Tag: Warehousing Tips

Protect Your Warehouse Staff with These Cold Weather Tips

Winter Snow In Farmers Field
Winter Tips

Over the last couple of years, many parts of the country have experienced historically severe winter weather. Are you and your warehouse staff prepared for the next few months? Use these helpful cold weather tips to keep employees safe and comfortable during frigid conditions:

• Proper clothing is the first line of defense against cold weather. All employees should be outfitted with thick socks, non-slip boots and insulated gloves as well as snug hats. Dressing in layers is suggested for increased warmth, but make sure that clothes are not so baggy that they pose a safety hazard.

• Employees should take regular breaks in warm areas. You might want to provide a supply of hot beverages for the break room.

• Institute a buddy system so employees can watch each other for signs of distress.

• Add supplemental heating where space permits. Never use carbon monoxide-emitting heaters in closed areas or places with no circulation.

• Remind employees to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. They should also eat nutritious, high-calorie foods to maintain strength and energy.

• Hypothermia, which can occur when body temperature drops below 95 degrees, affects people both mentally and physically. If an employee begins experiencing shivering, confusion and slowed breathing, move the person to a warm area and seek immediate medical attention. Warm them gradually to prevent shock from setting in.

Keep Your Workplace Moving with Industrial Tugs from DJ Products

Battery-powered industrial tugs from DJ Products improve workplace safety year-round during any type of weather. Visit our website where our knowledgeable sales engineers are standing by to help you select the right tug or mover for your jobs.

Need Temp Help in Your Warehouse? Who You Gonna’ Call?

Warehouse productivity depends on having a trained staff of people to move your products. Occasionally, temporary help is required to cover shifts or regular full-time employees who are on vacation or illness leave.

In other situations, you may need temporary personnel to store an incoming shipment or send out shipments of your products. You need to use a temporary service that has experienced people available when you need them.

A temp service can also provide people that you may eventually want to hire full-time.

Expertise

The temp staff must be able to quickly learn about your products and how they are used. A car lot using the Car Caddy electric car pusher from DJ Products may need temps who will learn quickly how to use this product when vehicles are delivered. This product will move cars and trucks easily around a lot.

DJ Products also uses temporary help to move products, including the Car Caddy, during extra busy operations.

Safety

Temporary personnel should know all of the warehouse safety precautions including forklift operation requirements. This includes operating powered movers, carts, pullers and retrieving items from top shelves and ledges. They should be familiar with any required safety equipment such as hard hats and vests.

A reliable temp agency will assess the skills and experience of temporary help before they are assigned to a warehouse job.The agency will qualify that the temp is familiar with various movers and other equipment.

Contact DJ Products, manufacturer of a variety of products for warehouses that are easy and safe to use. This includes power movers,  tuggers, dumpster movers and other products for industrial use.

Hiring Tips for Hourly Warehouse Employees

Most businesses rely on hourly employees for certain positions. Many workers simply prefer the flexibility and freedom of part-time work. For today’s managers, it’s crucial to get excellent warehouse productivity from hourly employees while operating an effective hiring process.

Here’s how to find the right people for the hourly positions in your warehouse:

Expect turnover when you design jobs. Mostly hourly workers want their job to become a full-time career, but plenty don’t. With turnover rates at around 20% annually, warehouse managers should create some jobs with easy training so the company does not bleed profits by constantly training new workers.

Recruit workers of all ages. You might be surprised at how many older workers are more interested in hourly and part-time work. Aside from following age discrimination laws, employers can get the best results by considering workers of all ages for various positions.

Recruit locally. Hourly workers usually look for employment within 5 miles of their home, so make sure to target local communities. Local workers are less likely to show up late or quit due to frustration with a long commute.

Be competitive with other employers. When applying for hourly jobs, most people submit applications to three or more companies. When you see a good resume, take action and get the interviewing and hiring process done quickly to secure the best talent.

To get the most out of hourly employees, you can also add cart movers to make the work environment more productive and safe. Find out how material handling equipment makes warehouse jobs easier and more efficient for everyone on staff.

5 Tips to Improve Your Warehouse Team in 2015

When attempting to improve efficiency in your  warehouse, there are a lot of moving parts that require attention. You must manage the movement of incoming goods from suppliers, maintain accurate inventory, coordinate deliveries to suit your customer’s needs, and protect the safety of your personnel the entire time.

The new year is a good time to implement changes that will boost performance in all areas.

  • Ask your team for ideas. You probably have more experience and knowledge than anyone in the warehouse, but they are on the front lines everyday. While looking at the big picture, it is possible to miss seeing some crucial details that need attention.
  • Schedule frequent training classes. Humans are creatures of habit. It is easy to develop bad habits that go unnoticed. Formal training classes will keep everyone following proper protocol.
  • Use automation to lower injuries and cost. Motorized carts, tugger carts, and electric tugs will prevent injuries and decrease fatigue. Your staff will be more alert and productive throughout the day.
  • Offer advancement opportunities. Everyone wants to take pride in what they do. When team members have individual goals, it is easier to accomplish the goals you have for the whole team.
  • Cross train personnel. By understanding the different jobs and functions of the warehouse, team members are more inclined to work together.

Regardless of your industry or the size of your warehouse, DJ Products has the material moving carts, cart movers, or other tuggers that will help you operate safer and more efficiently in 2015 and for many years ahead. Call 800.686.2651 to speak with one of our courteous and knowledgeable Sales Engineers.

Introducing the WagonCaddyHD

No longer will you need to expend extra time and labor transporting awkwardly-sized loads that don’t fit neatly on the cart. The new WagonCaddyHD from DJ Products provides a unique solution for easy maneuvering of difficult items.

Your employees are sometimes required to move large products or items that hang over the ends of the cart. The bulkiness and weight of the load makes it impossible to push manually. In addition, it’s difficult for a motorized tugger to reach underneath and grab the load. Attempts to transport the load can lead to damages, injury or both.

The WagonCaddyHD powered cart makes use of a side-steer mechanism that allows loads of up to 10,000 pounds to be moved safely and efficiently around your workplace. Since the operator is standing clear of either end of the cart, the overhanging product no longer obstructs his movements. Three 12-volt batteries supply enough power to last an entire shift.

Material handling tasks can often cause injuries that have serious financial and operational effects on your company. The WagonCaddyHD is designed with safety and comfort in mind. It operates on battery power, reducing physical strain on the operator. Ergonomic features such as a variable speed twist grip eliminate the harsh movements that can cause repetitive stress injuries.

The WagonCaddyHD is just the latest in Team Cart Caddy’s comprehensive line of battery-powered material handling solutions that handle applications from carts and dumpsters to trailers and aircraft. Use our online chat feature to get real-time assistance from our friendly and helpful Sales Engineers.

Working Safe in a Cold Winter Warehouse

When it comes to the temperature of your warehouse, you are largely at the mercy of the current outdoor temperature. Large expanses of cold concrete floors, high ceilings, little to no insulation, and frequently opened bay doors all add up to a bone-chilling work environment during winter months.

Potential problems

The cold weather brings many problems.

  • Hypothermia: Without equipment like cart pullers, workers sweat more and increase heat loss. Hypothermia can kill quickly and older employees are at high risk in any environment below body temperature.
  • Chilbains: The tissue damage can be acute, lasting 1 to 2 weeks, or chronic and cause permanent damage. It occurs subtly and even minor cases cause lifelong sensitivity.
  • Equipment damage: Machines may freeze up and the melting ice or high moisture can damage electronic components.

Preventing problems

You can easily avoid some serious conditions.

  • Prepare your equipment by covering any metal handles or bars with an insulating material.
  • Educate employees about potential problems and symptoms of overexposure.
  • When someone works up a sweat, they are at higher risk of cold-related health problems. Use ergonomic material moving equipment and be sure everyone takes frequent breaks in a warm area.

Regardless of your industry or the size of your warehouse, DJ Products can help you operate safer and be more productive throughout the year. Call 800.686.2651 to discuss your equipment needs with one of our courteous and knowledgeable Sales Engineers.

Contractor Versus Employee Do You Know the Difference?

The difference between Employees and contractors.
The difference between Employees and contractors.

One of the most important warehouse management tips for any business is knowing and understanding the difference between an employee and a contractor. Misclassification for businesses can result in larger tax bills or penalties for not paying employment taxes or not filing the correct tax forms. Conversely, workers will avoid higher tax bills and lost benefits if they file tax papers using the proper status designation.

Know the Difference

The basics between an employee and a contractor are:

  • An employee is instructed on how to do a job correctly and is controlled in the means to do so. A contractor is specifically told what needs to be done, but they do it on their own volition.
  • An employee is trained to do a job correctly, while a contractor is given the freedom to get a job done the way they see fit.
  • An employee is paid a specific wage no matter what their duties are. A contractor gives the business a specific price or an estimate, that is agreed upon by both parties, before any job is done.

What it All Means

Essentially, an employee is hired-on by the business and conforms to their company creed, goes through any training provided, and they are then expected to perform a work function using the guidelines set forth by the company.

A contractor gets hired-on at a negotiated wage for a specific job, that they will complete using their own experience and their own guidelines, as long as it conforms to safety standards and regulations.

Stay informed with more warehouse management tips, by checking out our blog at DJ Products, Inc.

What New Material Handling Innovations Were Showcased at ProMat in Chicago?

New Warehouse Equipment.
New Warehouse Equipment.

As anticipated, ProMat 2015 unveiled a wide variety of exciting new tools and solutions for warehouse efficiency. Chicago hosted the annual convention recently, and leaders in the material handling industry learned about innovative new products and advances in the field that are bringing great value to businesses — in the future and right now.

Highlights from ProMat 2015

We are particular excited about the products that boost efficiency by making it easier to store, move, and track inventory. At the Modula booth, for instance, the shelving and storage innovator showed off a new vertical storage solution. The new Modula VLM makes it easier to make use of square footage by maximizing vertical space. Controlled by computer and integrated with inventory management, the VLM makes it easy to pick items ranging from tiny and lightweight parts to large and heavy materials that weigh over a ton.

Our own warehouse mover solves the other half of the equation: pushing and pulling large, heavy carts around the facility. Workers slow down and face back, shoulder, and leg injuries from manually pushing wheeled carts. The warehouse mover speeds up material handling in two ways: automating cart movement, and keeping employees healthy and energized to get more done.

Other exciting highlights from ProMat 2015 included the Nuvera fuel cell battery from Yale and powerful fleet management software from Raymond. Overall, ProMat featured a wide variety of tools to improve efficiency and productivity in warehousing and material handling.

For more information about innovative new tools to speed up material handling at your facility, check out the warehouse mover and other industrial cart movers from DJProducts.com.

Five Steps to Improve Warehouse Safety

Smiling worker in warehouse
Safety First

What does it look like when a warehouse maximizes safety? Workers using tools and methods that inherently mitigate risk. Task automation perhaps plays the biggest role. Repetitive tasks and high-stress movements both cause workplace injuries. Powered pushers and other material handling solutions take away these strains.

The UK’s health and safety news leaders at SHP Online recommend this 5-point plan to improve warehouse safety:

#1. Ongoing safety practices. When starting a new safety protocol, make sure that the best practices continue over time rather than being a one-time meeting or announcement.

#2. Technology should be used to make operations easier and safer. Use tools to improve posture and lifting technique. Powered pushers reduce the risk of common warehouse injuries to the back and neck.

#3. Study “near misses” to prevent accidents that are likely to recur.

#4. Personal protective equipment (PPE) provides a safety net. Focus more on safe practices for prevention, but also use PPE that employees find comfortable.

#5. Communication should be open and frequent. Conduct regular huddles as opposed to only offering formal complaint and suggestion methods.

Not sure where to start? In many warehouses, the heavy carts carrying inventory or equipment create the biggest strain on workers. Powered pushers let any employee maneuver thousands of pounds of weight with the push of a button.

Back, shoulder, groin, and other musculoskeletal injuries take a toll on worker health, and those injuries threaten your operating efficiency as well. For more info on powered cart pushers and pullers for warehouses, talk to us at DJProducts.com about our variety of injury-specific warehouse safety tools.

What’s Your Warehouse’s Lean Strategy?

Lean strategy may sound like a buzzword for startups, but it’s also a time-tested principle of good warehouse management.

If you want to shave off time and streamline processes, you need more than good intentions. You need a strategy that examines how your warehouse works and which steps can be cut out or made simpler.

Here’s how to make your warehouse go lean:

  • Spell out all processes: Walk through all your typical tasks and write them out, diagram them, make a timeline — whatever makes sense to spell out the process on paper. You have to know what’s happening before you can make it leaner.
  • Analyze value, necessity, and waste: Determine how each step fits into the ultimate goal. Some steps add value, others seem like waste. Some may not add value but are necessary.
  • Find new, efficient solutions: The hallmark of lean warehouses is reduced time at various steps of the material handling process. Where are you losing time — receiving, processing, moving, picking, putaway, or all of the above? Start with the most troublesome and time-consuming task and get an equipment mover to lighten the load, like a powered trailer dolly.
  • Leverage technology: If your warehouse runs on outdated software and tools, your workers are probably doing too many tasks manually. Consider investing in software that automates more steps like inventory paperwork.

Every little bit adds up to huge gains in efficiency over time. Explore our ergonomic material handling solutions to discover powerful new tools for your lean warehouse strategy.