DIGITALISATION
In other words, smart manufacturing, otherwise known as Industry 4.0 or IoT, the Internet of Things, has moved from pilots to production. This year, only 18% of Rockwell’s 1,500 respondents reported they were in the pilot phase with smart manufacturing technologies, while 59% reported these tools are used actively to support operations.
Open communication
autonomy, resilience and adaptability are the new performance fundamentals.”
43% of data is used effectively, says the report; which means that 57% is not. “Organisations continue to collect more data, but lack the ability to use it effectively. Until this gap closes, AI and autonomy will underperform their potential,” it says. The real competitive divide, therefore, is not in data collection – it is in the ability to connect, contextualise and act on data across systems. And that is as true in the world of lifting as in any other. How then can we best respond? Certainly, manufacturers and end users are addressing the issue: “Survey results show strong intent to expanding automation, autonomous material movement, simulation and AI-driven capabilities,” the report says, and this “signals a shift toward technologies that can scale decision-making, adapt to variability and reduce operational exposure. Rather than targeting single use cases, organisations are investing across complementary technologies to support end-to-end execution.”
As far as the lifting element of that is concerned, “The numbers confirm that the industry is investing heavily in overhead crane automation solutions.” So says HOJ Innovations, Utah-based crane and warehousing specialists, quoting figures from the Hoist Manufacturers Institute. “Smart and IoT-enabled overhead cranes now represent approximately 30% of new installations, with some estimates reaching 42% when including IoT-enabled load monitoring, predictive maintenance software and remote control. Smart overhead cranes are expanding at 12% to 14% compound annual growth, and they are expected to account for nearly 38% of total new installations by 2030.” And automated and robotic crane systems already represent 27% of total overhead crane units in service, particularly in automobile, aerospace and shipyard applications. We can read three takeaways into all of that. First: digital transformation is non-negotiable. “Digital transformation is no longer a strategic priority; it’s a strategic necessity. Leaders aren’t piloting anymore. They’re scaling and executing,” says Rockwell. Second: AI is the top driver of business outcomes. “AI has moved beyond hype and now delivers on outcomes,” they add, and, particularly relevant, “especially when scaled responsibly and embedded into production functions.” And third: resilience and security are essential. “Manufacturers are more digitally exposed than ever before, making resilience and security essential to a production environment, not just IT add-ons.” If your gantry crane is controlled through cyberspace, then the need for cybersecurity becomes absolute. Before going further, we should state a caveat.
Microchips, processing, sensors, algorithms, even AI – all of these are part of digitalisation and automation, but they are by no means the whole of it. Automation of any system, crane and manufacturing systems included, depends on one concept that is even more central: it depends on communication. Sensors communicate with PLCs and the microchips and algorithms within them. PLCs communicate with servos. Servos communicate movements and actions of various kinds to the motors, gantries, trolleys, winding drums and hooks that make up the hard steel and physical presence of an overhead crane. They do all this communication of course digitally; hence digitalisation and automation tend to be thought of together though they are not quite the same thing. A key phrase is “embedded into production functions”. There is a natural symbiosis between the overhead crane and inventory control and monitoring
www.hoistmagazine.com | October 2026 | 29
Konecranes envisions a future of digitally connected cranes working together.
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