John Bensalhia takes a look at the North American hoist market, and reports on its notable projects, products and innovations.

Another big selling Columbus McKinnon product is the Yale YK wire rope hoist
Another big selling Columbus McKinnon product is the Yale YK wire rope hoist
Capco Crane & Hoist is a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of overhead cranes.
Capco Crane & Hoist is a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of overhead cranes.
Columbus McKinnon’s Shaw-Box SK wire rope hoists are big sellers in the North American hoisting industry
Columbus McKinnon’s Shaw-Box SK wire rope hoists are big sellers in the North American hoisting industry

Companies keeping up with production for customers are choosing new processes with electric chain hoists
Companies keeping up with production for customers are choosing new processes with electric chain hoists
Gorbel offers various configurations of a complete hoist, jib crane and trolley package
Gorbel offers various configurations of a complete hoist, jib crane and trolley package
Lightweight and portable, the KM kinetic manual hoist is used for maintenance and repair applications.
Lightweight and portable, the KM kinetic manual hoist is used for maintenance and repair applications.

Hoist manufacturers say that a number of factors are influencing the US market. For example, the state of the international economy has had some bearing on performance, as Columbus McKinnon’s executive director of sales Steve Vitello explains. “Markets seem to be constricting due to international economic volatility.” However, Vitello adds that capital projects are still moving forward and that corollary spending has been robust.

More positive news is that Columbus McKinnon’s share in North America is, as Vitello comments: “high and pretty evenly spread across our portfolio. Some of our specialised products, i.e for oil and gas, have been following the trending of that vertical.”

Dan Beilfuss, director of sales at Magnetek Material Handling and North America Wire Rope Hoist, adds that while the overall picture is optimistic, there are still possible concerns with performance for the rest of 2019. “Growth potential exists for expansion into new markets. While strong capital spending has been attributed to the robust market environment, concerns exist for a potential slowdown throughout the remainder of the year.”

However, Jeff McNeil, VP marketing and innovation at Gorbel, says that the last few years have been very solid as companies continue to look for ways to improve processes in order to be more efficient. “In most areas, demand has been brisk as companies work to keep up with production in order to meet the requirements of their customers. These have led them to re-think traditional processes, and many times, the new process involves the use of an electric chain hoist. This is true whether the lift involves a light load or many tons— efficiency is the goal.”

McNeil explains that one of the positive things about the hoist market is that hoists can be used across a wide range of industries—which in turn results in a broad spread of demand from various sectors. “No single industry drives the hoist business, but the economy as a whole can be a major factor. In the US, the economy has been strong for the past two years. This has helped to drive demand across most industries.”

The project sector has been a notable source of demand for the North American hoist market. Beilfuss says that large project-based capital spending has led the way in nearly all aspects of the market. “Steel, waste water treatment, and government spending have led the way, and there have been glimmering signs of a resurgence in oil and gas, leading to explosion-proof opportunities.”

Growth of Ingersoll Rand hoisting products has been driven by operations, maintenance and assembly environments that support the power generation industry. Hunter Golden, global product manager for Industrial Tools at Ingersoll Rand, says that its customers are seeking products that are simple, durable and flexible for a wide variety of applications. “Electric solutions are becoming increasingly popular due to their simplicity and low maintenance requirements. For example, customers like the Ingersoll Rand ELK Series Electric Chain Hoist’s simplicity, modularity and capacity range.”

The new Ingersoll Rand ELK Series Electric Chain Hoist incorporates modular features that make it easy to maintain, thus reducing the time required for maintenance and employee training. “The self-contained gearbox includes permanent lubrication and has fewer parts and complexity,” says Golden. “The hoist is available with various configurations to perfectly suit a wide range of applications.”

Another popular choice at Ingersoll Rand is the pneumatic MLK Chain Hoist, which Hunter Golden says is known for its durability and longevity. “It is rugged and reliable for harsh applications that require high speed and high duty cycles (such as steel mills or foundries).”

Takes a look at the North American hoist market