Morse Manufacturing was founded in 1923 by J.
Mott Morse to produce custom-made metal parts and stampings, the company
soon branched out to capitalize on the burgeoning automotive field.
Early product successes included the Snap Foot Accelerator for the Model
T ford, the Motoroar Muffler By-Pass Valve, automotive exhaust system
accessories, and helpful workplace items such as Clamp-Tite Saw Horse
Brackets and a multi-purpose vise & clamp.
In 1943 an ingenious,
enterprising young man named Ralph Andrews joined the firm, bringing a
wealth of engineering and production expertise gained at General
Electric to his new position. Sensing an emerging need in American
industry for equipment to safely and efficiently lift, transport and
empty extremely heavy 55-gallon steel drums containing various
materials.
Andrews soon began testing, developing and building new
devices to eliminate the back-breaking work and danger involved
Ralph Andrews
Andrews' original equipment concepts were eagerly
accepted and quickly became an entirely new category of industrial
products: drum handling equipment. As the popularity of its products
grew among drum handlers, the company decided to concentrate all its
resources in this field.
