Crane Hot Line is part of the Catalyst Communications Network publication family.
Time flies. I know it’s trite, cliche and all that, but it’s all of those things because it’s true.
The phrase has been around since at least 29 B.C., when Greek poet Virgil wrote it in one of his works, according to Oxford Languages.
That was the first record of it being written, but I’ll bet folks were saying it for hundreds or even thousands of years before that.
It’s one of those phenomena that is timeless (pardon the pun).
I’m particularly aware of how swiftly time zips by as I write this column just a few days before Christmas.
Christmas, and other holidays, always conjure up memories from all of the holidays we’ve experienced throughout our lives.
But in addition to reminding me of all the Christmases and New Years I’ve had the good fortune to celebrate throughout my life, this year they remind me that it’s already been a year since I retired.
I officially ended my career in full-time journalism last New Year’s Eve, when I retired as editor of Crane Hot Line.
At least for me, once the passion for cranes, rigging and their related industries gets into your blood, it never seems to go away.
Time may fly, but some things don’t change.
That’s why I’m thankful that Catalyst Communications Network, publisher of Crane Hot Line, offered me the opportunity to become editor emeritus of the magazine.
It started in February and has proven to be an ideal arrangement for me.
I’ve gotten to stay involved in the industry, and to report on it, but at a pace that gives me more time to enjoy family, friends and other activities.
I still check industry websites just about every day to stay in touch with what’s going on.
And I still talk with many of the professional connections I developed over decades in the industry, though not as frequently as when I was editing Crane Hot Line, or sometimes both Crane Hot Line and its sibling publication for the access industry, Lift and Access.
I guess having the opportunity to stay involved in the industry I enjoy so much, while also having time to enjoy other aspects of life, too, has contributed to this year having flown by so swiftly.
By the time you read this, 2025 will be under way.
Here’s wishing the industry an active and prosperous year.
I am sure it will be interesting, and I’m looking forward to watching it unfold.
As always, thank you for reading, and feel free to email me at mglarson1@gmail.com or to call me at 920-629-8051.
I may be retired (well, mostly), but I still love talking cranes and rigging.
2024 Held Interesting Trends and Firsts
Looking back over the last year, 2024 held many interesting trends and firsts.
One continuing trend that carried over from 2023 was companies acquiring others either to expand or consolidate their positions in the market.
A few examples:
Mazzella bought Piedmont Hoist and Crane in May. The acquisition followed at least three acquisitions Mazzella made in the latter half of 2023.
In March, Bay Crane Companies bought the Mid-Atlantic crane operations of ML Holdings.
Then in July, Bay’s subsidiary Capital City Group bought cranes and related equipment from Midwest Equipment Company. It now operates the former Midwest Equipment Rental facility in Garfield Heights, Ohio, as Capital City’s Cleveland branch.
Barnhart Crane & Rigging bought both White Crane and Baxter Crane and Rigging in January, then purchased CR Holland Crane Service in February, Canadian company NCSG in June and Mountain States Crane in August.
In September, Crane manufacturer Tadano began the process of acquiring Manitex International. The deal closed in January 2025.
Tadano already owned 14.5% of Manitex’s common stock. The acquisition will broaden Tadano’s product offering to include boom trucks, knuckleboom cranes, small electric cranes and aerial work platforms.
Another interesting development was major manufacturers expanding their U.S. operations.
Trailer manufacturer Faymonville, headquartered in Luxembourg, announced in November that it is building a $100-million factory in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In early December, Liebherr broke ground for a $176-million logistics center in Tupelo, Mississippi.
In late July, Swiss tower crane manufacturer Wolffkran held an open house to show off its latest products and the expansion of its U.S. operations headquarters in Houston, Texas.
The trend toward partial or full electrical powering of cranes continued in 2024, with the continued arrivals of Liebherr’s Unplugged series lattice-boom crawler cranes and Tadano’s October launching of its 100-US-ton capacity EVOLT eGR-1000XLL-1, billed as the U.S. and Canada’s first fully electric rough terrain crane.
This past year (2024) held a number of other trends and new products that I unfortunately didn’t have room to cover here.
But innovation is one of the key traits that make the lifting industry so interesting.
I can’t wait to see what comes our way in 2025.
