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Summer Tips to Keep Your Staff Cool in an Un-Air-conditioned Warehouse

Summer is quickly approaching and with it comes rising temperatures. For warehouse employees who are diligently working inside, summer months are something to dread. Spacious work areas are difficult to warm and extremely expensive to cool. So how can employees and their conscientious employers gain some relief from the heat? Check below for a few easy-smart heat-battling tips!

Prepping for the Heat

Extreme heat conditions are trying on the body in any environment, and especially on the job. In buildings that are vulnerable to intense temperatures, your employees often battle exhaustion, dehydration and other trying ailments related to heat. On the business side, difficult working conditions lower productivity and increase the potential for threatening and costly safety issues. Here are some summer heat solutions you can implement to create better on-the-job experiences for your hard-working base:

– Make sure to inspect the insulation. If the warehouse building is properly insulated, heat can’t find its way in quite as easily.

– Add ceiling fans. They are affordable options that allow for good air flow to permeate large areas.

– Fight humidity. By running dehumidifiers, removed moisture often brings instant cooling relief.

– Inform your workers of heat dangers. Knowledge is an elemental factor in preventing dangerous accidents. Self-awareness plays a part in lessening the chances of incurring injury related to high heat levels.

– Purchase durable material handling equipment. High-functioning material handling equipment performs well in various temperatures. Heat wreaks havoc on machines that run too hot. Hot machinery produces excessive heat. The right products simplify worker tasks rather than create more troublesome problems.

Ensure good working conditions continue by employing the proper preventative procedures. And when you utilize quality material handling equipment like those offered by DJ Products, productivity and employee morale will increase!

Six Tips for Keeping Your Warehouse Clean

No matter how advanced your warehouse equipment is, that’s only part of the equation for improved productivity. A clean warehouse makes work processes more efficient and reduces down time due to workplace injuries.

Here’s a helpful list of the top tips for keeping your warehouse neat and organized.

Set a Consistent Schedule

When you let laundry and dirty dishes pile up at home, you end up with monumental tasks that are tedious and time-consuming. The same is true with warehouse cleaning. Establish a schedule of daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks based on importance to the work flow.

Empty Trash Bins Regularly

The trash room is a hot spot for injuries. Make sure bins are emptied before they become overloaded.

Establish a Clean-As-You-Go Policy

Don’t let employees get in the habit of putting off cleanup until “later,” which never comes. A task or project shouldn’t be considered finished until any mess is tidied up.

Assign Cleaning Zone Responsibilities

Does productivity slow down during shift changes, when oncoming workers have to clean up the mess left behind by the previous group? Give each employee a specific area to be maintained before clocking out every day.

Provide Cleaning Supplies

Employees shouldn’t have to waste valuable time hunting for brooms, paper towels or other supplies. Keep an adequate stock on hand and conveniently available.

Keep Inventory Turning

Outdated stock creates a cluttered appearance and makes warehouse cleaning unnecessarily difficult.

Simplify Warehouse Operations with Battery-Powered Warehouse Equipment

DJ Products offers a full selection of electric tugs, movers and pushers that make it easy for employees to quickly transport heavy loads and keep aisles and work areas clear. Use our convenient online chat feature and get prompt assistance from our cheerful sales engineers.

Considerations for Safety and Ergonomics with Using Flexible Conveyors in Your Warehouse

Flexible conveyors are valuable pieces of warehouse equipment that reduce the amount of manual handling required during day-to-day operations. The conveyors are often used in areas such as the gap between a truck and a dock where a permanent system isn’t practical.

Make sure you get the full benefits of flexible conveyors by implementing these safety tips.

Enforce Use of the Flexible Conveyor

While flexible conveyors make their jobs easier, employees may still resist using them. Some people won’t see the value of flexible conveyors, and others simply object to change of any kind. Use of the conveyors shouldn’t be an optional part of the job.

Establish a Training Program

Flexible conveyors aren’t complicated, but there are specific procedures that allow maximum productivity and safety. Institute employee training covering issues such as total weight capacity and locking and unlocking casters. This is also a good way to educate workers on the advantages of conveyors.

Perform Regular Maintenance

As with all warehouse equipment, flexible conveyors need regular maintenance to ensure top performance. At a minimum, follow the manufacturer’s recommended schedule.

Follow Basic Safety Rules

– Make sure clothes, jewelry and hair are kept clear of the conveyor at all times.

– Once the conveyor is positioned for use, lock the casters down.

– Take care to keep fingers and hands out of rollers, skatewheels and side links.

– When transitioning from dock to trailer, use of a dock plate should be mandatory. Be sure to pull the conveyor onto the plate from the front.

DJ Products: Your First Choice for High-Quality Warehouse Equipment

We offer a full line of electric tugs, pushers and movers to accommodate any warehouse application. Visit our website where our friendly sales engineers are standing by to answer your questions.

How to Keep Birds Away from Your Open Warehouse Dock Doors

Birds may think your material handling equipment makes attractive perches, but a warehouse is no place for our feathered friends. In addition to being a nuisance, birds can create serious safety risks and impact productivity.

Here are some expert recommendations for products to help prevent birds from entering your open warehouse dock doors.

Netting

Netting is a great way to block birds while still allowing doors to remain open. Mesh is available in different sizes to accommodate types of birds prevalent in your area, and material is flame-resistant, rot- and water-proof.

Vinyl Strip Doors

Vinyl strips come in both standard and custom sizes to fit any type of door, interior or exterior. The flat strips overlap to provide a secure barrier, but they’re flexible enough to allow passage for workers and material handling equipment.

Bird Repellent Gel

Bird repellent gel is non-toxic to both humans and birds. The transparent, odorless substance works by making surfaces too sticky for birds to land on. There are several brands on the market, and the gel is applied easily with a standard caulking gun.

Sonic Deterrents

Birds are subject to a number of natural predators. Sonic deterrents use pre-recorded calls from these predators to send birds off in search of safer quarters. This product is made with UV-protected materials so it’s weather-resistant, and it includes a handy volume control.

Spikes

Stainless steel bird spikes have blunt edges, so they don’t cause physical harm. It’s simply more awkward for birds to land on a surface with spikes attached. The plastic base strips are flexible enough to allow mounting on curved or contoured surfaces.

Contact DJ Products for Your Material Handling Equipment Needs

Call 800.686.2651 to learn more about our battery-powered tugs, movers and pushers.

Five Summer Warehouse Staffing Tips

Is your business staffed and equipped to handle the holiday crunch? From Valentine’s Day to Christmas, every industry has its busy seasons. Now’s the time to start staffing and determining your need for material handling equipment – before mistakes that lead to shipment issues and injuries ruin your reputation.

Five Staffing Tips for Managing Seasonal Operations Employees:

1. Bring back the best.
Stay in contact with the best holiday workers from previous seasons, contacting them by phone, text or postcard to invite them to return. Bonus: These workers are already trained. Be sure to note the potential for a year-round position for top-performing candidates to encourage returns. A system based on attendance, productivity, and teamwork (over seniority) can fuel performance.

2. Enlist a skilled staffing agency.
A strong partnership with a temp agency can help you build your staffing resources. Look for providers who can supply you with workers in hours, if necessary. Aim to be a business BFF to top agencies to ensure top-quality employees. Keep staffing agencies on-point with a list of busy seasons, giving them as much notice for temporary labor as possible.

3. Involve team leaders with hiring.
Team-up with HR. You need more than warm bodies to build a skilled team.

4. Try a trial run.
Have test runs several times before peak season, identifying top performers and requesting their services for holiday spikes.

5. Pay well.
Pay rates above minimum wage are a huge motivator, weeding out those who don’t want to work in favor of quality staffers.

Stocked up on staff? Ensure both new and seasoned and employees have the material handling equipment they need for success. Prevent injuries and streamline your shipping operation with the help of DJ Products today.

Protect Your Staff from These Top Warehouse Related Injuries

Despite Slow Moving Machinery and Large Space, Accidents in Warehouses do Still Occur.

How safe is your warehouse? The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 5.5 injuries for every 100 warehouse workers. Reduce risk to your employees by using tugger carts and taking steps to prevent these common warehouse injuries.

Forklift and Truck Accidents

Forklifts are standard equipment in nearly every warehouse. While they’re essential for moving materials, forklifts are also involved in many warehouse accidents, either from malfunction or operator error.

Warehouses often contract their trucking needs to third-party providers. Those that handle transportation in-house are vulnerable to employee and property damage from truck accidents.

Overexertion Injuries

Musculoskeletal disorders are responsible for nearly one-third of all worker’s compensation costs in the United States. The back and shoulders are the most frequently injured body parts, although other body parts can also be affected by twisting, pushing and other causes of overexertion.

Loading Dock Injuries

Loading docks are some of the busiest and most congested areas of any warehouse. Injuries can occur due to inattentive truck drivers, unstable loads or moving heavy materials.

Workplace Obstructions

Spills or leaks that aren’t cleaned up promptly can cause employees to slip and fall. When empty pallets, misplaced inventory and other debris block warehouse aisles, other falling accidents are likely to happen.

Falling Objects

Warehouses make use of vertical space in order to maximize returns and minimize costs. It’s a valuable concept, but it increases the chances of materials falling and striking workers down below.

Tugger Carts: A Practical Solution to Warehouse Safety from DJ Products

Tugger carts such as our best-selling CartCaddyLite are ergonomically designed to minimize risk of common musculoskeletal injuries from pushing, lifting and other causes of overexertion. Visit our website and learn more about our full line of electric tugger carts from our sales engineers.

New Logistics Company Roadie Looks to Disrupt Transportation Models

New Ways to Look at Logistics

Logistics and warehousing companies typically focus on providing services for small, large and medium-sized businesses, but individual consumers could soon have their own version of delivery services to use. Roadie, a new delivery network, plans to focus on providing convenient and cost-effective services for individuals.

Competition for Amazon and Walmart

Amazon and Walmart are positioning themselves as innovative businesses when it comes to delivering goods to customers. Both companies are considering offering delivery services using local drivers instead of relying on major shipping companies. The idea behind this is to reduce costs to consumers while providing even faster service.

Where does Roadie fit into this? Roadie plans on using registered and rated drivers who are already going in the customer’s direction to pick up items and deliver them. This is more of a gig rather than a traditional delivery service, and it’s not just intended for consumer products.

The Roadie Community

Roadie is set up to make deliveries that fall outside the realm of delivering products and purchases to customers. Individuals who need personal belongings shipped or brought to another location and even those who need transportation for pets will be able to make delivery arrangements through Roadie.

The community includes drivers who are registered with the app and have been rated. Individuals who need pickups and deliveries can create a job, review the rated drivers who are available and choose one. While Roadie might not become immediate competition for traditional logistics and warehousing companies, it’s still a good idea to be aware of these trends.

If you need a semi truck tow dolly or other equipment to help your company save money and manpower, please visit DJ Products. We offer high-quality semi truck tow dolly options and other products.

Tips to Reducing Costs and Improving Efficiency in Your Warehouse – Part One

Tips to Reducing Costs and Improving Efficiency in Your Warehouse

Managing a warehouse is a constant juggling act as you work to control labor, inventory and freight. Tugger carts from DJ Products help employees be more productive. What other methods can you use to improve efficiency and reduce costs?

How to Reduce Costs and Improve Efficiency

Here are five top tips from experts to keep all three elements of your warehouse operations running at high levels.

1. Control Freight Charges

Freight charges can eat away at profits more quickly than any other factor. Skilled consultants can help you negotiate carrier agreements at lower rates without a corresponding decrease in service.

2. Develop Incentive Pay Programs

Incentive pay for performance is actually one of the more cost-effective methods to increase productivity. Review programs carefully to make sure they’re not redundant.

3. Simplify Workflow and Processes

Less really can be more. Take a look at the warehouse layout and work processes to see if you can identify any wasted space and motions.

4. Establish a Baseline and Benchmarks

If you don’t know where you started, how can you tell when you’ve reached the finish line? Determine the measurements you want to track and provide employees with regular feedback to get them engaged.

5. Invest in Manager Development

When managers are the weak leak, it impacts every area of your business. Make sure they have proper training and other tools they need to succeed.

Streamline Warehouse Efficiency with Tugger Carts from DJ Products

Battery-powered tugger carts, such as our best-selling CartCaddyLite, promote higher levels of productivity and reduce costs through lower risk of workplace injuries.

Visit our website to learn more about our full line of material handling solutions. Use the convenient online chat feature to get real-time assistance from our sales engineers.

Batch or Wave Picking – Which is Best for Your Order Fulfillment Warehouse?

Did you realize that pickers in your order fulfillment warehouse spend nearly two-thirds of their shift moving their tugger carts from one bin to another? Batch picking and wave picking reduce that time for improved efficiency. Which process is right for your warehouse?

Batch Picking

As implied by the name, batch picking involves sorting orders into batches that can be picked at the same time. This cuts down the number of times pickers must visit the same bin location.

Batch picking in small-order warehouses can more than double average pick rates. Since items are usually transported by cart rather than conveyor, batch picking also reduces expenses.

Experts recommend batch picking for warehouses with a higher concentration of SKUs over a large area or those with SKUs in densely populated locations. Varying the number of orders in each batch boosts productivity by limiting traffic on the warehouse floor.

Wave Picking

On the other hand, wave picking calls for pickers to work in specific zones rather than on batches. Once all the items are picked, they are collated into individual orders.

Wave picking generally works best in distribution centers with large numbers of SKUs. The process can be refined further into fixed waves, in which orders aren’t packed until the entire wave is picked, and dynamic waves, where each individual order is packed as soon as it’s completed.

Streamline Your Warehouse with Tugger Carts from DJ Products

When employees struggle to transport outsized or heavy loads, it seriously impacts productivity in your order fulfillment warehouse. Our full line of electric tugger carts offers a solution for every application.

Visit our website to learn more about tugger carts such as our best-selling CartCaddyLite, which can transport carts weighing up to 1,500 pounds.

Good Warehouse Housekeeping – Improves Safety and Prevents Injury

Good housekeeping shouldn’t be confined to your place of residence. Maintaining a tidy workplace and using tugger carts reduce injury risk and promote high levels of efficiency.

Incorporate these expert tips for making cleanliness an important part of your workplace culture.

Prevent Slips-and-Falls

Slips, trips and falls are second only to musculoskeletal stress as a cause of workplace injuries.

– Keep aisles and doorways free of obstructions.

– Clean up spills and leaks as soon as they occur.

– Immediately repair or replace worn-out or damaged flooring.

– Use strategically placed floor mats to provide traction and prevent employees from tracking materials across the warehouse.

Control Dust

A layer of dust no thicker than a dime presents a serious explosion risk. Use vacuums and compressed air to keep all surfaces, materials and equipment dust-free.

Remove Clutter

Clutter forces employees to restrict their movements, which can lead to sprains, cuts and other injuries. Make it a habit to return items to their proper place after use and keep extraneous items out of the workplace.

Use Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment such as safety glasses, closed-toed shoes and face masks should be used appropriately, with no exceptions. Have supervisors conduct regular checks to make sure all PPE is in good working condition.

Create and Maintain Written Housekeeping Policies

Create a manual thoroughly detailing housekeeping policies and keep it updated. All employees should be trained on proper procedures and have convenient access to the manual.

Save Time and Money with Tugger Carts from DJ Products

Our battery-powered tugger carts pay for themselves many times over in improved productivity and reduced workplace injuries. Visit our website and get real-time assistance from our sales engineers to select the perfect tugger carts for your warehouse.

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