Tag: Warehouse Productivity Equipment

Key Productivity Goals for Your Warehouse Operations in 2018

Businessman pressing modern business type of buttons
What Are Your Key Productivity Goals?

As the fourth quarter of 2018 approaches, it’s time to start creating your business plan for 2019. Once you firm up the budget for labor, material handling equipment and other expenses, turn your attention to establishing key productive goals that are both challenging and realistic.

Past performance is a starting point, but don’t simply recycle measurements from year to year. Use these helpful guidelines to set accurate goals that give employees a clear roadmap for success.

Use the SMART Method

The more precise your goals, the better equipped employees will be to follow them and the easier it will be to track progress. Make sure goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

Maintain Open Communication

Workers are more likely to internalize goals when they feel as though they’re part of the process. Solicit input from employees at all levels and remain open to regular feedback throughout the year.

Determine Key Metrics

What metrics will give you the clearest picture of productivity levels? Units per labor hour, or UPLH, is an industry standard that’s straightforward and efficient.

Other metrics to consider include:

– Safety: Workplace injuries affect the number of experienced workers available and impact morale of other employees.

– Quality: Time spent handling quality issues has a direct impact on UPLH.

– Turnover: New employees have to be trained and they require time to develop the necessary skills, resulting in uneven productivity levels.

DJ Products: Material Handling Equipment for Today and the Future

When warehouse employees have access to high-quality material handling equipment, they can focus on performing job duties to the best of their abilities. Visit our website and let our sales engineers help you find the right electric tugs, pushers and movers for your specific applications.

Forklift Dangers and How to Prevent Them

Is forklift safety a priority in your warehouse? According to OSHA, there are one million forklifts in use around the United States and they’re involved in 20,000 serious injuries each year. Here are tips to minimize risk of the top dangers of this popular warehouse equipment.

1. Turnovers

Forklift turnovers are usually a result of overload, unbalanced loads or traveling with the fork too high.

– Require drivers to wear seat belts at all times when operating a forklift.

– Train employees in optimum methods of stacking loads.

– Slow down when turning as well as when traveling across wet or slippery surfaces.

– Keep the load uphill when going up or down inclines and ramps.

2. Striking Pedestrian Employees

Pedestrian employees can be struck directly by forklifts, or indirectly by objects that have been hit by forklifts.

– Restrict specific aisles to pedestrians only or forklifts only.

– Avoid operating forklifts near time clock, break rooms, exits and other areas where pedestrians tend to congregate.

– Locate workstations away from aisles and safeguard with physical barriers when necessary.

– Pedestrians should also take responsibility for being aware of their surroundings and moving out of the way if they encounter a forklift or hear a horn or backup signal.

3. Crushing Workers

Approximately 16 percent of forklift fatalities occur when the vehicle crushes a worker.

– All passengers must be in a seat with the seat belt engaged.

– Never allow anyone to ride on the fork itself.

– Drivers should inspect their route carefully for potential hazards and obstructions.

Improve Warehouse Safety with Electric Movers from DJ Products

Electric movers such as our best-selling CartCaddyLite are an essential part of your warehouse equipment. Visit our website to learn more from our friendly and knowledgeable sales engineers.

Top Technology Trends in the Logistics Industry

Top Technology Trends in the Logistics Industry
Top Technology Trends in the Logistics Industry

The newest logistics technology is radically reshaping the way we buy groceries, shop for clothes, and even how we do our own jobs. Warehouse managers today are quite likely to rely heavily on technology that didn’t even exist just a few years ago.

A look at the top five trends in logistics technology covers everything from software to your friendly neighborhood robots:

• Warehouse robots have been popularized by Amazon, but other companies continue innovating their own solutions. Most prominently, motorized equipment can assist human workers with faster, safer fulfillment.

• Augmented reality for pickers and other warehouse workers can be used in smart eyeglasses to assist with finding items accurately and quickly.

• Predictive analytics up to and including “anticipatory shipping” before a customer actually buys and Uber-style trucker-to-shipper matching will continue to revolutionize the warehouse data game.

• Autonomous vehicles may be the solution to the truck driver shortage while lowering the cost per mile.

• Drones are poised to fulfill their destiny as the solution for last-mile delivery.

Data and Equipment, Working Together

Data shapes decisions in logistics, and your warehouse equipment supplier has the tools to put that data into action.

At DJ Products, our industrial cart movers help with the human side of the equation. Heavy stress from pushing loaded carts and repetitive stress in warehouse jobs both contribute to productivity loss and worker injury.

Powered material handling equipment, from our CartCaddyLite cart puller to the WagonCaddy industrial power mover, enable your workers to move at the speed of modern logistics. Get a free demo from DJ Products, your warehouse equipment supplier for powered cart movers and more.

Pot Growers Are Pushing Up Warehouse Rents in Key Markets

Alert - Pot Growers Are Taking Up Warehouse Space
Alert – Pot Growers Are Taking Up Warehouse Space

While the e-commerce boom has caused a major spike in demand for warehouse space, competition has come from an unlikely source. Marijuana startups in cannabis-friendly cities such as Denver and Seattle are driving industrial rent prices sky-high.

Marijuana Industry: A Boon for Industrial Landlords

CoStar Group Inc., a research firm that tracks data on commercial properties, found that warehouse rents in Denver, Seattle and Portland rose 27 to 33 percent over the last three years, compared to 19 percent in other markets. Similar results are expected in Los Angeles, Boston and Las Vegas now that these areas have legalized recreational marijuana use.

“Ganjapreneurship” has also caused a corresponding reduction in vacancy rates. Weed sellers tend to choose smaller, less desirable buildings where it’s easier to control the fire risks that accompany the cultivation of marijuana.

Although marijuana has been legalized in these areas, the industry still carries a stigma due to the federal ban. As a result, landlords are asking for, and receiving, higher rent rates.

No End in Sight

In 2016, cannabis sales exceeded $6 billion. Thanks to the recent legalizations, one in five adults will now live in an area that permits recreational weed. Add the expected development of online pot sales, and it’s clear that the demand for warehouse space won’t be relaxing anytime soon.

State-of-the-Art Warehouse Equipment Movers from DJ Products

No matter what products are stored in a warehouse, streamlined operations are essential to maximizing productivity and reducing expenses. Visit our website to learn more about our CartCaddy5WP and other battery-powered warehouse equipment tugs, pushers and movers.