MHI Solutions Improving Supply Chain Performance
THREE GROUPS COMBINING their marketing muscle pack a much greater punch than working separately.
The Overhead Alliance does just that for three MHI industry groups—the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), Monorail Manufacturers Association (MMA) and Hoist Manufacturers Institute (HMI).
These three industry groups have many related products and business interests, serve similar industries and potentially even serve the same end‑user facilities, said Erin Drake, director of marketing for R&M Materials Handling Inc. and Demag Cranes & Components Corp., sister companies based in Ohio.
A 40T Double Girder 120‑foot span crane moving through our production facility.
“It made sense for us to get together as a group and harmonize our efforts for marketing, creating new materials and supporting our members,” Drake said. “It also made sense to combine our budgets to get the most bang for our buck when it comes to marketing.”
Another concern when it came to marketing was that the three groups could inadvertently “step on each other”—especially in the digital space—unnecessarily competing for digital marketing campaigns, she said. Having a more coordinated marketing effort made sense as well.
The alliance is currently working on a marketing one‑pager for each industry group, detailing why it’s important and worthwhile to be part of those groups, said Dustin Krauth, national sales manager for MHI member TC/American Crane Co.
“The industry groups act as the knowledge base for each industry,” Krauth said. “Being involved in these respective groups gives companies the opportunity to help keep up on specifications and changes in the industry, provide feedback and be able to advertise that they are a proud member of said industry group.”
The alliance is also launching a digital campaign with Google Ads and then with Google Display, focusing on some of the group’s recently published specifications:
- New CMAA Specification No. 70–2025: Multiple Girder Cranes
- New CMAA Specification No. 74–2025: Single Girder Cranes
- New CMAA Specification No. 78–2025: Professional Services
- New CMAA Specification No. 79–2025: Crane Operators Manual
- ANSI MH27.1‑2025: Patented Track Underhung Cranes and Monorail Systems
- ANSI MH27.2‑2025: Enclosed Track Underhung Cranes and Monorail Systems
“Our thought was to create some brand awareness of those specifications that are referenced widely around the crane industry,” Drake said.
End users depend on these specifications and the industry’s leaders to help guide the decision‑making process when putting in a new material handling system or looking to upgrade something that is existing, Krauth said.