LOADER CRANES Ӏ SECTOR SNAPSHOT
acquisition in the first place. Filipov died in 2022. The
company’s problems since then stem from soaring raw material costs and interest rates which slowed down demand for its products: the years 2024 and 2025 saw the German construction industry grind almost to a halt. 2025 saw a 3% real-term decline in construction output; non-residential building permits plummeted by nearly 6%; orders for construction machinery all but disappeared. Hence, for Atlas, the severe 'capacity underutilisation' of its factories whose high fixed costs nevertheless remained. Even so, the company displayed new crane models at Bauma in 2025. The filing is said to be a
proactive response to this near- perfect storm. By entering self-administration Atlas gained protection from creditors and time in which it could reorganise its cost structure to match this new, lower- volume, market reality. The goal, explicitly stated
by the management, was 'sustainable stabilisation'. All is not lost however. As we go
to press (in mid-June) it has been announced that Atlas Gruppe will be acquired by Buhler Versatile from Canada. The purchase price is confidential. Buhler Versatile is Canada’s only maker of tractors and, in turn, was acquired last year by Asko, a family-owned industrial group based in Turkey which operates in the agricultural and construction machinery sectors in both countries and in the USA. The Atlas purchase will go ahead if approved by authorities. Atlas says the deal would include 'the transfer of a significant portion of Atlas employees' who number around 500. Equally well-known in the
marketplace is knuckle boom maker Hyva. It, too, has been bought and sold – not once but twice within the space of six months. In January 2025 the entire company – which also makes hook-loaders and hydraulic cylinders for commercial vehicles – was bought by German vehicle component manufacturer Jost. In August, barely six months later, Jost sold the crane part of Hyva to Mutares SE & Co. KGaA, which
36 CRANES TODAY
PALFINGER PLANNER PLACES POOL
Palfi nger’s digital Job Planner is software that enables both rapid and precise calculation of crane operations. It uses all available data and takes into account the specifi c crane confi guration on the vehicle, the planned support situation, as well as load capacity data across the entire load curve. Job plans are particularly helped by its combination of a bird’s-eye view –
either directly in Google Maps or via a to-scale construction site plan – and the newly available side view. The side view now also allows obstacles such as buildings or other disruptive edges to be included in the planning. As an example, a large prefabricated pool element had to be installed in a
confi ned residential area, surrounded by buildings, narrow access roads and overhead obstacles. From a technical perspective, the job could have been executed smoothly but reality intervened. The preferred crane position was located on the only access road serving the site. Blocking this street would have caused signifi cant disruption, and local authorities made it clear that full closure was not permitted. Suddenly, the most effi cient and obvious setup was no longer an option. The project team turned to Job Planner. Alternative crane positions were
evaluated, even though these locations introduced additional challenges: longer outreach, tighter slewing angles and reduced tolerance for error. Each scenario was simulated in detail, allowing the team to assess feasibility long before the crane arrived on site. Job Planner enabled the team to select the right crane confi guration and a new setup location that complied with regulatory constraints while still ensuring a safe lift. Because the calculations are based on calibrated data from the exact crane model, the results refl ected real-world performance rather than theoretical estimates. On site, this preparation paid off. The lift was executed exactly as planned, without delays or surprises. Even for highly experienced operators, the detailed feasibility study provided peace of mind, confi rming that every movement remained within safe limits. This project highlights a key advantage of modern digital planning tools.
Job Planner does not replace experience, says Palfi nger, it strengthens it. By combining operator expertise with precise, crane-specifi c calculations, even complex lifts in confi ned spaces can be transformed from a risk into a controlled, predictable operation.
is headquartered in Munich: Jost kept the cylinder and hydraulics and hook loaders parts of Hyva. Mutares describes itself as an
‘equity entrepreneur.’ It also owns Italian knuckle boom maker F.lli Ferrari Holding having bought it from Jost in 2025; and on 9 June 2026 F.lli Ferrari made a
partial sale of its Netherlands knuckle boom crane distribution business to Danish knuckle boom manufacturer HMF Group. The disposal represents
approximately EUR 35 million in revenues and involves around 50 employees. To complete the picture on a
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