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The pressure to deliver projects on time and within budget has never been more acute across North America’s construction landscape.
As timelines tighten, labor shortages deepen and regulations grow more complex, contractors and project managers are rethinking every aspect of the build — including the increasingly critical lifting component.
To top it off, a less obvious but equally disruptive shortage is occurring upstream — within engineering departments, drafting teams and lift-planning resources. For many contractors bidding on complex crane or rigging jobs, internal bandwidth simply doesn’t exist to support the increasingly technical demands of modern lift execution.
Rigging solution partnerships
That’s where partnerships with specialized providers can begin to shift the equation. Rigging in construction refers to the process of lifting and moving heavy materials or equipment using cranes, hoists and specialized gear. It involves planning, securing loads and ensuring safety throughout the lift. Equipment rental providers have quietly stepped into a more consultative role — partnering with trusted third-party firms to produce lift plan drawings and Computer-aided design (CAD)-based rigging arrangements that help clients bridge a gap in planning and execution.
The result is a support system that removes friction from the planning phase — particularly for clients who don’t have the in-house knowledge to confidently spec rigging solutions on their own.
Rigging solutions to keep construction projects on track
Finding skilled staff to undertake today’s technical and complex lifts is a growing challenge for contractors.
“It’s not about replacing a customer’s engineers,” said Ryan Group, VP of sales & marketing with lifting equipment rental firm LGH. “But when they don’t have the time or bandwidth to produce a drawing for rigging equipment, a trusted resource that can take care of that allows them to show up more prepared.”
Although LGH does not provide engineering services, they have partnered with several engineering firms throughout the U.S. that can draft their specific equipment into CAD for customers.
“Contractors are being asked to do more with fewer resources,” said Group. “That’s where there are opportunities for rental businesses to step in and assist — so long as they have a nationwide inventory of specialist lifting equipment. And ultimately, it isn’t about solving every challenge a contractor faces — but taking one more thing off their plate.”
Positioned to respond
On the equipment side, the consultative approach starts the moment a customer requests a quote.
“Customers might come to a rental company with a list of what they think they need,” said Group, “but through conversation, better solutions emerge — sometimes lighter, more cost-effective or simply better suited to the lift.”
“Reps shouldn’t be there just to take orders,” he added. “They are trained to ask, ‘What are you really trying to accomplish?’ From there, you can often propose an arrangement that’s safer, more efficient or just a better fit for the job.”
Group believes location plays a central role in the formula for mutual success. Each rental center should support nearby project sites with everything from rigging prep and inspections to delivery and final documentation.
“It’s not just about moving gear,” he said. “It’s about helping crews hit critical timelines. When you’re close to the work, you’re just better positioned to respond.”
Reaching alignment
Generally, rental companies in the lifting sector have had to become more agile. Paper-based processes — once common in logistics-heavy environments — have been replaced by integrated digital tools. Reps and shop teams now manage inspections, checklists, quotes and deliveries through tablet-based systems, with contracts signed electronically on-site.
Group believes LGH’s footprint is relatively lean from a sustainability perspective.
“Most of our equipment is mechanical,” he noted. “There’s no diesel being burned, no engines running.”
Still, the company has made a concerted effort to shrink its operational impact, converting its Chicago headquarters to solar power and digitizing its paperwork-heavy workflows.
In alignment with that effort, Group describes a new internal tool in development that will allow sales reps to quickly generate rigging configurations for modular beam setups.
By entering basic lift specs — capacity, span and application — the system will suggest an appropriate configuration and the matching bill of materials.
“Mod beams are a go-to solution, but building the right configuration can be complex,” he admitted. “This tool gives reps a faster way to serve the customer — especially when time is tight.”
The overall approach blends logistics, planning and proximity into a single value proposition: reducing the mental load for contractors already juggling deadlines, safety requirements and labor constraints.
Rigging solutions to keep construction projects on track
One less worry
Group explains that LGH staffs its rental centers to meet regional demand and equips each location to handle a wide range of lifting gear. LGH chains and tests every hoist to order before it leaves the shop — a time-intensive process that adds cost but ensures long-term durability and reliability for customers.
Each location also maintains its own test stands, delivery trucks and fulfillment systems. While LGH relies on third-party freight for larger, long-haul jobs, many deliveries go out directly from a nearby LGH Rental Center.
Modern strategies and solutions
The company’s expansion strategy is driven by real-time indicators of market demand. LGH often sends sales reps into new territories ahead of any permanent infrastructure to gauge construction activity and customer demand.
The approach is data-driven as well. Construction forecasts, infrastructure spending trends and regional investment patterns all inform the next move — particularly in high-growth sectors like data centers, semiconductor manufacturing and energy.
“We’re seeing a lot of reshoring and reinvestment in U.S. manufacturing,” Group added. “That tells us where to go next.”
Custom rigging solutions
LGH can provide rigging solutions in even the toughest locations.
A prime example of the model in action is a 2024 project in Alaska — where LGH has no official presence. A mine operator facing a fast-closing seasonal window needed 60 hydraulic cylinders and multiple synchronous lifting systems — all delivered, coordinated and supported in an extremely remote location.
“We had to move everything through Southern California, and the customer sent a boat to pick it up,” Group recalled. “We even partnered with one of our manufacturers to send a technician to stay on-site for a month.”
“Customized service is the key for rental businesses in the lifting sector,” said Group. “That comes from maintaining a controlled scale and staying closely aligned with customers — which means refining fleets, filling capacity gaps and investing in tools that make planning and quoting faster. It also means being present where customers are, and ideally, anticipating their needs before they even ask.”
Ultimately, a company’s continued relevance in a fast-changing industry comes down to trust and standards.
Group assured, “Customers need to know the equipment will perform. That people will deliver and will get it right the first time. If you can create one less worry on a complicated job — that’s a win. That’s where you add real value.”
For more information on LGH, visit rentlgh.com.
