Ips Cranes

What Ips Cranes does

IPS Cranes is a privately held, custom crane and equipment manufacturer founded in 1986 as a spin-off of American Hoist, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota with a secondary operations and training site in Duluth. The company designs and builds new locomotive cranes, burro cranes, crawler cranes (via the American Crawler Cranes line acquired from Terex in 2025), and heavy lifting attachments, while operating a full rebuild program, OEM parts supply, fabrication, welding, CNC machining, mobile inspections, and mechanic/operator training. Its core technology stack combines in-house mechanical manufacturing (lathe capacity to 22 inch diameter and 80 inch length, milling, multi-process welding, burn-table fabrication since 2020) with the Markload custom load monitoring platform acquired in 2026 — sensors, tension/compression cells, angle monitoring, anti-two-block, and telematics displays first introduced in 2014 and extended with an IPS-designed Load Moment Indicator in 2016.

IPS operates a sales-led, direct go-to-market model with three named sales personnel and a global footprint claim anchored by Class 1 Railroads as the primary customer segment and heavy industrial/construction as secondary. Revenue is generated through eight distinct streams split between hardware (new cranes, OEM parts, pile driving systems via authorized Berminghammer dealership, Markload monitoring systems, tagline winders) and professional services (rebuilds, fabrication, machining, welding, mobile inspections, Duluth-based training). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with the bespoke, low-volume, high-ticket nature of the equipment. Authorized dealer relationships with Terex (since 2019, including OEM boom manufacturing), Berminghammer, and Trimble (lifting solutions) extend the product portfolio without in-house development cost. The company is nationally certified as a Women-Owned Business, led by CEO Jackie O'Connell, and has funded growth entirely through retained earnings across six acquisitions and continuous product development, with no disclosed outside capital.

Name

Ips Cranes

Legal name

IPS Cranes

Website

https://ipscranes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IPS Cranes is a St. Paul, Minnesota-based custom manufacturer of locomotive and crawler cranes, OEM parts, and heavy lifting attachments, primarily serving Class 1 Railroads and heavy industrial customers with new builds, rebuilds, fabrication, machining, and load monitoring systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Crane Manufacturing & Heavy Equipment Services

NAICS

Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392), Construction Machinery Manufacturing (33312)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & Crawler Cranes (IMAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crane & Hoist Components (Wire Rope, Chain, Drums, Sheaves, Motors, Controls) (IMAHAJAK), Crane & Hoist Safety & Monitoring Systems (Limiters, Anti-collision, Load Monitoring) (IMAHAJAL), Cranes, Hoists & Rigging Equipment MRO (Mobile/Tower Cranes, Winches) (TLAKAHAE), Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)

Keywords

• Locomotive crane manufacturing
• Crane rebuilds and parts
• Heavy lifting equipment
• Rail crane services
• Crane monitoring systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. New Crane Manufacturing: Manufacture and sale of new cranes including locomotive cranes, burro cranes, and custom crane solutions.
2. Crane Rebuilds and Repair: Complete rebuild programs and repair services for existing crane equipment. Rebuild program began in 2006.
3. OEM Parts Supply: Supply of OEM parts including brake & clutch bands, brake chambers, flexair valves, engine heaters, lacings, booms, and tagline winders. Also stocks many obsolete and hard-to-find parts.
4. Fabrication and Machining Services: In-house fabrication, welding (TIG, MIG, Stick, Flux-Core), and CNC machining services. Machining capability up to 22" diameter and 80" long, milling 65" x 30" x 30" travel, max weight 4,000 pounds.
5. Equipment Monitoring Systems: Design and build of Markload custom load monitoring systems, including sensor networks, load cells, angle monitoring, and displays. Also provides repair parts and service.
6. Pile Driving Equipment: Sale of new Berminghammer pile driving systems, replacement parts, and repair services for B21 and B32 diesel impact hammers as well as legacy 3505 and 4505 models.
7. Locomotive Crane Training: Training services at Duluth, Minnesota facility including mechanic-focused training (structural inspection, diagnostics, troubleshooting, repair) and operator-focused training (machine familiarization, proper operation, maintenance, safety inspections).
8. Mobile Crane Inspections: Mobile crane inspection services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IPS Cranes designs, manufactures, and supports new locomotive cranes, burro cranes, crawler cranes, and heavy lifting attachments for rail and heavy industrial customers. The company provides the full equipment lifecycle including new crane builds, complete rebuild programs, OEM parts supply (booms, brake & clutch bands, brake chambers, flexair valves, tagline winders, engine heaters), in-house fabrication, welding, and CNC machining services, custom load monitoring systems (Markload), pile driving equipment from Berminghammer, and operator/mechanic training.

Product overview

IPS Cranes is a global custom crane and equipment manufacturer with over 50 years of experience, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for rail and crawler equipment. The company operates a single unified product/service architecture combining new crane manufacturing, complete rebuilds, and OEM parts supply with specialized services including machining, welding, fabrication, equipment monitoring (via Markload acquisition), and training. Core products include Cranes and Parts as primary offerings, supplemented by manufactured components like Booms, Lacings, Brake & Clutch Bands, Brake Chambers, Flexair Valves, and Engine Heaters. Specialized offerings include Equipment Monitoring with Markload Load Monitoring Systems, Tagline Winders, Burro Cranes, Terex HC Front-End Attachments, and Pile Driving Equipment through Berminghammer partnership. Services encompass Fabrication & Assembly, Welding, Machining, Locomotive Crane Training, and Mobile Crane Inspections. The company also integrates Trimble Lifting Solutions for lifting technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cranes New crane manufacturing for rail and crawler equipment and heavy lifting equipment, including the NexGen Crane platform with hydraulic boom hoist and locomotive/burro crane variants.
• OEM Parts OEM parts supply for rail and crawler equipment, including new OEM bands, custom built and designed brake and clutch bands, and a large inventory of obsolete and hard-to-find components.
• Booms New boom building, used boom repair, new and used booms in stock, and replacement lacings made to order for crane applications.
• Tagline Winders Single, double, triple, and quad barrel tagline winders - new units, parts, and rebuild/repair services. Made in USA with parts interchangeable with Rudomatic Taglines.
• Engine Heaters Propane engine heaters in stock for crane equipment.
• Terex HC Front-End Attachments Terex HC Front End Attachments including boom sections, inserts, jib assemblies, extensions, replacement lacings, sheaves, wire rope, pins, pendants, and connection hardware. IPS has built Terex Booms under contract since 2019.
• Pile Driving Equipment Authorized Berminghammer dealer supplying new pile driving systems, replacement parts, and repair services for B21 and B32 diesel impact hammers as well as legacy 3505 and 4505 models.
• Trimble Lifting Solutions Trimble Lifting Solutions integration providing technology solutions for lifting operations, supplied as an authorized Trimble dealer.
• Markload Load Monitoring System Custom load monitoring systems including tension links, compression cells, shear pins, line riders, deflection sheaves, angle monitoring, wind speed, operational limits (anti-two block, boom angle limits), rope deployment, and data recording/display.
• Burro Cranes Rail crane equipment and services for Class 1 Railroads, supplied as a dedicated burro crane product line.
• Locomotive Crane Training Hands-on training at the Duluth, Minnesota facility covering mechanic-focused training (structural inspection, diagnostics, troubleshooting, repair) and operator-focused training (machine familiarization, proper operation, maintenance, safety inspections).
• Mobile Crane Inspections Mobile crane inspection services for safety compliance and operational readiness.
• Machining Services In-house CNC machining services: Lathe/Turn up to 22" diameter and 80" long, Mill 65" x 30" x 30" travel, maximum weight 4,000 pounds.
• Welding Services TIG, MIG, Stick, and Flux-Core welding services for crane equipment and components.
• Fabrication & Assembly Full fabrication and assembly services for crane equipment and heavy lifting attachments, supported by an in-house burn table capability added in 2020.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• MarkloadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026IPS Cranes purchased Markload in 2026 - Custom Load Monitoring Systems. Markload products include load monitoring systems, tension links, compression cells, shear pins, line riders, deflection sheaves, angle monitoring, and displays. Now an integrated product line within IPS.
• Custom Brake & Clutch Band BusinessmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005IPS acquired Custom Brake & Clutch Band Business in 2005. Provides new OEM bands in stock, custom built and designed brake and clutch bands, reverse engineering capabilities, and repair services.
• American & Ohio Locomotive Crane Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Co-purchased American & Ohio Locomotive Cranes in 2001. Purchased remaining share in 2017. IPS Cranes originated as a spin-off of American Hoist in 1986. Long-standing relationship with acquisition completing in 2017.
• BerminghammercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Berminghammer dealer specializing in pile driving systems for locomotive cranes used by Class 1 Railroads in bridge construction. Supplies new Berminghammer systems, replacement parts, and repair services for B21 and B32 diesel impact hammers as well as legacy 3505 and 4505 models.
• TerexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPS contracted by Terex to build Terex Booms (since 2019). Also acquired American Crawler Cranes from Terex in 2025. Provides Terex HC Front-End Attachments including boom sections, inserts, jib assemblies, lacings, sheaves, wire rope, pins, pendants, and connection hardware. Strong partnership spanning multiple decades.
• TrimblecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrimble Lifting Solutions authorized dealer. Provides Trimble lifting technology solutions as part of IPS product offering.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tadano: Tadano (including Demag and recently acquired Manitowoc Crane Group brands) is a major global crane OEM with strong presence in all-terrain, rough-terrain, and crawler cranes. Comparable to IPS as a broad incumbent in crane manufacturing serving similar end markets.
• The Manitowoc Company: Manitowoc manufactures crawler cranes, mobile cranes, and tower cranes (Grove, Potain, National Crane brands) and supplies OEM parts for legacy machines that IPS explicitly services and stocks. Highly comparable as a broad incumbent in crane manufacturing and lifecycle support.
• Kobelco Construction Machinery: Kobelco manufactures crawler cranes, mini excavators, and demolition equipment. It is a direct peer in the crawler-crane category IPS entered via the American Crawler Cranes purchase and competes for the same contractor/industrial customers.
• Liebherr: Liebherr is a global manufacturer of mobile, crawler, tower, and port cranes. While larger and more diversified, it competes in many of the same heavy-lifting and crawler-crane categories IPS is moving into via the American Crawler Cranes acquisition.
• Terex Corporation: Terex is one of the largest global crane manufacturers (rough-terrain, crawler, tower) and a direct strategic partner with IPS (Terex boom manufacturing since 2019, sale of American Crawler Cranes to IPS in 2025). It is broadly comparable as the dominant incumbent in IPS's category.

Direct peers

• Palfinger: Palfinger is a global leader in loader cranes, knuckle-boom cranes, and lifting solutions mounted on trucks and equipment. Comparable to IPS in truck/equipment-mounted lifting products and in providing integrated load-monitoring and service solutions.
• American Crane & Equipment Corporation: American Crane & Equipment manufactures overhead bridge cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, and specialty hoists for industrial and government customers. It is comparable to IPS as a U.S.-based specialty crane manufacturer serving industrial end markets.
• Broderson Manufacturing Corporation: Broderson is a U.S. manufacturer of industrial carry-deck cranes and rough-terrain cranes, with a focus on niche crane categories and OEM parts support. Closely comparable to IPS in size, U.S. footprint, and niche-crane specialization.
• Link-Belt Construction Equipment: Link-Belt is a U.S.-based manufacturer of telescopic and lattice-boom crawler cranes. It competes most directly with IPS in the crawler-crane category that IPS just entered through the American Crawler Cranes acquisition.

Others

• Trimble Inc. Trimble is an authorized technology partner of IPS in lifting solutions and load monitoring, and is also a competing supplier of LMI, anti-two-block, and telematics systems to crane OEMs. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant in crane safety and monitoring technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Ips Cranes