Ace Industries, Inc.

What Ace Industries, Inc. does

Ace Industries, Inc. is one of the largest independent overhead crane and hoist distribution, manufacturing, and service companies in the United States, founded in 1932 as an electric motor shop in Atlanta, GA, and now headquartered in Norcross, GA. The company distributes hoists (electric chain, hand chain, air, wire rope, battery-operated, and construction), crane systems (gantry, jib, davit, and custom bridge cranes), slings and rigging, electrification components, fall protection, and load measurement instruments across more than 100 OEM brands including Columbus McKinnon, Suncor Stainless, Harrington, Yale, Coffing, Budgit, Shaw-Box, and Demag. It also manufactures custom bridge cranes and runways in-house and operates a field-service business providing inspections, preventive maintenance, factory-authorized repairs, installations, modernizations, and runway surveys, with explosion-proof capability added through the 2012 acquisition of Gaffey Cranes.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a wholesale e-commerce storefront (aceindustries.com), phone sales support, and a network of more than 30 service branches coast to coast backed by two manufacturing and distribution facilities and approximately 300 service, sales, and operations associates. Ace sells wholesale exclusively to business customers, with free domestic shipping on online orders over $500 and special handling surcharges on heavier product categories such as workstation cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, crane kits, explosion-proof hoists, end trucks, and heavy-duty wire rope hoists. Customer segments span industrial/manufacturing, construction, commercial, and government verticals, with documented project work for NASA, proton therapy cancer treatment centers, hydropower dam facilities, and steel processing facilities.

The company is privately held by the Arwood family across three generations, with Josh Arwood as CEO (also former CMAA President 2019-2020) and Daniel Arwood as COO. Strategic growth has been driven primarily by acquisitions — Certified Crane Care (2007), Gaffey Cranes (2012), and Henohl Crane (2017) — supplemented by a 2019 rebranding to reinforce market positioning. Ace does not disclose revenue and operates without external private equity or venture capital backing indicated in the source material.

Name

Ace Industries, Inc.

Legal name

Ace Industries, Inc.

Website

https://aceindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Ace Industries is one of the largest independent US distributors, manufacturers, and service providers of overhead cranes and hoists, serving industrial, construction, commercial, and government customers across more than 30 service branches nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Overhead Cranes & Hoists / Material Handling Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423840), Other Commercial Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42344)

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)

Keywords

• Overhead cranes
• Hoist equipment
• Material handling
• Rigging supplies
• Crane services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norcross

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling hoists, cranes, crane parts, and material handling equipment. Products include electric and air-powered hoists, manual trolleys, wire rope products, rigging equipment, fall protection, and stainless steel hardware. Sales conducted through e-commerce and direct sales with wholesale pricing for business customers.
2. Field Service & Maintenance: Revenue from inspections, preventive maintenance, field service, factory authorized repairs, installations, and modernizations. They deploy certified technicians from 30+ branch locations nationwide.
3. Custom Crane Manufacturing: Manufacturing custom bridge cranes and runways as a value-added service, responding to customer requests and specialized industrial requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ace Industries distributes, manufactures, and services overhead cranes, hoists, and material handling equipment for industrial, commercial, and construction customers. It sells wholesale to business buyers through its e-commerce site, phone sales, and 30+ U.S. service branches, and provides factory-authorized field service, inspections, repairs, installations, and custom crane engineering.

Product overview

Ace Industries is a leading provider of overhead crane and hoist equipment offering a comprehensive portfolio through an e-commerce platform and nationwide service branches. The core product line includes various hoist types (electric chain, hand chain, air-powered, wire rope, battery-operated, and construction hoists), crane systems (gantry, jib, davit, and custom cranes), slings and rigging equipment, and lifting beams and spreader beams. Supporting products include hoist parts, electrification components, chain and rope, trolleys and beam clamps, stainless steel products, fall protection equipment, load measurement instruments, and safety guardrails. The company distributes branded products including Suncor Stainless hardware and Machining & Welding (M&W) spreader beams, while also providing field service, inspections, repairs, and custom crane manufacturing. The product portfolio serves industrial, commercial, and construction applications across light to heavy-duty weight classes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Chain Hoists Electric-powered chain hoists for lifting operations in industrial, commercial, and construction applications, sold to business buyers via wholesale and e-commerce.
• Hand Chain Hoists / Chain Fall Hoists Manual chain hoists for lifting operations where electric power is not available or not preferred, sold wholesale to business customers.
• Come Alongs / Lever Hoists Manual lever-operated hoists for pulling, lifting, and tensioning applications in industrial and construction environments.
• Air Chain Hoists Pneumatic-powered chain hoists for hazardous environments and heavy-duty lifting applications.
• Wire Rope Hoists Electric wire rope hoists for heavy-duty industrial lifting applications.
• Battery Operated Hoists Portable battery-powered hoists for remote or mobile lifting operations where mains power is unavailable.
• Construction / Builder's Hoists Hoists specifically designed for construction site lifting applications.
• Custom Cranes Custom-designed and manufactured overhead crane and lifting solutions tailored to specific customer requirements, including custom bridge cranes and runways.
• Gantry, Jib, Davit Cranes & Winches Portable and fixed crane systems including gantry cranes, jib cranes, davit cranes, and winches for various lifting needs.
• Lifting & Spreader Beams Lifting beams and spreader beams for crane applications, available in fixed and adjustable telescoping configurations (Machining & Welding M&W).
• Slings & Rigging Equipment Lifting slings and rigging equipment including web slings, synthetic round slings, chain slings, wire rope slings, ratchet binders, tie downs, shackles, hooks, tongs, turnbuckles, lifting clamps, hoist rings, and related hardware.
• Chain & Rope Bulk chain, chain by foot, bulk wire rope, wire by foot, accessories, and wire rope assemblies for lifting applications.
• Stainless Steel Products Stainless steel lifting and rigging hardware including chain, shackles, wire rope, clips, thimbles, turnbuckles, hooks, blocks, links, rings, and threaded products for corrosion-resistant applications.
• Fall Protection Equipment Personal fall protection equipment including harnesses, lanyards, fall protection kits, monorail systems, retractables, swing arm systems, fall-rated hardware, rebar assemblies, and carrying cases.
• Safety Guardrails Safety guardrail systems including Build-A-Rail modular guard rails, floor mounted barriers, and pre-configured guard rail options.
• Load Measurement Load measurement instruments including load indicators, electronic load limiters, and tensionmeters for monitoring lifting loads.
• Hoist Parts Replacement parts for various hoist brands including Budgit, Demag, CM, Coffing, Harrington, Detroit, Little Mule, Shaw-Box, Yale, and R&M.
• Electrification Products Components for crane and hoist electrification including pendant controls, radio controls, cable assemblies, festoon systems, conductor bars, cable reels, motors, VFDs, resistors, contactors, phase protectors, and fuses.
• Trolleys and Beam Clamps Trolleys (plain, geared, motorized) and beam clamps for overhead crane systems.
• Suncor Stainless Products Suncor Stainless brand rigging and hardware products including chain, shackles, hooks, clips, wire rope, turnbuckles, thimbles, blocks, rings, and various marine/industrial rigging components (652 SKUs).
• Machining & Welding (M&W) Spreader Beams Fixed and adjustable telescoping spreader beams manufactured by Machining & Welding, ranging from 4,000 lb to 40,000 lb working load limits, priced $995.68 to $6,801.76.
• Field Service Nationwide crane service including inspections, preventive maintenance, field service, factory-authorized repairs, installations, modernizations, and runway surveys delivered by certified technicians across 30+ U.S. branch locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90 years of continuous operation and customer-first service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Columbus McKinnon Corp.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1970Master Dealer for Columbus McKinnon Corp. since the 1970s and 1980s. Ace stocks products manufactured by CM, Coffing, Lift-Tech, and Yale. Acquired Gaffey Cranes from Columbus McKinnon in 2012 to enter the explosion-proof market.
• Suncor StainlesscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSuncor Stainless is a featured brand partner, with Ace Industries carrying 652 Suncor stainless steel products including chain, shackles, hooks, wire rope, turnbuckles, and rigging hardware.
• Harrington HoistmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries is a distributor for Harrington Hoist products, one of over 100 hoist and crane brands supported.
• YalemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries distributes Yale hoists and crane products as part of their extensive brand portfolio.
• CoffingmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries distributes Coffing hoist products as part of their brand offerings.
• BudgitmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries distributes Budgit hoist parts and products.
• Shaw-BoxmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries distributes Shaw-Box hoist products and parts.
• ConductixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries carries Conductix electrification and material handling products.
• RenfroeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries distributes Renfroe lifting and rigging products including repair rebuild kits.
• DemagmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Industries provides Demag hoist parts and products.
• Certified Crane CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2007 to complement Ace's brand in Alabama, expanding service capabilities in the southeastern US market.
• Henohl CranemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in Phoenix, AZ in 2017 to enter the West Coast market, establishing regional presence on the West Coast.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mazzella Companies: Cleveland-based independent overhead crane, hoist, and rigging distributor, manufacturer, and service provider. Closest direct peer to Ace — overlapping product portfolio (hoists, cranes, slings, rigging), branch-based service model, custom manufacturing, and similar enterprise industrial customer base.
• Gorbel: US-based manufacturer of overhead cranes (bridge, gantry, jib), workstation cranes, and fall protection. Direct peer in custom crane manufacturing and ergonomic lifting solutions; serves similar industrial customers with overlapping product categories.
• Bishop Lifting Products: US distributor and manufacturer of rigging, lifting, and crane products with multiple branch locations. Closely comparable business model to Ace — independent distributor carrying multiple brands, with custom manufacturing and field service capabilities.
• Spanco: US manufacturer of jib cranes, gantry cranes, and workstation crane systems. Direct peer in custom lifting equipment manufacturing, serving overlapping industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• Columbus McKinnon Corporation: NASDAQ-listed designer and manufacturer of hoists, cranes, rigging, and material handling products; also serves as Ace's most important OEM partner (Master Dealer relationship). Comparable product categories and end customers, but operates as a global manufacturer with captive distribution rather than independent distributor.
• Konecranes: Finland-based global leader in cranes, hoists, and material handling service with a large US field service operation. Overlaps with Ace in industrial crane service, inspections, modernizations, and parts, but at much larger global scale with its own manufacturing.
• Harrington Hoists: US manufacturer of electric and manual chain hoists, air hoists, and crane components. Ace distributes Harrington products; overlap in hoist and crane parts categories; comparable enterprise industrial customer base.
• Terex Corporation: NYSE-listed global manufacturer of aerial work platforms, materials processing, and lifting equipment including rough-terrain cranes. Overlaps with Ace in industrial lifting categories at much larger scale.
• KITO Group (Kito Americas): Japan-based global hoist and crane manufacturer with US subsidiary. Comparable product portfolio of electric chain hoists, air hoists, and crane components; overlaps with Ace's hoists and parts categories.
• Konecranes Demag (US service operations): US service and parts operation of Konecranes' Demag brand for industrial cranes. Ace distributes Demag hoist parts; overlapping in crane service, inspections, and modernizations at the enterprise level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ace Industries, Inc.