SUPPLY CHAIN
The supply chain disruptions of recent years have been an invaluable learning tool for the industry.
Many end users support resilient domestic capacity, particularly for defence and strategically important materials, but their products often depend on highly specialised global networks. In 2025, for example, RTX noted that tariffs, export controls and geopolitical restrictions continue to contribute to higher costs and supply disruption, to which it has responded with additional sources, increased inventories, supplier assistance and long-term sourcing arrangements. GE Aerospace’s experience also demonstrates that localisation by itself is insufficient. The company attributes recent supply improvements to better demand visibility, engineering support and process improvement across its supplier base. In 2025, material input from its priority suppliers increased 40%. International trading relations, of which tariffs are just one part, are volatile, which contributes to the complexity of managing supply chain risk. While they cannot eliminate the risk of shortages, digital technologies such as supply chain visibility tools, AI-driven forecasting, and predictive analytics, can certainly help with risk management. Identifying potential risks before they become
real could have a seismic impact on costs and reliability of supply. For overhead cranes, digital risk management can help in two key ways: monitoring suppliers, purchase orders and logistics required to obtain equipment and parts; and monitoring the crane itself to forecast which parts and services it will require. Supply chain visibility platforms bring
together purchase orders, supplier confirmations, inventory, production status, shipment data and projected arrival dates to create a control tower view of material moving toward a plant or project. More advanced systems also map dependencies
56 Fall 2026 |
ochmagazine.com
below the tier-one crane supplier, so even though a crane builder may appear to be on schedule, if the system identifies that its drive manufacturer is waiting for semiconductors or its gearbox supplier has a capacity problem, potential issues can be flagged earlier. In terms of forecasting, the traditional
approach has been to extrapolate from historical purchasing. For crane parts, demand is intermittent, so this model does not fit well. AI-driven demand and supply forecasting can incorporate a much broader set of signals, including crane operating hours and number of starts, load spectrum and frequency of near- capacity lifts, and previous component failures and repair histories. The result is a more dynamic forecast of both demand and risk. Instead of holding the same quantity of every spare, a company can carry additional inventory only where failure probability, replacement lead time and production consequence justify it.
Learning from disruption The supply chain disruptions of recent years have been an invaluable learning tool for the industry, and the clearest lesson may be that supply chain resilience has become part of crane engineering, not merely a purchasing issue. A crane is only as available as its least replaceable component, and a low-value drive, brake, encoder or control board can immobilise a high-value production asset. As a result, there has been a tangible move
from optimising principally for purchase price and nominal delivery time toward optimising for life cycle availability. Reliability was once treated mainly as a mechanical property – whether the crane structure, hoist and controls could withstand
the required duty. Now, any assessment of reliability now includes the supply chain. Disruptions have clearly demonstrated that operational reliability also depends on whether replacement components are available, approved alternatives exist, technicians can reach the plant, and the OEM will support the product throughout its life. Disrupted supply chains have also shown end users that the lowest bid can carry the highest risk. The weakness of purchasing equipment primarily on initial price has now been exposed, so buyers and crane suppliers are placing more weight on total life cycle cost. Ultimately, suppliers of lifting equipment and their customers have learned different approaches to planning for continued uncertainty around tariffs, trade policy and shifting global supply chains. They now know that building a five-year plan around one forecast of tariff rates or trade relationships could be dangerous. Instead, building a supply chain that is flexible enough to operate under changing conditions is the way to build resilience. “The market continues to have high
expectations,” says Robledo. “Despite ongoing uncertainty, customers still expect aggressive delivery schedules and competitive pricing. In our experience, customers have become more aware of supply chain challenges, but they still expect suppliers to find solutions and keep projects on track.” The consistent message across the industry
is to regionalise supply, qualify additional sources, increase selected inventories and give strategic suppliers longer-term demand visibility. No one can say the industry has not listened to its customers and learned ways to continue supporting them, even in the most unpredictable times.
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