Hoist blog reaches century milestone

The Hoist blog was launched in September 2007 in response to demand for greater interactivity on the site and a more informal round-up of goings on in the industry.

Every so often I throw my thoughts into a laptop to keep you up to date with developments here in the editor's chair and elsewhere in the lifting business. With regular trips to Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) meetings and trade shows across the globe, in addition to many a visit to factories and workshop floors here in the UK and Europe, there's often much to discuss.

Topics of conversation have included remote controls, people skills, crane installations, accidents and recruitment, to name just a few; I've looked at the serious topics of health and safety and also the light-hearted side of the business.

Please talk back to me. I'd like to put more of your blogs (I've had a few) from the workshop floor up on the site. Perhaps you fancy contributing a regular blog yourself? What have you lifted recently? Just bought an interesting crane? Tell me how business is where you're reading Hoist. Speaking of which, do you like it? What would you like to see us writing about?

The blog section is still without a sponsor. In a poll of visitors to this site, the majority (54%) said the blog was their favourite section. Some 15% said the LEEA archive is what keeps them coming back, while 13% enjoy the daily diet of industry news. Features (8%), tenders (5%) and the latest issue (5%) were also part of the survey.

Just three weeks to go now until ProMat 2009, the largest relevant trade fare in the Americas this year, which takes place at Chicago's McCormick Place South, January 12-15. Check out the links below for all the latest news ahead of next month's show.

Also linked from this blog is an interesting article from a fellow professional, as Chuck Yarborough, of cleveland.com, learns how to be a wire rope rigger.