AFE Crane
AFE Crane is a Cedar Falls, Iowa-based custom manufacturer and integrator of overhead bridge cranes and material handling systems, serving industrial customers across Iowa and the Midwest since 1983 as a subsidiary of LAFORGE.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersCedar Falls, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What AFE Crane does
AFE Crane, formerly American Fabricators & Engineers, is a Cedar Falls, Iowa-based manufacturer and integrator of overhead bridge cranes and material handling systems, established in 1983 and operating as a subsidiary of diversified industrial group LAFORGE. The company designs, fabricates, installs, and services custom overhead lifting equipment including single and double girder bridge cranes, telescoping bridge cranes, workstation cranes, jib cranes, monorail systems, gantry cranes, process cranes, foundry cranes, explosion-proof cranes, and below-the-hook lifting devices, with in-house structural steel fabrication and pre-shipment electrical testing at its Cedar Falls facility. Application-specific engineering capabilities include CMAA Class E severe-service cranes, PLC-controlled load bars with multi-sensor feedback, 180-foot wind turbine blade load bars, and Class II explosion-proof systems for hazardous environments.
AFE Crane serves industrial customers across manufacturing, wind energy, agriculture, construction, aerospace, cement, mining, oil and gas, chemicals, warehousing, and transportation, with named anchor relationships at John Deere (Partner-level Achieving Excellence supplier), Musco Lighting, TPI Composites, and Verbio. Revenue is generated through one-time equipment sales, custom engineering services, parts distribution across many OEM brands, recurring inspection and maintenance contracts, and modernization/retrofits. Pricing scales from roughly $10,000 for basic overhead systems to over $100,000 for highly customized configurations, with progressive payment schedules on orders exceeding $25,000 and NET 30 standard terms. Distribution is consultative enterprise field sales executed by applications engineers across four Iowa locations (Cedar Falls, Davenport, Mason City, Ankeny), with supplemental website-driven quote requests and trade show participation, including the Iowa Ag Expo.
AFE Crane firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AFE Crane
- Legal name
- AFE Crane
- Website
- https://afecrane.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AFE Crane is a Cedar Falls, Iowa-based custom manufacturer and integrator of overhead bridge cranes and material handling systems, serving industrial customers across Iowa and the Midwest since 1983 as a subsidiary of LAFORGE.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AFE Crane industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Cranes and Overhead Material Handling Equipment
- NAICS
- Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392), Construction Machinery Manufacturing (333120)
- SIC
- Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Overhead (Bridge) Cranes (IMAHAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Jib Cranes (IMAHAJAE), Hoists (Electric, Manual & Pneumatic) (IMAHAJAG), Crane & Hoist Components (Wire Rope, Chain, Drums, Sheaves, Motors, Controls) (IMAHAJAK), Crane & Hoist Safety & Monitoring Systems (Limiters, Anti-collision, Load Monitoring) (IMAHAJAL), Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)
Keywords
Where AFE Crane is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cedar Falls
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
AFE Crane business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Crane and Hoist Equipment Sales: Sale of overhead bridge cranes, workstation cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, telescoping cranes, industrial hoists, monorail systems, and custom-engineered crane equipment. One-time product revenue from equipment manufacturing and fabrication.
- Custom Engineering and System Design: Custom-engineered overhead crane system design and engineering services, including structural analysis, application consultation, and solution development tailored to specific industrial requirements.
- Parts and Components Sales: Sale of replacement parts for cranes and hoists across many makes and brands, supported by a large inventory and long-term relationships with parts vendors for expedited fulfillment.
- Service, Maintenance, Repair and Inspection: Crane and hoist inspection services (standard, advanced, and OSHA compliance), maintenance and repair services, modernization and upgrades including VFD controls and automation retrofits.
- Structural Steel Fabrication: Structural steel fabrication including crane runways, patented track systems, and supporting steel structures for crane and hoist installations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Basic Overhead Crane Systems - entry-level single girder, light-duty workstation cranes |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Standard Overhead Crane Systems - medium-capacity bridge cranes for moderate-duty applications |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Custom/Highly Specialized Crane Systems - large, complex, or highly customized configurations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
AFE Crane product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AFE Crane manufactures and supplies bridge cranes, overhead cranes, and hoists for industrial material handling applications. The company also delivers custom engineered lifting solutions alongside inspection, maintenance, repair, and modernization services for installed crane systems across industrial facilities.
Product overview
AFE Crane is an overhead crane manufacturer and material handling solutions provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of lifting equipment and services. The core product line includes overhead bridge cranes (single and double girder, top running and underhung), industrial hoists, workstation cranes, telescoping cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, monorail systems, process cranes, and custom specialty cranes. The portfolio also encompasses supporting structures (crane runways, patented track, structural steel fabrication), accessories (below-hook lifting devices, fall protection, crane controls), and comprehensive services (inspections, modernization/retrofits, maintenance/repair, custom engineering). The company operates as both a manufacturer with in-house fabrication capabilities and a distributor for partner brands (ACCO, Harrington, CM, Yale, Gorbel, Electrolift, Caldwell, Unified Industries) to deliver complete turn-key crane solutions from concept through commissioning.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bridge Cranes Engineered overhead bridge cranes for moving heavy loads along fixed runways inside industrial facilities. Sold to manufacturers, warehouses, and heavy-industrial sites needing code-compliant lifting capacity.
- Overhead Cranes Industrial overhead crane systems for heavy-load handling in manufacturing and material handling environments.
- Industrial Hoists Hoists used as the lifting mechanism within crane systems and standalone lifting applications in industrial facilities.
- Custom Engineered Cranes Custom-designed crane and lifting solutions tailored to specific facility layouts, load requirements, and duty cycles for industrial buyers with non-standard needs.
- Crane Inspection Services Inspection of installed crane and hoist systems to support safety and regulatory compliance for industrial operators.
- Crane Maintenance and Repair Preventive maintenance and repair services for overhead crane and hoist systems to minimize downtime and extend equipment life.
- Crane Modernization Services Modernization and retrofit of existing crane systems to upgrade controls, drives, and safety features and extend useful life.
Quantifiable outcome
- Wind turbine blade manufacturing facility achieved significantly improved production efficiency and reduced component handling time with four 3-ton cranes and 750 feet of runways.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AFE Crane
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
AFE Crane technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
AFE Crane partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ACCO Material Handling Solutions LLCcoreAFE Crane is a strategic distributor of ACCO Material Handling Solutions LLC. AFE procures and integrates ACCO products including ACCO Louden monorail Supertrack, ACCO-Wright electric wire rope hoists, and ACCO-Louden runway components. The partnership enables AFE to offer ACCO-branded equipment as part of its comprehensive overhead lifting solutions while AFE provides custom engineering, fabrication, installation, and service for ACCO systems.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AFE Crane competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Harrington Hoists: Manufacturer of electric chain hoists, wire rope hoists, and crane components distributed by AFE Crane. Directly competes in industrial hoist and crane component markets with overlapping customer base in Midwest manufacturing.
- Gorbel: Manufacturer of overhead bridge cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, and workstation cranes with strong presence in North America. Directly comparable product portfolio with similar focus on custom-engineered overhead lifting solutions for industrial customers.
- ACCO Material Handling Solutions: Strategic distributor partner of AFE Crane for monorail, hoist, and runway products. While ACCO supplies components to AFE, it also competes on integrated overhead lifting solutions, creating both partnership and overlap dynamics.
- Spanmaster (a Columbus McKinnon brand): Manufacturer of workstation bridge cranes and lightweight crane systems. AFE Crane exhibited Spanmaster Workstation Cranes at the Iowa Ag Expo, indicating both product partnership and competitive overlap on workstation crane solutions.
- Unified Industries: Manufacturer of patented track runway systems and workstation crane rails. AFE Crane integrates Unified products (e.g., Unified ETA-8 aluminum runway) into its custom solutions, making Unified both a component supplier and direct competitor on workstation crane systems.
- Caldwell (a Columbus McKinnon brand): Manufacturer of below-the-hook lifting devices and below-the-hook lifting beams. AFE Crane lists Caldwell among its distributor brands and competes directly on custom below-the-hook lifting devices like load bars and lifting beams.
- Electrolift: Manufacturer of air-operated and electric hoists including double-hook designs. AFE Crane distributes Electrolift products and competes on integrated double-hook hoist solutions for industrial assembly applications.
Broad incumbents
- Konecranes: Global leader in overhead cranes and lifting solutions with full-service portfolio. Competes with AFE Crane on larger industrial projects and modernization services; AFE's regional focus is a deliberate avoidance of direct Konecranes territory.
- Columbus McKinnon (CM): Largest US-based manufacturer of hoists, cranes, and lifting solutions under multiple brands (CM, Yale, Coffing, Budgit). AFE Crane distributes several CM brands (CM Lodestar hoists, CM BatteryStar), making them both supplier-partner and competitor on integrated systems.
- Demag (a Konecranes brand): Global manufacturer of industrial cranes, hoists, and components now part of Konecranes. Competes with AFE Crane on standard and engineered bridge cranes for industrial facilities, particularly in larger capacity applications.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AFE Crane social profiles
Digital presenceAFE Crane financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AFE Crane leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
AFE Crane funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AFE Crane M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AFE Crane
What does AFE Crane do?
AFE Crane manufactures and supplies bridge cranes, overhead cranes, and hoists for industrial material handling applications. The company also delivers custom engineered lifting solutions alongside inspection, maintenance, repair, and modernization services for installed crane systems across industrial facilities.
Is AFE Crane a public or private company?
AFE Crane is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was AFE Crane founded?
AFE Crane was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AFE Crane based?
AFE Crane is headquartered in Cedar Falls, United States, in the North America region.
How does AFE Crane make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Crane and Hoist Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Engineering and System Design, parts and Components Sales, service, Maintenance, Repair and Inspection and structural Steel Fabrication.
Who are AFE Crane's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Harrington Hoists, Gorbel, ACCO Material Handling Solutions, Spanmaster (a Columbus McKinnon brand), Unified Industries, Caldwell (a Columbus McKinnon brand) and Electrolift. Broad incumbents are Konecranes, Columbus McKinnon (CM) and Demag (a Konecranes brand).
Does AFE Crane have an API?
No public API is recorded for AFE Crane.
What industry is AFE Crane in?
AFE Crane's product category is Industrial Cranes and Overhead Material Handling Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAJAC, Overhead (Bridge) Cranes, with a secondary code of IMAHAJAE, Jib Cranes. Its NAICS code is 333923 and its SIC code is 3530.