INTERVIEW | RYAN MILLER
Miller believes a ‘direct-to-consumer’ model similar to Tesla’s will soon be the norm in the crane industry.
training,” he says. “We like experienced people, but the number one thing at all levels is who a person is rather than the skills they might have. After all, skills can be learnt. When we fire people, which is not often, it is usually for reasons of culture than for anything else. Culture is everything here. You can’t delegate to people you don’t trust.”
As well as learning to delegate, Miller has also become better at conquering the urge to get swept up in any conflicts that arise. In every business there are situations that get heated, and it takes a good leader to understand when a gentle touch rather than hasty action is required. “I’ve learned to de-escalate tense situations and that is a really hard thing to do,” he admits. “You can always escalate things into monsters and overreact, but I have learnt that it is okay to sleep on it for a night. If a customer’s crane has broken down, for example, the decision you make the next morning is generally better than the one you make right away. It will most likely have more grace and clarity behind it. “The same is true when there is a conflict between two people. That has become a strength of mine and it was once my weakness. Now, I often de-escalate because that is a big part of what I must do. I have to solve problems, which are always big by the time they come to me.” That ability to manage people effectively goes hand in hand with helping the team to understand the role they play in the company’s broader vision. “I’ve seen the ROI on that. If people know where they are heading everything comes together. If
38 Winter 2025 |
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you are paid $1,000 an hour to dig a hole in the ground and fill it in, you would not be able to do it for 10 years unless you knew why you were doing it. Part of our culture is in our giving goals, and we share those numbers with everyone, so when we fund a homeless shelter in Indiana, providing food and clothing for unfortunate people, our employees know what dollar value goes into that.”
Facing up to change Though he is steeped in the company’s heritage and a deeply held faith that means everything to him, Miller is also open-minded about the future and how the industry in which PWI operates is undergoing change.
“I think that AI is a huge factor,” he says. “It is a cliché, but it is true. We are using tech here in some industry changing ways and automating as much of the process as we can.” The company already has the technological capability to put customised specifications for a product into its design software and have fully engineered drawings for a new product in the customer’s inbox with a quote in as little as three minutes. “AI is involved in that, but our software development team is using a lot of other tools and experience, so it is not true to say it is AI- generated,” he explains. “The challenge will be to keep up with technology, so we have to get on the bus now. Customer experience is changing quickly, and we are constantly inventing the future.”
He firmly believes that technology will soon bring a shift towards a direct-to-consumer model in the crane industry, similar to the model employed by Tesla. That means giving customers tools to design their own cranes, cutting out the middle man. The majority of crane suppliers buy products from manufacturers and then resell them, but that will change. “We are enabling customers’ engineers to design their own crane on our website, then manufacturers can set up delivery and install dates. We are boldly heading that way. Jeff Bezos tells people to obsess over the customers and not competitors. So we go our own way and focus on our customers’ needs. We go the second mile for them, which is why we have raving fans.” Miller is inspired by people who are growing and scaling faster than he can. Rather than envying them, he is driven by people who are doing better than him in terms of growth and leadership, and affecting their communities in a positive way. “I am always inspired by mentors and by people doing things that I can’t figure out how to do,” he says. “I try to meet people who are doing amazing things, and I believe it is possible for a business to be moral and ethical, as well as successful. Some large companies in our industry have lost some heart, and I want to seek some significance, while helping my industry and serving customers. That is life-changing and world-changing.”
Faith, family and fairness run deep in this business, and in a rapidly changing industry, they will no doubt hold firm.
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