FEATURE | YEAR IN REVIEW
hile it wasn’t quite as strong and more turbulent than had initially been expected with uncertain market conditions making buyers somewhat cautious, overall, 2025 was a still a good year for the US overhead crane and hoist industry. There is also at least measured optimism that both US and global manufacturing activity – therefore, demand for cranes for hoists – will see at least moderate improvement in 2026 and beyond. “At the beginning of the year it seemed as if 2025 was going to be a banner year for the crane and hoist industry,” Robert Beightol, marketing director for Gorbel, says. But after what had indeed been a really strong start, the industry encountered certain previously unanticipated challenges – many of which could be attributed to what could be described as a frequently changing political climate. With many crane and hoist companies being global in nature, explained Beightol, some of the recent changes, including some of
70 Winter 2025 |
ochmagazine.com
A turbulent year W
As 2025 draws to a close, Myra Pinkham takes a look at the US overhead crane and hoist industry over the past year.
the requirements in such recently passed US legislation as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the IIJA and the Chips & Science Act that have some ‘US first’ requirements that have rippled through the business.
“While many companies have users who are mainly domestic, the supply chain network has become global over the past decades,” Beightol noted, adding, “With tariffs impacting many parts of the supply chain directly, and rising costs domestically, business has been very challenging for most manufacturers. While the long-term impact will likely be very favourable for most manufacturers, 2025 has been a rollercoaster ride with major challenges almost daily.” That created a lot of uncertainty, which is something companies – whether crane and hoist manufacturers or their customers – don’t like. In fact, Brian Roberts, Conductix-Wampfler’s overhead crane market development manager, says that political issues – particularly tariffs – and certain other headwinds have been stalling
the market’s momentum, given that it has been causing many manufacturers (and their customers) to hesitate, push their decisions out or to re- evaluate their business strategies.
Slower end to the year 2025 proved to be a somewhat turbulent year for the US overhead crane and hoist market, Roberts noted, with the industry experiencing some improvement beginning in the second quarter that carried through the third quarter as backlog levels began to rise and some plants that had delayed order renewed them. “But as we entered the fourth quarter, growth slowed slightly as firms began to evaluate how interest rates, inflation and supply chain constraints might shape 2026.” In fact, October or early November consumer confidence, as measured by the US Conference Board’s and the University of Michigan’s indices, had fallen to record, or near record lows, to their worst levels since mid-2022.
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