Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role as an industry leader?
I have the privilege of serving as CEO of Kito Crosby, a global leader in the lifting and rigging industry. I have been in this industry for 12 years, I live outside New York with my wife (the kids are grown-up and left the nest!), but I am almost always travelling – visiting one of our many sites around the globe.
My role is to guide our talented team members towards our shared vision, which is that we, together, lift and secure the world today, for a safer, stronger and more productive tomorrow.
I see leadership as not only setting strategy, but also ensuring that our culture reflects safety, integrity and customer focus in everything we do. With operations across the world, my day often involves connecting teams and markets, talking with our end-users and channel partners, aligning priorities and ensuring we stay ahead of the industry’s evolving needs.
Can you tell us how you got into this industry and why?
I’ve been around the business since 2013 and served as the chief commercial officer before becoming CEO in 2019. I have always loved and prioritised spending time with our channel partners. Our distributors are so incredibly valuable as they are closest to the point of use of our products and have such great relationships with our end-users, and I constantly learn and develop from our collaboration.
What makes your company stand out?
Kito Crosby stands out for many reasons, but in my opinion, these are the three main reasons: our people, our channel partners and our innovation. We have over 260 years of history in our company, which gives us a foundation of trust and reliability that few can match. Many of our channel partners have partnered with us for decades. We introduced many product categories to the market that have now become the industry standard. I am really proud of this heritage and of what we have accomplished together with our partners.
Our global footprint means we can support customers wherever they operate. And our team is relentlessly focused on safety – not just meeting standards but setting them. We invest heavily in training, engineering excellence and product innovation to ensure our customers can lift with confidence. When people choose Kito Crosby and any of our brands, they’re choosing proven performance backed by a culture that puts safety and people first.
We are proud to offer many of the industry’s premier brands as part of our portfolio. The Kito and Harrington brands are known for high-quality and trusted hoists and, one year ago, we added eepos light crane systems to our strong hoist and crane offering. In the lifting hardware space, Crosby, Gunnebo Industries and Peerless are well-known for their reliability and quality, with vertically integrated factories in the US and Europe. Innovation is a common theme across all brands, from new products and solutions developed internally within our R&D teams to technologies we acquire such as Straightpoint load monitoring, Blokcam crane camera systems, and Airpes customised solutions for lifting, handling and weighing systems used especially in the wind sector.
What do you like about the industry?
What I love about this industry is its real-world impact. The products and solutions we deliver aren’t theoretical – they’re used every day in critical applications where lives depend on them. There’s a shared commitment across the industry to safety, reliability and quality that I find inspiring. I also appreciate the diversity of sectors we serve, from offshore energy to entertainment rigging, and the collaborative relationships we build with customers to solve complex challenges.
Why should people want to join and work in this industry?
If you want a career where what you do truly matters, this industry is for you. Every day, we contribute to keeping workers safe and projects moving forward around the world. It’s a space where innovation and craftsmanship meet, where you can see the tangible results of your work. The lifting and rigging industry offers opportunities in engineering, quality, operations, sales, safety and more. Because it touches so many other industries, the possibilities for growth are huge. Most importantly, you become part of a community that values integrity, expertise and looking out for each other.
An important initiative that we always promote is Global Lifting Awareness Day (GLAD), organised by LEEA. We supported this year’s theme, “Lifting Careers, Building Futures,” by emphasising the importance of safety, innovation and workforce development in the lifting sector. We released a video conversation with LEEA CEO Dr Ross Moloney and Kito Crosby’s EMEA President Wim Fabricius, highlighting how collaboration can help address industry skills and recruitment challenges. Additionally, we also recorded with Ross a new episode of our podcast series, ‘Raise Your World’, discussing challenges and opportunities in the lifting industry. Through collaborations like GLAD, our training programmes, and our own employee engagement initiatives, we aim to attract the best talent to join our highly impactful industry.
What are your expectations for the industry going forward? Any trends or challenges that you foresee?
I expect the industry to continue evolving rapidly, with technology playing a bigger role in safety and efficiency. We’re seeing increased adoption of smart lifting solutions and data analytics that help operators make better decisions in real-time. Sustainability will also become a bigger focus, from material choices to manufacturing processes. One of the ongoing challenges will be workforce development – ensuring we attract and train the next generation of skilled professionals. As projects become more complex, the need for expertise and advanced solutions will only grow.
Are there any projects or initiatives that your company is working on that you’re excited about?
Absolutely. One area we’re investing in heavily is innovation – specifically new products that further embrace ergonomics to improve the daily stress and strain on operators in the field. Another important focus area when it comes to innovation is developing solutions that help improve workplace safety and efficiency. Since we have significant operations ourselves, we actually get to use many of our products in our own manufacturing environment which, in addition to frequent discussions with customers, helps to identify new product opportunities. With more than 40 offices, factories and distribution centres globally, we are always striving to improve workplace safety for our own personnel, as well the safety of those using our products in the field.
Some recent examples are the newly engineered Crosby-wide body shackle, which enhance safety and performance in heavy lifting operations, and the Kito ER2 Electric Chain Hoist with second step variable function, which is designed to meet the demands of handling sensitive loads.
We’re continually investing in our facilities to get more product out the door to our channel partners, including key equipment upgrades in our Yamanashi, Japan, and Winona, US, plants. Plus, most recently, two brand new forging hammers in our UK forging facility and continuous investments in our facility in Växjö, Sweden.
We’re also expanding our global training programmes, both in-person and virtual, to make sure knowledge and best practices are shared across the industry. In the last year alone, we have opened three new training centres and commissioned three new demonstration vehicles globally. These efforts all tie back to our core mission: to protect lives and improve productivity in lifting applications worldwide.
THE KITO ER2 ELECTRIC CHAIN HOIST WITH SECOND STEP VARIABLE FUNCTION
Precise handling of sensitive loads with adjustable smooth acceleration and individually second lifting speed is crucial in the lifting industry.
Kito Crosby, a global leader in lifting and securement solutions, is pleased to highlight again the Kito ER2 Electric Chain Hoist with second step variable function, an innovative enhancement to the trusted Kito ER2 Dual Speed Hoist.
This advanced function, available for the past two years, is now ready to be spotlighted for operations seeking the ultimate in precision lifting.
Designed to meet the demands of handling sensitive loads, such as fluids and items prone to swinging, the second step variable function enables operators to finely adjust the acceleration time during lifting and lowering. This results in exceptionally smooth starts and stops, reducing the risk of load movement and improving safety.
Key features include:
- Adjustable acceleration time from 0.6 to 6 seconds
- Smooth, controlled acceleration to maximum speed within the selected time frame
- Optimised for delicate lifting and lowering of sensitive loads.
Programming the variable function is simple and can be performed by Kito Crosby experts or any certified, trained technician using standard inverter settings.
“Our focus is always on delivering solutions that help our customers operate more safely and efficiently,” said Travis Buck, senior director of sales and customer service, Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Kito Crosby. “With this function, we’re giving operators greater control when precision and care are critical.”
