Need to lift and move heavy materials safely and efficiently? A material handling crane is the smart solution. Whether you’re working in a factory, warehouse, or outdoor yard, we’ll help you design the ideal crane to improve material handling efficiency, reduce labor, and improve safety.
Discover Our Material Handling Crane Solutions
Different work environments and load types demand different material handler crane solutions. We provide two types of cranes in material handling – overhead cranes and gantry cranes – to help you find the perfect fit for your operation.
Indoor Material Handling Solution – Overhead Cranes
Material handling overhead cranes are widely used in indoor facilities like factories and workshops. They have the following features:
- Stable Structure: Installed on the building’s beams, allowing full coverage of the workshop area.
- Wide Application: Ideal for metal fabrication, machinery assembly, power equipment, automotive, and more.
- Custom Options: Available in single girder or double girder designs, and can be equipped with hoists, magnets, grabs, or special attachments.
Single Girder Material Handling Overhead Crane
- Capacity: 5-20 ton (Customizable)
- Span: 7.5-28.5m (Customizable)
- Lifting Height: 6-18m (Customizable)
Double Girder Overhead Material Handling Crane
- Capacity: 10-320 ton (Customizable)
- Span: 10.5-31.5m (Customizable)
- Lifting Height: 6-24m (Customizable)
Outdoor and Flexible Material Handling Solution – Gantry Cranes
Material handling gantry cranes are a versatile option when overhead support is not available or when outdoor operation is required. Key features include:
- Self-Supporting: Operates on legs either on rails (rail-mounted) or with rubber tires for flexible movement.
- Outdoor-Friendly: Common in precast yards, ports, storage yards, and construction sites.
Single Girder Gantry Material Handling Crane
- Capacity: 5-20 ton (Customizable)
- Span: 8-35m (Customizable)
- Lifting Height: 6-12m (Customizable)
Double Girder Material Handling Gantry Crane
- Capacity: 20-500 ton (Customizable)
- Span: 18-35m (Customizable)
- Lifting Height: 6-18m (Customizable)
Rail Mounted Material Handling Crane
- Capacity: 30-50 ton (Customizable)
- Span: 18-35m (Customizable)
- Lifting Height: 12.3-21m (Customizable)
Rubber Tyred Material Handling Crane
- Capacity: 20-500t (Customizable)
- Span: 5-30m (Customizable)
- Lifting Height: 6-30m (Customizable)
What Materials Can Material Handling Cranes Move?
Material handling cranes are engineered to lift and transport specific types of materials with precision, speed, and safety. Choosing the right crane depends heavily on what you’re moving – its weight, size, shape, and fragility. Here’s how our material handling overhead and gantry cranes meet the demands of various materials across industries:
Steel Handling – Precision Lifting for Heavy and Long Steel Products
- Applications: Steel fabrication plants, structural steel workshops, logistics yards.
- Materials: Steel plates, beams, coils, and pipes that are heavy, long, and sometimes sharp-edged.
- Equipment: Steel handling overhead bridge cranes with magnet lifters, C-hooks, or coil grabs for indoor use; steel material handling gantry cranes for outdoor stockyards and rail terminals.
Concrete Handling – Safe Transport of Precast Beams and Panels
- Applications: Precast yards, bridge construction sites, tunnel segment production.
- Materials: Large precast beams, slabs, and wall panels that require balanced, damage-free lifting.
- Equipment: Our heavy-duty material handling gantry cranes with long spans and high-capacity hoists are commonly used in precast concrete yards. These precast concrete handling cranes can be equipped with adjustable spreader beams to ensure safe and even lifting of large precast components. Synchronization options allow two cranes to lift a single load together.
Machinery Handling – Accurate Positioning of Equipment and Tools
- Applications: Equipment assembly plants, repair shops, maintenance facilities.
- Materials: Industrial machines, molds, and assemblies that are heavy, irregularly shaped, and valuable.
- Equipment: Our material handling overhead cranes offer precise control and smooth movement for lifting machinery inside workshops. In assembly lines, these machinery handling cranes can be integrated with positioning systems for accurate placement of engines, tools, or fabricated parts.
Container Handling – Heavy-Duty Lifting for Ports and Rail Terminals
- Applications: Ports, inland container depots, railway loading terminals.
- Materials: Standard 20ft/40ft containers and oversized cargo units requiring high-capacity, all-weather handling.
- Equipment: Large container handling cranes (RMG cranes and RTG cranes) are commonly used for container stacking, unloading, and transport. These container handling gantry cranes can be equipped with telescopic spreaders to accommodate different container sizes.
Boat Handling – Safe and Smooth Lifting for Marine Vessels
- Applications: Shipyards, marinas, boat repair facilities, naval bases.
- Materials: Boats, yachts, and marine vessels with irregular shapes, sensitive hulls, and high value.
- Equipment: The mobile boat hoists (boat travel lifts) equipped with adjustable slings and precision control systems allow smooth lifting of boats ranging from small vessels to superyachts (10 to 1200 tons). They are designed with corrosion-resistant coatings for marine environments and soft sling contact to protect boat surfaces.
Scrap Handling – Efficient Movement of Waste and Recycling Materials
- Applications: Recycling centers, steel plants, waste-to-energy facilities.
- Materials: Scrap metal and industrial waste with irregular shapes, sharp edges, and varying densities.
- Equipment: Our scrap material handling overhead cranes with grab buckets or electromagnetic lifters efficiently collect and move scrap in steel mills and recycling plants; scrap handling gantry cranes are often used for outdoor scrap yards or waste transfer stations.
No matter what materials you need to move – be it heavy steel, delicate machinery, or valuable boats – selecting the right material handling crane tailored to your specific needs is key to improving your operational efficiency and safety. Next, let’s look at some real-world customer cases where our cranes have solved complex material handling challenges.
Customer Stories: How We Solve Complex Material Handling Challenges
Handling Heavy Steel Materials in Russia – 16 Ton Electromagnetic Overhead Crane
Customer Challenge:
A steel processing plant in Russia needed to efficiently handle steel plates and steel coils in their high-output production line. The steel coils required secure vertical lifting without any surface damage, and the existing equipment lacked flexibility. The customer was looking for a modern overhead crane system that could deliver safe, versatile, and reliable performance.
Our Solution:
We supplied a 16 ton electromagnetic overhead crane specifically designed to meet these challenges:
- Removable electromagnetic lifting beam for handling steel plates. When detached, the crane can be used with slings for lifting steel coils, maximizing operational flexibility.
- Rotating trolley for precise positioning of steel materials.
- Integrated safety monitoring and management system to ensure stable, accident-free operations and support the plant’s high production demands.
Results:
- Material handling efficiency improved by 30% compared to the previous setup.
- Operational downtime decreased significantly, supporting higher production throughput.
Customer Review:
“This crane has really improved how we work. Being able to switch between steel plates and coils makes things much easier, and cutting down on product damage is already saving us a lot of money each month.” – Mr. Ivanov, Plant Manager
Steel Tank Handling in the USA – 40 Ton Rubber Tyred Crane
Customer Challenge:
A leading steel tank manufacturing plant in the USA needed a more efficient and flexible way to move finished tanks across the factory yard and load them onto trucks. Their previous reliance on forklifts proved time-consuming and inefficient, and required highly skilled operators, driving up training and labor costs.
Our Solution:
We delivered a 40 ton rubber tyred gantry crane equipped with:
- Multiple steering modes (straight forward/backward, 90° lateral shift, 45° diagonal movement, and in-place rotation), enabling smooth and efficient tank transfers across the site.
- Wireless remote control, allowing operators to manage operations easily after brief training – eliminating the costly, lengthy training previously required for forklift drivers.
Results:
- Tank transportation efficiency improved by 40%, significantly reducing yard congestion.
- Labor costs dropped by 25%, as operators could be trained quickly without specialized forklift certifications.
- Equipment wear and fuel costs associated with forklifts were nearly eliminated.
Customer Review:
“The RTG crane has completely changed the way we handle our tanks. It’s faster, safer, and easier to operate than forklifts. The size is just right for our yard, and after the training from your engineers, our operators can already use it confidently every day.” – Mr Hester, Purchasing Manager
How to Select the Ideal Material Handling Crane
Selecting the right material handling crane is not just about basic specs – it’s about matching your specific material types, operational environment, and workflow needs to the crane’s capabilities.
Understand Your Material Characteristics
The shape, weight, fragility, and handling requirements of your materials directly affect crane choice. For example:
- Heavy steel coils or plates need material handling overhead cranes with magnetic or specialized coil hooks.
- Precast concrete requires stable, multi-point lifting systems and possibly synchronized cranes.
- Delicate machinery demands cranes with precise control and smooth operation.
Match Crane Type to Material Handling Environment
- For indoor facilities handling a variety of materials, overhead material handling equipment provides the lifting capacity and coverage needed.
- For outdoor yards or sites where ceiling support is unavailable, gantry material handling cranes offer mobility and flexibility.
- If your material flow crosses indoor and outdoor zones, consider mobile rubber tyred gantry cranes for versatile coverage.
Assess Operational Intensity and Duty Cycle
- Heavy, continuous lifting of bulky materials calls for material handling overhead cranes designed for high duty classifications (A5 or above).
- For intermittent or lighter load handling, more economical light duty crane models may suffice.
Consider Lifting Attachments and Customization
Proper lifting accessories improve material handling safety and efficiency:
- Hooks, grabs, magnets, slings – each designed for specific materials.
- Spreader beams or synchronized dual cranes for large or awkward loads.
- Automation features for repetitive, high-volume handling.
Prioritize Safety and Ease of Operation
Handling heavy or delicate materials requires advanced safety features:
- Anti-sway systems to stabilize loads.
- Load monitoring for overload prevention.
- Intuitive controls (pendant, remote, cabin) suited to your operator’s environment.
By zeroing in on these critical factors linked to what you lift and where you lift it, you ensure your material handling overhead crane is truly optimized – not just technically adequate, but a valuable partner in your workflow.
Making Material Handling Safer: Crane Safety Features
Whether it’s moving tons of steel beams in a factory, concrete slabs in a precast yard, or boat parts in a shipyard, the risks are real – and a safe overhead material handling system is key to preventing accidents, protecting assets, and ensuring workforce confidence. Our material handling cranes are equipped with a wide range of built-in safety features, including:
- Overload Protection: Prevents lifting beyond rated capacity by automatically cutting power or triggering alarms. This protects the crane structure and minimizes the risk of failure.
- Limit Switches: Installed on hoisting and traveling mechanisms to stop movement at preset endpoints and prevent over-traveling.
- Emergency Stop System: Allows operators to halt material handling overhead crane operation immediately in the event of abnormal behavior or danger.
- Anti-Sway Control: Stabilizes swinging loads during movement, reducing the risk of collisions and improving handling accuracy.
- Warning Alarms and Lights: Audible and visual alarms alert surrounding workers when the crane is in operation, especially important in busy or noisy environments.
- Dual Braking Systems: Some material handler cranes come with redundant braking for extra security during critical lifts.
Smarter Material Handling: Advanced Monitoring & Control Systems in Cranes
As material handling demands grow more complex, many crane users are increasingly adopting smart technologies to gain better visibility, control, and operational efficiency. Our material handling crane system can be delivered with smart monitoring and intelligent control systems to help optimize crane performance and reduce unplanned downtime.
Real-Time Monitoring: Know Your Crane Like Never Before
With real-time monitoring system, you can gain instant visibility into material lifting crane performance.
- Prevent unplanned downtime by catching issues early
- Track usage data to optimize maintenance schedules
- Improve safety by monitoring abnormal operation
Smart Controls: Make Every Material Handling More Efficient
Smart control systems allow for precise, responsive movements, even with heavy or delicate materials.
- Smoother acceleration and deceleration
- Anti-sway technology to minimize load swing
- Advanced positioning for high-precision tasks
Remote Access: Manage Operations Anytime, Anywhere
With remote control and even cloud-based interfaces, your operators and maintenance teams can:
- Diagnose problems off-site
- Adjust settings remotely
- Receive alerts on mobile devices
Your Crane, Our Commitment: Installation & Support for Material Handling Operations
We know that for material handling cranes, successful installation and ongoing support are essential to keep your operations running smoothly and safely. Whether you use overhead bridge cranes indoors or gantry cranes outdoors, we provide solutions tailored to your specific environment and material handling needs.
Installation Tailored to Your Workflow
- We analyze your facility layout, material flow, and operation schedules to plan installation with minimal disruption to your daily work.
- Our experienced engineers provide on-site support whenever possible, ensuring precise assembly and commissioning.
- When on-site service isn’t feasible, we offer remote installation guidance to assist your team in completing the setup efficiently and safely.
Proactive After-Sales Service
- We develop maintenance schedules customized for your crane’s workload and the materials you handle, reducing the risk of unexpected breakdowns.
- Our team provides operator training focused on safe and efficient handling of your specific materials, enhancing workplace safety and productivity.
- We offer fast technical support and maintain a stock of genuine spare parts to ensure any issues are resolved promptly, minimizing downtime.
By choosing Aicrane, you gain more than just a crane – you gain a trusted partner dedicated to making your material handling safer, more efficient, and hassle-free. Ready to optimize your material handling operations? Contact us today to discuss your crane needs.