Red Flags When Sourcing a Lifting Equipment Manufacturer: A Buyer’s Checklist
Choosing the wrong lifting equipment manufacturer can cost far more than the price difference you saved. A crane that arrives without a valid CE Declaration of Conformity may be held at customs; one built to the wrong duty class can fail within months of installation. The damage — downtime, retrofit costs, liability exposure — typically runs several times the original equipment price. Most procurement mistakes at this stage don’t come from obvious scams. They come from manufacturers who look credible on paper but can’t support their claims with documentation. The warning signs are consistent and, once you know what to look for, straightforward to check before you commit to an order. This checklist covers seven red flags specific to overhead crane, gantry crane, and jib crane procurement. For each flag, you’ll find a concrete verification step you can run during the quoting stage — before any deposit changes hands. Quick Reference: Verification Checklist Red Flag What to Request Pass Threshold No CE documentation EC Declaration of Conformity Specific to your model, not generic Vague duty class specs FEM/ISO duty class…