Heavy HIAB cranes and truck-mounted forklifts head for US building supply fleets
Three long-standing US customers in the home improvement and building materials trade have placed orders worth EUR 25.4 million with Hiab, including heavy HIAB loader cranes from the 30 to 100 tm range for a roofing and building material distributor.
Heavy range cranes for roofing deliveries
The crane element sits inside a EUR 5.9 million order from a roofing and building material distributor, which covers both HIAB loader cranes and MOFFETT truck-mounted forklifts. The cranes are four models drawn from Hiab’s heavy portfolio, spanning 30 to 100 tm, with the majority of the units being the HIAB K-HiPro 425.
The K-HiPro is Hiab’s drywall and building-materials crane for the North American market, designed to place bundles of board and roofing material onto a roof or through an upper-storey opening. All the machines in the order carry the HiPro control package with full remote operation, which lets the operator stand where the load is going rather than at the crane.
The bulk of the value is in forklifts
The larger part of the announcement is not crane business. Two home improvement retailers placed MOFFETT orders with a combined value of EUR 19.5 million, covering units from the M8 NX range with lifting capacities up to 3,500 kg. All three orders were booked in the fourth quarter of 2024, with deliveries starting during 2025.
The M8 NX can be carried on almost any truck or trailer and is offered with four-way steering for handling long loads through tight access. It is the workhorse of the US building supply trade, and the reason the forklift figure dwarfs the crane figure in this announcement.
Repeat customers
Hiab has supplied all three customers for years, and presents the orders as evidence that its US position rests on installed base and service rather than one-off deals.
“Hiab’s long-standing partnership with all three customers highlights our deep understanding of their needs in the US market. The established relationship provides a strong foundation for future collaboration and growth.”
– Pauliina Kunvik, Senior Vice President Sales and Services, North America, Hiab
The company said at the time of the announcement that its technology integrations, safety features and ergonomic design continued to underpin repeat business in the home improvement segment. Hiab was then still part of Cargotec; it has since been listed separately on Nasdaq Helsinki, and North America remains the market where it has set out the most explicit growth targets for its loader crane business.
Source: Hiab — Photos: Hiab