As the lifting industry prepares for Global Lifting Awareness Day 2026, Lifting Equipment Engineers Association is reinforcing a key industry message that lifting equipment procurement should never be based on price alone.
Ahead of GLAD on July 2, the association will publish new procurement guidance aimed at helping buyers better understand the engineering, operational and safety considerations behind lifting equipment selection. The initiative supports this year’s campaign theme, “Not all lifting equipment is created equal.”
Richard Phillips, mechanical engineer at Casper, Phillips & Associates Inc., warned that many procurement decisions still prioritise lowest cost over long term operational suitability and safety performance.
Phillips explained that crane classifications and duty cycles play a critical role in determining how lifting equipment should be designed and specified. While a standby crane used occasionally may require minimal operational endurance, continuously operating cranes handling near capacity loads demand significantly greater structural robustness, fatigue resistance and component reliability.
He pointed to bearing life as a clear example, noting that light duty cranes may only require bearings rated for 1,250 operating hours, while severe duty container cranes often require components designed for more than 40,000 hours of service.
The article also highlighted growing emphasis on environmental and operational considerations including corrosion protection, outdoor weather exposure, seismic performance and redundant safety systems. In highly specialised sectors such as nuclear, aerospace and container handling, advanced concepts including single failure proof design and fracture critical structures are increasingly important.
Phillips stressed that procurement decisions directly influence operational safety, maintenance requirements and long term reliability. He added that specification should be viewed as an engineering responsibility rather than a simple purchasing exercise.
Global Lifting Awareness Day 2026 will focus heavily on educating procurement professionals and improving understanding of lifting equipment selection across the global industry.
