Karen Norheim announced as the new president of CMAA

8 April 2021

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Karen Norheim, president and COO of American Crane & Equipment Corporation (ACECO) in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, has been announced as the new president of CMAA, the Crane Manufacturing Association of America.

Formerly VP, CMAA, Norheim will serve for two years as president, taking over from Josh Arwood, president, Ace Industries. 

“I am honored to serve as president of the CMAA for the next two years. The CMAA’s mission is the deliver technical specifications and resources that promote safety in the design, operation and maintenance of overhead cranes.  This group is an affiliation of the Material Handling Industry (MHI) and is an independent trade organization that advocates for optimal crane safety, Overhead Crane Best Practices and serves as a resource for all types of professionals within the industry,” said Norheim. 

CMAA members include top US industrial cranes manufacturers, suppliers of overhead crane systems, designing, manufacturing, assembling, installing and servicing overhead cranes and components.  

Its engineering committee includes over 50 experts who work together to design, review and update specifications that are recognized as the preferred design standards for overhead traveling cranes and integrated crane systems, as well as crane components.   

Last year, it released two updates to its technical specifications, the first changes to the specifications since 2015, for Specification 70 – Specifications for Top Running Bridge & Gantry Type Multiple Girder Electric Overhead Traveling Cranes and Specification 74 – Specifications for Top Running & Under Running Single Girder Electric Traveling Cranes Utilizing Under Running Trolley Hoist.  

This year its FY21 Business Plan includes; Improving the performance of the construction management profession; Address workforce needs in the CM profession and in industry at large; Promote CM professionalism and Steward CMAA resources effectively to ensure excellence in organizational performance. 

“This year and next year CMAA will be looking to revise other specifications committed to promoting safety, the industry in general and the benefits our equipment can provide for our clients and the industry,” added Norheim. 

“During the global pandemic, CMAA, under the umbrella of MHI really pulled together for the material handling industry on how to cope and best practices, helping us to figure out what exactly we were supposed to do under the current restrictions. It did a great job filtering information out to us and helping member companies and industry in general navigate some challenging times. 

“At ACECO we are always looking towards new innovations and especially in regard to digital transformation, we know we have some work to do there, but the world is going through a disruptive phase at the moment, and we are excited to be a part of what will be the ‘new normal’. It’s an exciting time to see what we can do, to take this opportunity to learn from the crisis and enhance ourselves and grow from that for the future.” 

CMAA is the Crane Manufacturers Association of America, Inc., an independent trade association affiliated with the Material Handling Industry (MHI). CMAA traces its roots to the Electric Overhead Crane Institute, known as EOCI, which was founded in 1927 by leading crane manufacturers of that time to promote the standardization of cranes as well as uniform quality and performance. The voluntary association was incorporated as the Crane Manufacturers Association of America, Inc. in 1955.