The inspectable round sling

A technological breakthrough by
First Sling Technology
By Thomas G. Dolan
The Mustang, 0K-based First Sling Technology, LLC, is a new company, just two years
old. Its founder and president, Linda Summars, is an inventor. Her first product repre-
sents an improve­ment of identification systems for synthetic slings. The second, recently
introduced, represents something brand new, an inspectable round sling.

S
ummars explains that the im-
petus for her first product came
from the relatively new ASME
B30.9 standard dealing with slings
which came out in 2000. This standard
puts the responsibility on the end user
so that if the tag becomes illegible or
detached from the sling, the sling must
be removed from service. “This can be-
come costly,” Summars says. “In the
past there have been three major types
of tags, leather, preprinted vinyl tags,
and software system based tags. They
all look good cosmetically on the shelf,
but none of them can be depended on
to hold up well enough in the field to
Linda Sommers presented her inspectable
round sling at a recent meeting of the Spe-
cialized Carriers & Rigging Association.
protect the information.”
There are two problems. One, Sum-
mars says, “is abrasion, which is a
huge issue.” The second, she contin-
ues, is that the ID tag is typically sewn
onto the sling, but the penetration of
the needle into the tag material tends
to weaken it so that the entire tag can
easily become ripped off.
Summars’ solution was to enclose the
tag and protect it in a heavy clear plas-
tic or vinyl window. She adapted this
technology from the automotive indus-
try, the windows used on convertibles.
The tags are sewn onto the slings the
same way they were before, but this
window protects the tag and prevents
it from being torn off. The window also
continued on page 10

 Wire Rope News & Sling Technology December 2007

continued from page 8
protects the tag not only from the wear
and tear on the letters from abrasion,
but also the fading of information tra-
ditionally applied with ink due to high
temper­atures. For this window is heat
resistant as well.
“This window is not only a part of
the tag, but an attractive part as well,”
Summars says. Furthermore, she con-
tinues, the vinyl tag has a special fin-
ish so you can use a laser or color print-
er. “You don’t need special equipment,
so that keeps costs down,” Summars
says.
The result of this innovation is that
now the tag is not, because it is a re-
quired add-on, the weakest part of the
sling. Rather, as says Summars, “In
most cases, the tag will outlast the
sling itself.”
Summars latest embellishment to (L-R) Robert Ashley, with sons and Ashley Sling owners, David, Greg and Mike.
this product has been incor­porating start-up period, this ID system was in- rope, chain, or any other type of sling,
radio frequency identification (RFID) troduced into the marketplace in Janu- are outside the regulatory inspection
into the tag via a micro chip. At this ary, 2006. criteria because the user is unable to
point there are some 16-20 locations But what Summars has been work- inspect the core, load bearing material,
using this ID system. “We have inte- ing on since, and what she considers which is hidden beneath the cover.”
grated with Distributor Computer Sys- “the heart” of her company, is the in- The cover, she explains, embodies
tems so that their operational software spectable round sling. and protects the very fine fibers of the
can utilize our tagging system for their Here Summars also refers to the yarn, which would not hold together
rigging shop software.” ASME B30.9 Chapter 6 standard that without the cover. But, ultimately,
Summars started her company in deals with slings. But, she says, “His- she maintains, this heavy duty layer
October, 2005. After a three month torically round slings, unlike wire continued on page 14

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10 Wire Rope News & Sling Technology December 2007

continued from page 10
of protection the cover provides makes
not for a safer, but rather a more dan-
gerous sling. Unlike, say, a flat web
sling, in which the user can view the
yarn to see whether or not it’s intact,
all the user can see on the round sling
is its painted cover. “But the cover has
no real weight bearing capacity at all,”
Summars says. “So you can have a cov-
er that appears in good condition but
the underlying core yarn is not. Or, you
can have a cover that may be abraded
or damaged, but the underlying sling is
fine.”
High-strength yarn is being fed through the cover of a round sling.
A few companies have addressed this
problem, Summars says, through sling round slings where it’s more difficult to Summars says. But simple in concept
“jewelry” or indicators in the joints establish the quality controls.” In ad- does not necessarily mean simple in
which can provide an early warning for dition, Summars says, in many indus- application to the real world. Bring-
deterioration within. “But this is not tries in which safety is a driving factor, ing the product to fruition was a long
enough,” Summars says. “The biggest such as nuclear, the military, energy, hard struggle. “I would be remiss if I
problem is false readings.” and railroads, “some users have quit didn’t give credit to Murdock Webbing
For many years, Summars continues, using round slings after a failure or a who helped develop this product,” says
the inability to accurately inspect round near miss, because they could not see Summars. Murdock, based in Provi-
slings “has been a huge issue in our in- what is going on with the sling.” Also, dence, RI, worked to develop and refine
dustry. An­other part of the equation Summars says, inspectors have had the technology for three years. “It was
is that there are thousands of round difficulty with round slings both for in- not a piece of cake,” she says.
slings sold every day in North America. specting and training inspectors. But, she adds, “There’s been such an
But the problem has increased because Summars solution? advance in synthetic fiber technology,
of imports, especially from China. A transparent cover so the user the same dynamics which has resulted
Now round slings have become more can see through to the sling beneath. in so much high strength performance
and more of a commodity. To compete, “The idea started deceptively simple, yarn. There’s been an explosion in this
many distributors sell foreign made that seemed like a simple solution,” continued on page 16





 
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 continued from page 14
area• Innovation has moved so much
faster than in steel.”
Again, the search went outside this
industry, which utilizes multi-filament
yarn, to utilize mono-filament yarn, an
established technology in other areas.
Weaving this filament in a tubular
form resulted in a clear as opposed to
opaque cover. This was not easy. “We
had to equal the surface abrasion re-
sistance quality comparable to a ny-
lon or polyester multi-filament,” Sum-
mars says. “But, in the process, along
with adding trans­parency, we actually
improved the weave so that it is snag
resistance. Even on traditional polyes-
ter round sling covers, small particles
of abrasive material can penetrate the
cover, though you can’t see it. There are
no holes or tears. You’ll never have to
A sling I.D. tag being sewn onto a First Sling
Technology inspectable round sling cover.
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16 Wire Rope News & Sling Technology
retire a sling on the basis of its cover.”
Summars introduced her inspectable
round sling at the Association of Wire
Rope Fabricators meeting in Palm
Springs in April. So far she’s gotten an
enthusiastic response. “When I went
to the training session for inspectors
in cranes and rigging, they were very
excited by the product, and are using
samples in their training,” she says.
She’s taken the product to the sub com-
mittee for B3O.9 and they too felt “it
opened many doors to achieving a safer
sling.” In addition to two potential rig-
gers on the Gulf who may license the
product, it is now being used by Ashley
Slings, Atlanta, GA; Marcel Rigging,
St. Louis, MO; Lift-In Manufacturing,
Los Angeles, CA; and Hercules, SLR,
Nova Scotia, Canada - all of whom re-
port good results. When she exhibits
to end users, she gets comments such
as “This is the sling of the future, and
“Why didn’t I think of it?”
The question here is, why did Sum-
mars think of it? She likens it to luggage
on wheels to take to the airport. Once
you see that, and realize you don’t have
to lug your luggage around, you’re not
likely to go back. For this reason, Sum-
mars is confident that the idea will, in
similar fashion, spread throughout the
industry.
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A sling user inspects the core of this round
sling, through the sling’s transparent cover.
Like luggage on wheels, a simple
idea countless people could have come
up with, but apparently only one per-
son did. So why did Summars come up
with the idea?
“I’ve been in the sling business for 30
years,” Summars replies. “So I know
that, from the end user’s standpoint,
inspecting round slings has always
been confusing. They’re never quite
sure when to pull the sling out of ser-
vice or to continue its use.”
But, to really understand Sommers
immersion in and dedication to the In-
dustry, it’s necessary to go back even
further. Sommars would probably not
be offended if she was told she was
born with wire rope for veins. “When I
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continued from page 16
was six yours old I was helping my dad-
dy splice cargo nets,” She recalls. Her
father, Lanell Cox was, she says “an
Okie, “ and her mother was from Hous-
ton. When Summars was a toddler,
her father sold his farm and moved to
Houston. He went to work for Man-
chester Sling Company, and, after a
few years, he and a partner purchased
the company. When Summars was 13,
he moved back to Oklahoma and pur-
chased a farm.
But he apparently couldn’t stay out
of the business. He worked for Gulf
Coast Wire Rope for a time, and helped
them set up rigging shops and train-
ing workers to make slings. In 1975 he
formed United Rigging in Oklahoma
City. Summars was 18, taking classes,
but soon started working for her father.
When she was 23, he passed away. Her
mother had never worked, and her lit-
tle brother, Jody, was nine years old.
So, at age 23, Summars took over the
company. “I was thrown into the fire. It
was scary as hell, but it worked out. It
was definitely not easy, but daddy put
so much hard work and honesty into
the business that, well, it’s an old cli-
che, but it paid off. His suppliers and
customers really helped me out. The
one thing he always said which has
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18 Wire Rope News & Sling Technology
always stuck with me is that ‘It’s not
a good deal unless it’s a good deal for
everybody.”
Bridon-America acquired the compa-
ny, and now it’s a part of the CERTEX
group. Summars stayed on as general
manager from 1991 to 1999, but says
that, though she really didn’t disagree
with the decisions being made, she had
a small family business orientation and
didn’t really enjoy working for a large
corporation. In 1999, her mother de-
veloped terminal cancer, so Summars
retired to stay with her. Shortly after-
wards, a former customer, F&M Mafco,
in Oklahoma City, had a distribution
center but wanted to open a rigging
shop so they hired Summars to do that.
She stayed there six years. Her broth-
er, Jody Cox, came on board and took
over her position as manager when she
resigned in 2005 to start First Sling
Technology.
Summars has been very active in
AWRF, having served on the board of
directors for two terms, as well as hav-
ing held a number of officer positions.
She has been a committee chair for the
Web Sling and Tiedown Association,
and has been active in the Association
of Crane and Rigging Manufacturers,
and, most recently, the Specialized
Carriers & Rigging Association.
December 2007
Summars has two children from
her first marriage. Her son, Wyatt
Townsend, is a political science ma-
jor, with a minor in international re-
lations. He works part time, but will
be full time when he graduates, with
a focus on international patents. Her
daughter, Blair, is 17, in high school.
“The love of her life is cutting horses
and doing cattle work.” Summars has
been married to her current husband,
Paul Summars, for 9 years. “When we
get up in the morning, Paul puts on his
tie and I put on my boots,” she quips.
Summars puts on her boots not for
her own shop, but to visit other shops
as well as end users to market her
products. Her office is her home and
she works now primarily marketing
her product. Sling makers are licensed
to use her round sling. But Murdock
makes and sells them. Summars makes
her money through licensing fees and
royalty. “We all work closely together
so we all make a little money, and it’s
a good deal for everybody,” Summars
says.
Summars concludes by saying that
the positive responses she’s gotten for
her products “has been very gratifying.
The industry has given so much to me,
it feels good to be able to give some-
thing back.” WRN
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