FEATURE | BELOW-THE-HOOK
Below-the-hook devices have such a broad application of use that they are often highly customisable.
wind energy, which demand customised below- the-hook adaptations such as load stability and remote operation, Sherwood’s experience lines up with industry norms.
Indeed, as Sherwood sees it, Mazella’s business is largely driven by customers needing a “Serial Number 001”: a fully customised below- the-hook device. As laid out within the Mazella product offering, the reason this broad type of BTH device is popular in the market is that it takes into account the exact load needed, as well as the lifting environment, be it the number and location of lifting lugs or headroom or obstruction, as well as the environment, too. Customised device manufacturing considers obstacles, heat and chemical makeup of the environment (prevalent in steel mills) and outdoor environments, which can degrade, corrode or wear down the below-the-hook device, which then may need additional protection.
78 Summer 2026 |
ochmagazine.com Of course, there is then the nature and
repetition of the task at hand, which drives below-the-hook buying decisions. Questions such as whether the load need to retain a specific finish, can it afford to get scuffed and whether the below-the-hook device needs additional protection to prevent negative factors such as steel-on-steel scuffing. How this device then adds to the overall capacity of the crane or hoist is also a driving below-the-hook question, as is cost. Crucially, custom-engineered lifting solutions for specialised applications can cost in the region of tens of thousands of dollars, which is a particular consideration in emerging markets (where budget restrictions play a role), and training and maintenance costs can accumulate to 20–30% annually. What this adds up to, says Sherwood, is a variable market. “This means there’s not necessarily one most popular [below-the-hook
product],” he says. “Of course, we can get beams or C-hooks out all day long if we want, but our bread and butter is a customer coming to us and saying: ‘I don’t know how to pick this…how do we do it?’”
Safety concerns front and centre It’s not as though acute lifting needs exist in a vacuum, however. “The biggest thing [at the moment in the market] is that more and more people in the industry are aware of safety standard requirements,” says Sherwood. Here, the ASME BTH-1 and ASME B30.20
are centre stage. Dictated by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), ASME B30.20 essentially covers the tagging, load testing, maintenance, inspection and repairs and operator responsibilities of below-the-hook devices as relates to six types of below-the-hook devices, including vacuum devices, magnet
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