The Fuller Machine Shop, located in Newport, N.Y., tools metal parts for customers in a number of industries including aerospace, computer, solar and alternative energy. The company has been independently owned and operated by Rodney Fuller for the past 15 years. As a skilled machinist and businessman, Fuller was growing the business and expanding his customer base. But as that customer base grew and the parts he was running through his lathes and milling machines were becoming larger and more diverse, Fuller had a heavy problem on his hands. "A lot of the parts were small, maybe 65 pounds, but now we're getting parts that are 12-inches in diameter and weight about 225 pounds," says Fuller. The challenge was how to handle the larger parts and safely and efficiently load them into the lathe and milling machines. Fuller had been using an engine hoist, but it would take three workers to maneuver the load.
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