Meet Ethan Schwartz: One of the Product Engineers Behind Slingmax Innovations

Meet Ethan Schwartz: One of the Product Engineers Behind Slingmax Innovations

At Slingmax^® Rigging Solutions, the people behind the products are just as impressive as the gear they create. One of those people is Ethan Schwartz, a Product Engineer who’s passionate about solving tough challenges and making life easier—and safer—for those in the lifting and rigging industry.

Ethan’s journey to becoming an engineer started early. “I was that kid who was always building something,” he says, laughing. Whether it was Legos, erector sets, or working on home improvement projects with his dad, Ethan loved figuring out how things fit together. Fixing up his first car sealed the deal: “I loved the hands-on work and the satisfaction of seeing something I’d fixed or built come to life.”

Fast forward to today, and Ethan is still putting that passion to good use. One of his proudest accomplishments at Slingmax is his work on the Helix sling, a cutting-edge product with a braided jacket unlike anything else on the market. “The Helix sling was a massive team effort,” Ethan explains. “My role was to focus on the tooling and processes to make it work—and make sure it could be produced at scale for our dealer network.” It wasn’t easy, but for Ethan, that’s the fun part. “We had to get creative and figure out some unique solutions, and seeing it all come together was incredibly rewarding.”

For Ethan, working in the lifting and rigging industry feels like a perfect fit. Before joining Slingmax, he spent years designing machinery to process synthetic fibers—the same kind used in high-performance slings. “I’m a firm believer in the value of building and manufacturing,” he says. “The lifting and rigging industry is connected to everything that gets made, and it’s exciting to be part of that.”

When it comes to solving problems, Ethan’s approach is both thoughtful and practical. “I always start by putting myself in the user’s shoes,” he says. “What’s the problem? How should the solution work? And what are the unintended consequences?” This mindset has helped him tackle everything from designing yarn-winding systems to brainstorming ways to make lifting slings and hardware lighter. “Even shaving off a few pounds can make a huge difference over the lifetime of a product,” Ethan explains.

Outside of work, Ethan’s hobby of woodworking helps him stay creative. “It’s similar to engineering in a lot of ways—you’re designing something and then turning it into a real, physical object,” he says. “It’s a reminder that great ideas only matter if you can bring them to life.”

Ethan’s passion for his work and his dedication to creating safer, stronger, and smarter products make him an invaluable part of the Slingmax team. “At the end of the day, it’s about giving our customers something they can rely on—every single time,” he says. And if you ask us, that’s exactly what makes Ethan such a standout.