PARTNER INSIGHT
Handling business
OCH speaks to Robert Beightol, president of HMI (Hoist Manufacturers Institute), as he discusses the Overhead Alliance and what he is most proud of as his term draws to a close.
Could you tell us about yourself and your role as a leader in the industry – how did you get into this industry? I have been in the material handling industry for more than 35 years, primarily involved with overhead lifting and positioning products. As far as the overhead lifting groups within HMI, I have held leadership positions and been involved in various working groups within MMA (Monorail Manufacturers Association and HMI (Hoist Manufacturers Institute).
Can you tell us a little bit about the Overhead Alliance? The inception of the Overhead Alliance goes back over 15 years ago as the three overhead industry groups (CMAA – Crane Manufacturers Association of America, in addition to the two listed above) looked for new ways to market overhead lifting. At the time, many of the groups were dominated by engineers and operations personnel, so marketing expertise within the individual groups
64 Winter 2025 |
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was very limited. By pooling marketing resources in the Overhead Alliance, it would provide more marketing prowess for the groups and expand the reach of the individual groups. Plus, the combined effort would promote overhead lifting as a whole
rather than only the portions that made up the individual industry groups. The vast majority of the time, products from the industry groups are used together to provide a full system for the user. For example, a monorail by itself provides little benefit to the user. However, if a hoist from an HMI member is added to it, then a full solution can be provided to the end-user. By concentrating on complete solutions rather than individual products, the Overhead Alliance was able to promote systems, safety and education on a broad scale. The Overhead Alliance still acted as the marketing arm of the individual product groups as well, so promotional pieces like videos, information on standards and blogs have been developed for the individual groups.
Robert Beightol, president, HMI.
What support do they provide for HMI? For HMI, the concentration has been on producing videos and printed materials designed to set HMI members apart from other suppliers in the industry. Basically, the Overhead Alliance has
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