Tag: Material Handling

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.

Electric Carts Ease Strain of Push-Pull Tasks

Pushing and pulling are the two most required actions in industrial and business settings. Unfortunately, pushing and pulling can place extreme stress on a worker’s body, often resulting in back, groin and other musculoskeletal injuries. Injuries can cost an individual business thousands of dollars each year in medical, insurance, disability and lost man-hour costs. An ergonomically designed electric cart pusher and motorized cart puller eliminates the physical strain of manually pushing and pulling heavy carts and wheeled equipment. An investment in ergonomic equipment is a sound investment in the health and safety of your workforce that can save your business thousands of dollars in unnecessary medical and insurance costs.

In manufacturing and distribution settings, the most common solutions to material handling tasks are:

  • to place products, parts and equipment on pallets for handling or
  • to utilize racks, carts and casters to move materials.

Electric carts come in a variety of shapes, sizes and configurations to fit the demands of the task and the capabilities of your workforce. An ergonomically-designed cart mover reduces the amount of force that must be exerted by the operator to maneuver a load. Various cart and wheel configurations are available to meet the needs of any task.

  • Carts, racks or equipment with casters can be easily turned and maneuvered with a CartCaddy power tug that feature a 5th wheel turning method.
  • Carts, racks or equipment with 4 swiveling casters require a cart with back end control.
  • Specialized CartCaddies and an electric tug have been designed to handle carts or equipment that have straight wheels or are on a rail.

Visit the DJ Products website to view our complete line of ergonomic electric carts, trucks and lifts. We offer ergonomic solutions for material handling applications.

Part 3: Why Businesses Fail

The business section of the newspaper seems to carry daily notices of failing businesses. Despite tighter requirements, bankruptcies are up. Businesses are succumbing to a combination of the economic slowdown, tighter credit and high fuel costs. Today we continue our series on why businesses fail (see our July 14 and 16 posts).

Most business fail for a combination of reasons, including:

  • Poor collection practices. It’s not enough to make the sale; you have to collect the money. While this should be obvious, many businesses fail to initiate or maintain good collection practices. Just like sales, collections should be a daily task. The biggest mistake many businessmen make is to allow late accounts to go too long before starting the collection process. Many customers will take advantage of the traditional 30-, 60-,  90-day payment schedule. Try aging your accounts receivable by the 15th and month end or even weekly. The sooner you start collections, the better the chance of collecting and the faster your money turns over.
  • Lack of experience in basic business know-how. On-the-job experience is an effective teacher, but the lessons can be costly. Develop an ability to learn from the experiences of others. Education, keeping up with industry journals and publications and attending professional conferences and seminars can offset a lack of personal experience. Meeting with other businessmen through professional organizations or social/community service groups provides a valuable opportunity to discuss common business problems and issues.
  • Poor location. For retail businesses that depend upon walk-in or drive-by trade, poor location can be disastrous. Manufacturing and industrial concerns require easy access to freeways and other transportation routes for both delivery of raw materials and shipment of finished product. Convenience and visibility are key. 

    To be continued

Does Obama Have Muscle to Win Ergonomics Fight?

Like actor Mickey Rourke’s amazing return to the Hollywood ring in The Wrestler, labor is back; and President Obama is in its corner cheering its revival. After eight years struggling on the ropes during the Bush administration, labor has bounced back into the Washington ring and is gaining strength — and it’s bringing the ergonomics fight with it.

“I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem; to me it’s part of the solution,” President Obama was widely quoted as saying recently. During his campaign, Obama repeatedly promised American workers a safer, healthier work environment. Industry watchers have taken that to mean a return to and an expansion of the ergonomic standards initiated during the Clinton administration but quickly rescinded under Bush. With a Democratic-controlled Congress backing him up, Obama appears to have the muscle to force ergonomics back into the legislative ring.

By naming California Democratic Representative Hilda Solis as his new Labor Secretary, Obama appears to be saying to U.S. industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a long-time vocal foe of ergonomics legislation, “Bring it on!” Although she’s still running the confirmation gauntlet, Solis has received the recommendation of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and is expected to be confirmed, possibly as soon as tomorrow.

The daughter of immigrants and union workers, Solis has long ties to labor groups and has been a champion of ergonomics in the workplace since joining the House of Representatives in 2001. Her home state of California is the only state in the U.S. that mandates ergonomic standards that force employers to provide a safe and healthy work environment for their workers. Concerned about the cost of implementing ergonomic standards, those opposed to ergonomic legislation fear that California’s tough ergonomics rules will be used to create a national model.

That Obama would eventually grapple with ergonomics to improve labor conditions has been a given since his campaign days. But there’s been a lot of speculation in the industry and in Washington about how and when Obama would try to take down ergonomic opponents. By calling Solis into his corner, Obama seems to be getting ready to enter the ring. It will be interesting to listen to the President’s State of the Union speech tomorrow night. A direct statement about ergonomics or workplace safety could indicate that the fight is on!

Logistics Industry Down But Not Out

Considering the state of the economy, it’s not unexpected that the logistics industry is suffering along with everyone else. According to the recently released Global Contract Logistics 2009 report published by Transport Intelligence, the global contract logistics market grew at a rate of 5% in 2008, half the 10% growth experienced in each of the past few years. Of greatest concern was the noticeable drop in volume during the fourth quarter, generally considered the industry’s peak season.

“This downturn has been felt well into 2009, although there are signs that the fall in volumes may well have bottomed out by the end of the first quarter, the report suggests,” logistics industry analyst Ken Hurst noted in today’s posting on Works Management online.

Increasing, global reach provides the greatest opportunity for future success in the logistics industry, particularly when U.S. markets go stale. Developing markets in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and the Asian Pacific region offer the most opportunity for future growth, according to the Ti report. While the China market has cooled recently, Hurst expects it to rebound, saying, “… with GDP growth still in the high single digits, and a $585 billion stimulus package taking effect, underlying economic activity will continue to drive its [China’s] logistics sector.”

The report predicts five more years of volatile swings in the logistics industry worldwide with significant recovery not predicted until 2011. Rebuilding is expected to be agonizingly slow. According to Hurst’s post, “Ti believes that the market will grow at a compound annual rate of 2.4% between 2009 and 2012.” Stabilization of the industry will depend on the speed with which global sales increase. Until consumer confidence returns and drives up demand for goods, manufacturers and retailers will continue to keep supply costs lean. Because of its position at the tail end of the supply chain, the logistics industry may be one of the final economic sectors to achieve recovery. While contractual relationships will protect some logistics companies from the worst market volatility, “logistics providers will have to work hard at increasing their value proposition to clients if they are to avoid the worst excesses of the recession,” John Manners-Bell, Ti CEO told Hurst.

2010 Material Handling Shows Help Position You for Future

The poor economy led to lower attendance at 2009 material handling shows but 2010 promises to be a better year. Companies trying to hold onto their bottom line may have skipped last year’s show or sent only a token delegate or two. With the manufacturing and peripheral industries finally starting to post small increases, material handling and related industries are anticipating better attendance at 2010 conferences.

Annual conferences and trade shows offer unique opportunities to see what’s new in the industry and what the future holds. Staying up-to-date with your industry enables you to better position yourself to meet future demands. National trade shows are an excellent place to network. They’re a good place to search for new talent to strengthen or rejuvenate your operation. They’re also an excellent place to form alliances with other company representatives that can lead to greater national exposure and increased product sales.

Continuing education classes and workshops provide information on innovative solutions to management and marketing problems. Round table discussions provide an opportunity to trade techniques and strategies with other industry professionals. Dealer and product give you an opportunity to learn about new products, increase your product knowledge, and discover products or services that can augment or revitalize your current product line.

The big national material handling conference/trade shows scheduled for 2010 include:

  • NA 2010: Solutions that Make the Supply Chain Work sponsored by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) will be held April 26-29 at the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The event will focus on positioning your business to take advantage of future trends. Click here for more information.
  • 2010: The Rules Have Changed sponsored by the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) will be held May 1-5 at the Marriott Marco Island Resort & Spa on Marco Island, Florida. The conference will focus on providing insight into recession-driven maketing and economic trends. Click here for more information.

Part 5: Why Businesses Fail

At DJ Products we believe in the value of learning from experience — ours, our customers and the business community at large. It’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel. The savvy businessman will learn from the experiences of others and turn that knowledge to his advantage.

With that in mind, we’ve been talking about why businesses fail (see our posts starting July 14). The economy is down, credit is tight and fuel is up. Times are tough and many businesses are struggling to survive. Taking a look at the most common reasons businesses fail may help us all to avoid the same pitfalls.

Continuing our list of why businesses fail:

  • Unwarranted personal expenses. The news is fully of greedy or sloppy businessmen (and politicians) who now find themselves fired or even jailed for using their business as a personal expense account. Hard-working businessmen deserve to profit from their labors, but they also have a responsibility to set an example of fiscal responsibility for their employees and create a profit for their shareholders. You need to be profitable to earn the perks. Set clear policies for charging expenses to the company that follow IRS guidelines and regulations. Set an example for employees and monitor expenses regularly to curb abuse.
  • Unplanned expansion. Entrepreneurs eager to capitalize on every opportunity may be tempted to expand quickly. However, unplanned expansion is the quickest way to run out of cash fast. Expanding a business should involve careful, long-term planning. Take sufficient time for market analysis to ensure that expansion is warranted and can continue to be supported by future sales. Develop an implementation schedule and don’t cut corners on the implementation process. Proper implementation is pivotal to the success of an expansion plan. A good plan, poorly implemented, will turn out to be a poor plan.

 To be continued

Overseas Jobs Could Be Headed Back to America

The tide could be turning. Following up on a campaign promise to stop the flow of manufacturing jobs overseas, President Obama has proposed closing loop holes in the U.S. tax code and raising corporate taxes on offshore earnings to encourage U.S. manufacturers to keep jobs in America. The President is pressuring Congress to eliminate certain tax breaks that he says encourage U.S. companies to move jobs overseas. At the same time, the President’s recently-released budget initiative proposes to increase corporate taxes on overseas earnings.

Proponents say the President’s plan would not only keep more jobs in America, it would raise more than $100 billion in much needed revenue over the next decade. Current tax laws allow U.S. firms to defer taxes on overseas profits if they invest those profits in their foreign subsidiaries. Critics say that practice encourages businesses to fund their foreign operations at the expense of those located on U.S. soil. And, of course, there’s considerable debate on both sides about what the amount of the tax rate should be if the rules are changed. Many consider the current 35% rate (which few actually pay) unsustainable, particularly in the current economy. Some industry experts have suggested a more realistic 15% to 20% tax rate. The debate is expected to be energetic. If your company has a global reach, you might want to weigh in with your Congressional representatives.

Any move to keep U.S. jobs on U.S. soil will be a positive one for America’s manufacturing industry, American workers, and the U.S. economy. Hard-hit by the economic recession and the problems of Detroit’s Big Three auto manufacturers, the future of U.S. manufacturing has been painted as bleak by many. But the real story is much more complex and, fortunately, rosier. While U.S. manufacturing jobs have moved overseas, particularly to China, to take advantage of lower labor costs; over the past 15 years, the number of Chinese manufacturing jobs has not increased, leading industry experts to believe we’re on the downslope of the outsourcing peak, at least with regards to China. In fact, according to the Material Handling Industry of America, the percentage of workers employed in manufacturing is higher in the U.S. than it is in China. Good news for U.S. workers.

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