leaving them where they stand when they’re finished. However, it’s a problem for your business if the carts aren’t available when shoppers need them. Make retrieval more efficient with a Shopping Cart Pusher from DJ Products.

Rounding up stray carts across a parking lot and surrounding area can be a tedious and awkward job. If the weather’s bad, it becomes uncomfortable as well. Your employees will appreciate the ease of operating our cart pusher and you’ll save labor costs when they have more time to spend on other tasks.

The cart pusher attaches to the back of a line of shopping carts that can number as many as 50. Your employee then moves to the head of the train to steer, using a remote control to operate the pusher. He can then return the carts to the front of the store and either head back for more or start on a different job.

Having a parking lot full of stray shopping carts is messy-looking. In addition, it presents a hazard to customers who have to maneuver around them to enter your lot. Who doesn’t get annoyed at finding shopping cart dings on their car? Using a cart pusher can make these issues a thing of the past.

The Shopping Cart Pusher is just one of a full line of material handling solutions available from DJ Products. Our Sales Engineers are standing by at 800.686.2651 to answer your questions and help find the answer to your particular application.

Custom Solutions from Friendly Sales Staff

You’ve heard all the advantages and decided it’s time to invest in equipment tugs for your facility. It’s a move that will pay major dividends of increased efficiency and safety. Now the question becomes which product to choose. Fortunately, it’s not one you have to answer by yourself. Our friendly Sales Engineers at DJ Products are on hand to help you find the right solution.

Our base products include standard features that satisfy the needs of most applications. All tugs are battery-powered “walk-behind” units that are energy-efficient and user-friendly. They’re smaller than most traditional equipment, making them easier to maneuver, but they’re strong enough to easily move loads of thousands of pounds.

In addition, all products are ergonomically designed to optimize operator safety. For instance, the electric variable speed twist grip helps to prevent carpal tunnel injuries while allowing for smooth control of the unit. Work-related absences will likely become reduced thanks to these features.

While our standard products are capable of serving a wide variety of applications, your facility may have some specialized needs. All of our tugs can be customized with the addition of options such as 5th wheel arms, foam-filled tires and built-in battery chargers. We’re happy to work with you to provide answers to any of your requirements.

Visit our website for a full listing of all products along with their individual features and specifications. Once you’ve reviewed the choices, contact our Sales Engineers at 800.686.2651 to discuss the best solution for your company or get further information about customized options.

New Chat Features on Our Website Give Realtime Help

The Internet has changed the way we shop. Company websites allow us to gather information and even “see” products before we decide to buy. However, there are still times when we need some knowledgeable input and advice. Our new chat features let you get real time help from the friendly, experienced Sales Engineers at DJ Products.

As you browse our website you’ll see a box in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Simply enter your information and question in the corresponding boxes. A Sales Engineer will be waiting at the other end to give you a prompt response and answer any other questions or concerns.

If you’d rather chat the old-fashioned way, you can contact a Sales Engineer via phone. The chat screen gives you three options to match your preference. You can conduct your phone call on your computer, on your telephone or via Skype.

Our website is open 24 hours a day, but our Sales Engineers may not be available after business hours. Use our “answering service” to send a message detailing your questions. You’ll receive a response to your question as soon as business hours resume.

Let our Sales Engineers know what type of business you have. They have extensive experience in finding the right solution for any application. In addition, they can provide recommendations regarding customized features that may be of benefit.

Feel free to browse our website with full confidence that we can provide assistance for any questions or concerns you may have. Use our convenient chat screen or call 800.686.2651.

Tag: Business Productivity