Tag: Material Handling

Customers Find Unusual Applications for DJ Products’ Powered Carts

Here at DJ Products, we love to hear about some of the unusual and unique uses our customers have found for our motorized carts and powered movers. Often our customers’ inventiveness matches our own when it comes to finding new uses for our ergonomically-designed, compact and highly maneuverable CartCaddies.

S.B. of Sound Construction, who uses our versatile TrailerCaddy on job sites, found a unique personal use for his motorized vehicle mover during off hours. Boating and fishing are the big sports in his neck of the woods where nearly every driveway sports a boat on a trailer. Tired of the tedious back and forth maneuvering it takes to back a boat trailer into a narrow driveway, S.B. put his TrailerCaddy to use and easily positioned his boat in record time — and still had plenty of space to get the family car into the garage. His neighbors were so impressed, his TrailerCaddy is now in hot demand.

“No more must I watch the neighbors look like geeks trying to back their boats into the driveway — they simply borrow my TrailerCaddy,”  S.B said.

Often, customers come to us with a specific problem that challenges us to find new applications for our motorized equipment movers. We’re always pleased when our solution is a hit, as it was for J.A. of Wausau West High School.  

Lugging heavy, unwieldy, free-standing bleachers from one site to another was a problem for the maintenance crew at Wausau West High School. If you have ever tried to move one of these massive blocks of “portable” temporary bleachers, you know portability played second fiddle to sturdy construction when these units were designed. Unfortunately, the multiple uses to which schools must put their space demand flexible equipment use. Muscling bleachers into position for band concerts, school assemblies and various sporting events can tax the physical resources of even the stoutest maintenance crew. The risk of muscle and back strain and other injuries is high.

J.A. came to us seeking a solution. Our small profile, highly maneuverable, powered tugger, the CartCaddyShorty, proved to be the perfect solution. Capable of handling 3,000 pounds and maneuvering in tight spaces and crowded school corridors, the CartCaddyShorty allows a single worker to move and maneuver into place the school’s bleacher units in record time with no more backaches!

“Planning on spreading the work on this solution to the bleacher problem in other schools,” said a pleased J.A.

If you’ve found an unusual use for our equipment, we’d love to hear from you. And if you have a particular problem, give us a call. We love a challenge!

CartCaddy Tug Solves Auto Manufacturing Problem

The task was to design a robotic work cell to fabricate car doors. It was a difficult problem. The jig assembly that would hold the doors weighed nearly 5,000 pounds. The entire assembly would have to be pushed into the robotic work cell. The tier 1 robotics integrator for a major auto manufacturer turned to DJ Products for the solution.

DJ Products’ CartCaddy5WP tug was the answer. This powerful battery-powered tug allows a single operator to smoothly and safely change-out a finished car door with ease. State-of-the-art ergonomic design eliminates any potential injury to workers from manually pushing door assemblies into position. The tug’s powerful 36-volt motor provides effortless maneuvering of loads from 2,500 pounds up to 30,000 pounds. Highly maneuverable in tight spaces, this exceptional tug is equally effective in open spaces, hallways, aisles and assembly lines.

The CartCaddy5WP tug is a more powerful upgrade of our CartCaddy5W tugger. By adding weight over the drive tires, greater traction is created allowing the 5WP tug to manage heavy loads and equipment up to 30,000 pounds. This tug has the power to push or pull almost any heavy cart or piece of equipment.

In common application, the CartCaddy 5WP is used with carts or equipment having two swivel casters in front and two straight casters in the rear. Attaching the 5WP power tug to the swivel caster end of the cart/equipment allows the tug to easily power carts/equipment through turns and maneuvers, even in tight spaces. An ergonomically designed variable speed twist grip prevents carpal tunnel syndrome and allows the operator to maintain smooth control through intricate maneuvers in both forward and reverse at speeds of from 0 to 3 mph. For full specifications on the 5WP power tug, click here.

The electric lift option on the 5WP power tug raises and lowers the tug’s arm for firm attachment to the bottom of carts or equipment. With the arm attached, the tug can pivot a full 180 degrees under the arm, allowing loads to be turned 90 degrees without problem. The CartCaddy5WP power tug is among the most powerful, most maneuverable and most versatile tugs on the market. Click here for more information about the CartCaddy5WP power tug and a video of this tug in action.

Frugality Is New Business Reality

The nation’s economic gurus may have declared the recession over, but they’re warning businesses and consumers alike that recovery could continue for years. And we shouldn’t expect things to get back to the way they were — ever! The country is going through a major reset. After decades of inflated prices, inflated egos and inflated dreams, we’ve had to face the cold, harsh realities of life and — we hope — the experience has left us wiser and a little more wary of falling into the same pit again. The smaller employee pools, tighter resource management and lean production practices developed out of necessity during the recession are here to stay. Frugality is the new reality.

The frugal measures taken to keep American businesses from sinking will help us swim leaner, faster and farther in the post-recession marketplace. Having found that we can function and compete in a frugal environment, businesses are expected to use that new-found frugality to give themselves a competitive edge, using less to produce more. Sure it means that everyone will continue to work harder and do more; but that’s what it’s going to take to compete successfully in the new, tougher post-recession marketplace.

Smart business owners will seek out equipment that allows them to make more productive use of their more limited post-recession workforce. Material handling products like DJ Products ergonomically-designed CartCaddys allow a single worker to perform lifting and transporting tasks that it takes two or more workers to do manually. Because ergonomic design enables multiple workers of any size, shape or physical ability to perform the same task without risk of injury, DJ Products carts, tugs and movers allow employers to maximize use of their workforce. Eco-friendly, battery-operated motorized carts decrease fuel costs while cutting downtime and maintenance costs. And adoption of ergonomic equipment significantly reduces medical and workers compensation costs while letting your workers know you value their health and safety.

Material Handling Solutions of the Future Available Today

Our last two posts (April 18 & 21) have talked about a vision of the future in which a smaller number of highly-trained and skilled, self-directed workers fuse automation and manual operations to accomplish material handling functions with maximum efficiency. While some aspects of this utopian vision will require years of careful planning and development, part of this dream is already within the grasp of business owners.

Smart carts are already available today that can significantly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of a single worker.  Highly maneuverable electric, motorized and batter-powered carts allow a worker to effortlessly transport and manipulate equipment and goods, even in confined spaces.  Ergonomic design ensures the workers can accomplish tasks with an economy of motion, minimum physical force and maximum safety. “Walk-behind” construction allows maximum operator control, even in tight, difficult spaces. Electric cart movers provide operating flexibility that allows more versatile use than standard material handling equipment such as forklifts.

CartCaddy material handling carts, tugs and pushers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and configurations geared to handle any wheeled material handling application, including:

  • Electric cart pullers are designed to pull carts with two swivel casters. The 5th-wheel style of these carts allows them to turn with the load. Loads of 3,000 up to 50,000 pounds can be handled with ease.
  • Electric tuggers that can accommodate 4-swivel casters or wagon wheel type turning enable the operator to also control the back end of the cart.
  • Specialized electric pushers can push carts in a straight line, down a rail or down an assembly line. Among the applications available are car pushers designed to push cars, buses and heavy equipment down an assembly line and paper roll pushers developed to push rolls, materials or large wheels that move in a straight line or roll on their own surface. Trailer movers can move wheeled equipment such as trailers, boats and RVs, anything with a ball coupler or pintle-hitch tongue.

Ergonomics Increase Workplace Efficiency

Manufacturers are shutting factories and slashing jobs in an effort to stop the hemorrhaging from the global economic recession. A recession “always hits manufacturing first and hardest,” said Hank Cox, spokesman for the 10,000 member National Association of Manufacturers. “We’re going into a valley” that looks like it’s going to be “long and deep.”

Economic experts compare this recession to the 2000-2003 slowdown during which manufacturing lost 3 million jobs and never really got them back. Greater initial job loss is expected this time around, but there is hope that as the economy improves a greater number of jobs will be reinstated and that the net job loss will be less than in 2003. Until things turn around, though, everyone will have to work a little harder to pick up the slack.

Increasing the efficiency of your workforce can help business owners trim operating costs. Implementing personnel programs to decrease absenteeism has shown good results but doesn’t address the root cause of the problem. Poor working conditions that place unnatural strain on workers’ bodies take both a physical and mental toll on your workforce. Implementing an ergonomic program in your workplace can not only boost employee morale but eliminate costly musculoskeletal injuries and their associated costs.

Ergonomically-designed powered carts and movers relieve workers of the physical strain and discomfort caused by manual performance of pushing, pulling and lifting tasks. Making an investment in your employees’ health and safety improves morale. And where morale is high, worker efficiency has been proven to increase. But these are the indirect benefits of implementing an ergonomics program in your workplace. Direct benefits include an immediate and permanent decrease in expensive musculoskeletal injuries — particularly back injuries — and the high medical, insurance, disability and workers’ compensation costs they entail.

Workplace injury and illness cost U.S. businesses $171 billion a year. Approximately 13.2 million workers every year are injured in the workplace, resulting in $60 billion in workers’ compensation claims annually. According to OSHA estimates, back injuries account for 1 in 5 disabling injuries. Back injuries alone cost American businesses more than $12 million in lost workdays and $1 billion in compensation costs each year. The lost workday cost of a single back injury is estimated at $26,000.

Implementing an ergonomic program in your workplace can dramatically and immediately impact worker efficiency and your bottom line. Most businesses recoup their investment in ergonomic equipment within the first year. For more information on how ergonomic carts and movers can improve efficiency in your workplace, contact the knowledgeable experts at DJ Products today.

Key Elements to Seek in Material Handling Equipment

No matter what business or industry you are in, you need to move materials. Whether you’re dealing with raw materials, parts and supplies or a finished product, you need equipment that can move materials from point A to point B. When choosing material handling equipment, there are a number of key features to consider that will maximize your investment and the use you get from your equipment.

  • Flexibility. The more jobs a piece of equipment can perform, the more workers who can easily utilize it, the greater the number of environments in which it can operate, the more useful it is to you and the greater its value. DJ Products’ carts and movers are designed for maximum versatility. Ergonomic design ensures that workers of every size, age and physical ability can operate our equipment safely and without effort. DJ Products’ electric lift option and customized attachment eliminate the need to fabricate multiple attachments for each cart or piece of equipment. The mover arm on our tugs quickly attaches to any cart or piece of equipment and can even accommodate loads that overflow the cart bed.
  • Safety. Safety in the workplace is paramount. All of DJ Products’ equipment is ergonomically designed to protect the health and safety of workers. Ergonomic design decreases worker injury and is proven to significantly cut medical/disability costs. Our twist grip protects against carpal tunnel syndrome while allowing forward and reverse movement. Designed as walk- or ride-behind units, DJ Products’ equipment provides maximum operator control of the vehicle with safe lines-of-sight.
  • Productivity. Material handling equipment that promotes comfortable and efficient use increases productivity. Workers accomplish more per shift with less effort, meeting and exceeding production goals. Ergonomic design makes DJ Products’ equipment easy and comfortable to use, decreasing worker fatigue while increasing productivity.
  • Comfort. Operator comfort decreases fatigue and the stretch breaks that accompany tired muscles. The ergonomic design of DJ Products’ equipment maximizes worker comfort, eliminating the need for unnecessary breaks and maximizing production.
  • Service and reliability. DJ Products builds its carts and tugs to maximize uptime. Our electric and battery-operated equipment is cable of operating for two full shifts before recharging.

DJ Products makes a full range of ergonomically-designed powered carts in a wide range of shapes and sizes to handle any application. From compact, light-weight carts that can be easily and safely maneuvered down a crowded hospital corridor to heavy-duty carts capable of pulling more than 50,000 pounds across a production floor or down an assembly line, DJ Products has a material handling solution to fit your needs. Contact one of our ergonomic sales engineers today to see what we can do for you.

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.

Preventing Overexertion Injuries

Pushing, pulling and lifting are the three tasks most frequently performed by American workers. Overexertion during the execution of these tasks is responsible for 25% of all workplace injuries in the U.S., according to the National Safety Council. In fact, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that one in every 200 workers suffers an overexertion injury. Annually, these musculoskeletal injuries cost U.S. business over $1 billion in direct compensation costs and more than 12 million lost workdays.

Repeated studies have proven that ergonomically-designed equipment can significantly decrease costly musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace. Ergonomics is the science of adjusting the equipment to the size and capabilities of the worker. Ergonomics emphasizes worker safety and comfort with the goal of reducing worker fatigue, discomfort and injury. The use of ergonomic equipment allows businesses to maximize the efficiency and productivity of their workforce while protecting workers’ health and safety.

The consequences of neglecting ergonomics are staggering. Workplace injury and illness cost U.S. businesses $171 billion annually, more than cancer or heart disease, the country’s two biggest killers. According to the American Medical Association, more than 13.2 million workers a year suffer a non-fatal workplace injury, many of them preventable musculoskeletal injuries.

Statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor reveal that workers’ compensation claims cost U.S. businesses $60 billion a year. More than 50% of those claims are for back injuries caused by pulling, pushing or lifting, tasks, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. One in five disabling workplace injuries affects the lower back. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1.75 million U.S. workers each year succumb to a back injury that involves lengthy and costly medical and rehabilitation treatment, in addition to a considerable number of lost workdays.

Utilizing ergonomically-designed motorized carts and powered movers to assist workers with pushing, pulling and lifting tasks can save a business thousands of dollars — $4 for every dollar invested, according to a 2008 study reported in the New Hampshire Business Review — in decreased medical, insurance and disability costs resulting from musculoskeletal injuries. DJ Products, a national leader in the manufacture of ergonomically-designed electric carts and movers, specializes in providing affordable ergonomic solutions to material handling applications. For more information, visit the DJ Products website.

Welcome to the DJ Products, Inc. Blog

Welcome to the DJ Products, Inc. blog! We specialize in ergonomic material handling products geared to take the pain and strain out of moving heavy carts, equipment and materials. We pride ourselves in providing material handling solutions that are maneuverable, safe and cost effective. Our goal is to minimize the wear and tear on your personnel, your product AND your bottom line.

Our products are used in manufacturing and distribution settings including heavy and light industry, warehouses, fulfillment centers, the automotive industry pushing stalled vehicles with our Car Pusher and more. Our products can be used to pull RV’s, trailers, boats, generators, wheeled equipment — anything with a ball coupler or pintle hitch tongue called our Trailer Mover. You’ll also find our products in use at car dealerships, hospitals, the hospitality industry, groceries, big box stores and the retail industry.

DJ Products cart pusher, cart mover, caddies and lifts offer superior operating flexibility, allowing them to be used in a greater number of applications than standard material handling equipment. Our products are battery powered “walk-behind” units that provide maximum operator control, even in tight, difficult spaces. Our ergonomically designed products reduce employee injuries, promote easy and frequent use, and eliminate the use of more costly and cumbersome equipment ill-suited to the task.

Join us in this space for news, discussion and insight on topics that impact your business, including:

  • How you can improve the ergonomics and safety of your workplace when moving products and materials.
  • New products and trends in material handling.
  • OSHA regulations and how they impact your business and employees.
  • Innovative material handling solutions to common problems.
  • New ergonomic findings and trends in material handling.
  • Pallets vs. carts: parameters for making an informed decision.
  • Benefits and information on implementing an ergonomic health and safety program.
  • Safety tips for manually moving objects.
  • Evaluation of market products including carts, casters, caddies, etc.

If you’re looking for up-to-date, useful information on material handling solutions, bookmark the DJ Products blog and check our new posts frequently. DJ Products: Changing the way you move materials and equipment.

Use ETO Manufacturing to Differentiate Yourself from Competitors

Customer manufacturing may be a way for U.S. manufacturers to hold on to and even increase their marketshare and margin, Thomas Cutler wrote in a recent issue of Manufacturing & Technology eJournal. The ability to meet your customer’s engineer-to-order (ETO), build-to-order (BTO) and assemble-to-order (ATO) demands is one way to differentiate yourself from your competition. By building or redesigning products to meet customer specifications, you create a niche for yourself in today’s challenging industrial market and build customer relationships that can’t be easily transferred to competitors.

“Standard products are the easiest targets for competitors to attack,” Dennis Parass of Burlington, Ontario’s Questica told Cutler. “If the client feels that there are a number of alternatives, there is a devaluation of the supplier and profit margins fall.”

Clients value and are often willing to pay more for the problem-solving skills needed to redesign standard products to meet specific needs. “Successful ETO or customer manufacturing companies develop relationships with their clients who value the expertise they bring to a project,” Parass told Cutler. “They differentiate competitors and force the client to weigh more than just the ‘economics’ in making a choice. The margins are better. Reputations are built on successful projects with happy clients and the value of references cannot be overemphasized.”

Industry experts predict an increase in ETO manufacturing in coming months. DJ Products has long recognized the advantages and necessity of offering ETO services to our customers. We’re experienced at working with our customers to design solutions that meet their specific needs. Many of our ergonomically-designed carts, movers and tugs are adaptable to a variety of specific needs. Our innovative designs are engineered to help our customers get the greatest and most flexible use from their equipment. Recently, we came out with a motorized retrofit cart kit that allows you to instantly power all your carts with a simple, easy-to-install kit.

Our RaceCarCaddy, a redesign of our popular vehicle pusher, is manufactured to meet the specific needs of the race car industry. Our CartCaddyShorty Power Tugger features a spring hitch option and customized tugger attachment that eliminates the need to fabricate multiple attachments on each of your carts or equipment. We’ve created a variety of specialized attachments that allow instant customization of our standard products. But we also regularly design specific custom applications where our base products don’t match customer criteria. Call DJ Products’ sales engineer to discuss your ETO needs.