From loading docks to high-bay rack areas, equipment such as scissor lifts and industrial tilters provide the safety measures necessary to protect employees while improving productivity.

"Application drives the equipment," said Jim Galante, director of product and market development for Southworth International Group, in a seminar at the ProMat 2003 show last month in Chicago. Once you define the problem, you can find a particular piece of equipment to be the solution. For instance, workers may experience back strain and spend too much time maneuvering heavy loads. But positioners, lift tables and turn tables, can prevent that by raising loads to an ergonomic height between 30 and 38 inches, placing items exactly where they are needed for fast and efficient work.