FEATURE | AISTECH 2026 Lifting iron and steel


With AISTech 2026 on the horizon, hosted at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA, OCH takes a look at what to expect from the event and how that lines up with the latest in the steel industry.


O


verhead crane and hoist companies – including crane and hoist builders, distributors and crane component


makers – will be among the exhibitors at the Association for Iron & Steel Technology’s AISTech 2026 show, which will be held on 4–6 May at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The show will also feature more than 500 technical presentations pertinent to all aspects of ironmaking and steelmaking, including primary hot metal product, processing, finishing and material handling. According to Ronald Ashburn, AIST’s executive


director, AISTech is the largest annual technical conference and exhibition for the global steel industry, second only to METEC trade fair, which


happens once every four years in Europe. Like METEC, he says, AISTech is also international in reach with its attendees, which include operations specialists, technical sales representatives, academics and students, who come from more than 40 countries and six continents. AISTech is central to AIST’s vision to be a global leader in networking, education and sustainability programmes, says Ashburn. In fact, he calls it a veritable who’s who of


steel production, declaring, “If you are looking to learn something new, expand your network or introduce a new solution to a technical problem, this is the place to be.” “It is a very multifaceted gathering, bringing together all facets of the steel industry,” allowing


for one-stop shopping of various exhibits, says Tim Gaydos, a crane specialist with Mazzella Companies (a company whose original roots were in the steel industry as a maker of wire rope slings), making it valuable to many different companies. Randy Butter, vice president of sales for Cervis,


agrees, adding that his company’s business has grown significantly due to its participation in AISTech shows over the past 25 years, helped by the fact that Cervis focuses on the heavy duty equipment that is needed by the steel industry. He added that he believes that the AISTech 2026 show will help his company, and other companies, understand what steps they need to take to meet its customers’ future needs.


68 Summer 2026 | ochmagazine.com


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