Opinion Pieces

As continuing conflict in the Middle East sends prices upward, Dr Ross Moloney, CEO of LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association) and Oliver Auston, CEO of Safehold Ltd and past Chairman of LEEA comment on the impact of the Middle East conflict. While the immediate impact of war is the tragic loss of lives, the economic […]

It’s one thing to recognise a problem like a shortage of welders, but quite another to drive meaningful change, says Doug Stitt, president and CEO at The Caldwell Group Inc. The trouble with problems is that they can be easy to identify but harder to fix. Further, the more we talk about them – economic […]

If many hands make light work, imagine the problems created by a scarcity of skilled people. Here, Joel Cox considers the impact on production, knowledge transfer, and the future of the workforce. We hear a lot about today’s problems associated with not only hiring people, but finding individuals with relevant skills, training them, and maintaining […]

Ben Dobbs, Head of Global Standards and Legislation at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), looks at lifting appliances and explains why their selection should be carefully considered. Lifting appliances are mechanical devices designed to lift, move or position heavy loads with minimal manual effort. They are widely used in industries where heavy materials are […]

When buildings, factories, and production lines are designed, the emphasis is on aesthetics, form, and function — not maintenance. That’s where material handling equipment often comes to the rescue, says Steve Napieralski, president at Oz Lifting. I was talking to guests at the official opening of my company’s new facility here in Winona, Minnesota, earlier […]

You’ve found the right tool for the job — but you can do better than that, says Doug Stitt, president and CEO at The Caldwell Group Inc. We often hear the phrase, ‘right tool for the job’ – I say it myself – but what if the question wasn’t, ‘is this right?’, but rather, ‘is […]

Dr Ross Moloney, CEO of LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association), highlights the findings contained in the important new State of the Lifting Industry Report, launched during GLAD2025. Ours is a dangerous industry, if not the most dangerous. As the global association for the lifting industry, LEEA aspires to make it safe. We aim to fight […]

If the lifting industry rejects technology, it impedes progress. Instead, look to transformative trends and innovative markets for inspiration, says Steve Napieralski, president at Oz Lifting. When we were in the throes of redesigning one of our davit cranes (the Tele-Pro), it reminded me how much more technological this process has become. It also became […]

Whether a lift is complex or simple, planning and supervision is critical for safe operation. Bernie Winter, from the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) Technical Services, offers guidance A core aspect of safety of any lifting operation – whether it is routine or complex – is correctly planning and supervision. This means every employer needs […]

Regardless of the status of automation and digitalisation, industry remains in a hybrid state, and the customer continues to dictate technological terms, says Doug Stitt, president and CEO at The Caldwell Group Inc. Acceptance of technology may well be gathering speed, but its cadence is inconsistent, and we exist in the grey area between tradition […]