Welcome to 2023! If you are like us, you always go into a new year with a refreshed outlook on personal and professional goals. Maybe you were not able to accomplish everything you planned for 2022, but now there’s a chance to incorporate those unfinished goals into a new plan for 2023. The question is: Where to start?

As we approach this year’s holiday season, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of our family, friends, partners and customers for another great year. 

Is anybody in the material handling and distribution center warehouse industry looking for a brand new forklift under the tree this holiday season? Are you busy making your “wish list” for new (or new-to-you) material handling equipment for the new year’s budget? Let’s take a look at one of the options that made the manager’s list for equipment that boosts efficiency and productivity in your operations.

It’s probably safe to say that all businesses focused on growing profits want to save money any way they can. In the material handling and distribution center warehouse industry, we face huge expenditures on upgrading our forklifts and other equipment, labor costs, new technology and finding affordable fulfillment solutions. What if there was one simple way we could save some money on our taxes every year?

In many respects, the material handling and distribution center warehouse industry is all about moving goods and products from one place to another. We use a variety of personnel, vehicles and equipment to accomplish that task. And inside our warehouses and yards, we use the appropriate means for efficiently carrying different items from one place to another. Whether you have a large warehouse or a smaller operation, making use of the right kind of utility vehicle is often the answer to saving money and time.

In the material handling and distribution center warehouse industry, it isn’t strange that we are constantly thinking in terms of “up”. We live in a world of “lift” trucks. We need to have reach trucks and stackers. Our storage units generally go “up” in the form of racking and when we look for more space, we sometimes find it in a vertical mindset. And there are occasions when we need equipment that will reach high points in the warehouse or go even further. And that’s when we turn to specialized equipment. When our material handling job means we must reach places inaccessible to most equipment, that’s when we bring out the aerial lift equipment, in the form of scissor lifts, boom lifts and aerial work platforms.

Most of you have probably been inside a warehouse that made you want to take a shower after leaving. The dust in the air - coming from outside and from old boxes sitting on sagging warehouse shelves - the dirt and oil stains on the floor and maybe an old push broom in the corner. Grimy paper logs and old coffee rings. You can see the dust motes and you can feel the mold. It’s enough to send anyone into a sneezing fit.

With the acquisition of S&L Liftmasters in 2020, Darr Equipment Company successfully extended their family-owned and long-running material handling equipment dealership into South Texas. S&L Liftmasters was a perfect fit for the Dallas-based Darr Equipment, since both companies have stellar reputations in the material handling industry in their respective areas, as well as both being family-run enterprises with decades of service in their communities.

For the ninth year in a row, the International Truck Association (ITA) will mark National Forklift Safety Day. This year, the event will be on June 14 - in person at the National Press Club in Washington, DC and virtually. Many of those in the material handling industry will be marking the important date, as well. Forklift safety has to be of primary importance to the operations of all material handling and distribution center warehouses. If we aren’t part of the solution of improving safety in all of our equipment applications, then we are part of the problem.

There’s nothing quite like a shiny new piece of expensive material handling equipment. After all, brand new forklifts have all the latest bells and whistles. But there’s something to be said for finding a good used forklift, too. If you take the necessary steps to make sure you’re getting a forklift that’s been treated right, you won’t be disappointed. And for a lot less money, you’ll get a forklift that’s new to you and can give you plenty of time in the material handling warehouse before you have to go shopping again.

Understanding the material handling and distribution center warehouse industry at its deepest level is what enables a solid equipment and solutions distributor to stay at the top of the game. At Darr Equipment Co, we like to say this “ain’t our first rodeo” when it comes to providing equipment assessments and recommendations to our clients. After all, we’ve been doing this since 1954.

It’s a new year and you might be thinking it’s time to take your material handling and distribution center warehouse operations to the next level. New Year’s resolutions can be hard to follow through on, but with the right plan, the right help and the right attitude, you can turn your material handling warehouse into a smooth-flowing machine. There are plenty of ways to start improving your material handling or DC warehouse as we go into the new year. One of those ways is by making the best use of utility, burden and people-mover vehicles.

Let’s face it. Material handling equipment is really expensive. There are plenty of times when you can justify purchasing that new forklift, but there are also times when leasing your material handling and distribution center warehouse equipment will impact the bottom line in a more positive way. How do you know when leasing vs buying material handling equipment is the right choice? Let’s break that down into five situations where leasing comes out on top.

Veterans Day is a special day to honor veterans of all wars. At Darr Equipment we would like to thank our American veterans who have served and are proud of those veterans that have come to the Darr family of businesses post their military careers. It is truly a honor and a privilege to have you as part of our team. As part of our tribute this Veterans Day, we have decided to spotlight one of our own veterans, Kenneth McFadden, Dallas Operations Manager, Darr Equipment Company. Here is a little from our interview:

Successful entrepreneurs have many things in common. Besides an excellent work ethic, being willing to take risks and learning how to be persistent, the prosperous business owner knows how to make the best use of a buck. These people are not necessarily book smart, but they make it a goal to learn and understand new things, as well as integrating tried and true business practices into their model. One thing that most people won’t argue about is how smart it is to be on the constant lookout for ways to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO).

With the huge - and somewhat unexpected - e-commerce boom, many in the material handling and distribution center warehouse space are finding a sudden need to beef up their fleet. With today’s e-commerce expectations - rapid order fulfillment and rapid shipping - you probably have trucks loading and unloading at your warehouse dock constantly.

At Darr Equipment Co, we believe cleanliness in the work space is conducive to more productive and efficient work. Why? Well, there are several reasons, including:

Darr Equipment Co has a rich history dating back to January 1954 when founded by entrepreneur, Hal Darr. The company began as a Caterpillar diesel tractor dealership throughout East and North Texas.

A business can lower costs and boost employee satisfaction and productivity with a proactive workplace ergonomics focus. Ergonomics can be defined as the science of adapting the workplace to the worker, so the worker can do the job most efficiently. The word itself is derived from the Greek language combining the two words: egos (meaning work) and noms (meaning laws). Basically, it’s putting humans first.

With large, heavy equipment comes great responsibility. Darr Equipment Co knows the importance of “safety first,” and that is why we offer OSHA required forklift operator training.