From steel production to mining, heavy machinery to warehousing, and everything in between, countless industries rely on overhead cranes to move heavy items safely and efficiently in their facilities. Founded in 1980, Hermitage, Pennsylvania-based G.W. Becker, Inc. has become a leader in the overhead crane industry. With a highly trained staff of about 75, G.W. Becker provides a wide range of overhead crane products, services, and solutions.
Starting off as a local supplier of crane parts, the company today is a respected manufacturer of overhead cranes and crane hoists. Along with offering crane parts, G.W. Becker is also known for its crane services and maintenance, including Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections, training, preventative maintenance, field repairs, and engineering.
“Our core business is in heavy manufacturing, steel processing and steel manufacturing, fabrication, aeronautical, and warehousing, just to name a few,” says the company’s Sales Manager, Ron Piso.
Cranes for every need
No two sectors are the same, which is why G.W. Becker sells and services industry-specific crane solutions ranging from 1/8 ton jib cranes—ideal for local lifting—to massive, 110-ton overhead ladle cranes used in steel mills to transport and pour molten metal. From the smallest overhead cranes to the largest, all are designed, engineered, and manufactured in-house and tailor-made for specific applications and workflow requirements.
“We can build up to a 150-foot span,” comments Piso, “and are only limited to what we can lift in our shop and what we can get out the overhead doors. If there is value to us or the customer with, we can figure out if there is a way to do it.”
To meet customer demands, G.W. Becker offers overhead lifting solutions for all needs and budgets. Some, like single girder cranes, are ideal for light to moderate use. Able to handle 1 to 15 tons, these cranes are suitable for spans up to 70 feet and lifts of 15 to 50 feet. Others, such as hazardous duty cranes, are ideal for overhead material handing in explosive environments. Often used by customers in the oil & gas sector, these cranes typically have manual hoists and trolleys and spark-resistant components. For all applications, cranes meet specific safety standards.
Much more than an overhead crane manufacturer, G.W. Becker works with customers at every step of the way, from initial design to turnkey installation, all managed with the utmost professionalism. Taking on single-source responsibility means clients will see their cranes manufactured, delivered, installed, and operational on time and on budget.
“We are a soup-to-nuts company in the crane industry,” explains Piso of the company. Its fully staffed engineering department handles design while an experienced service department has technicians available to install, repair, inspect “and upgrade any crane that’s out there now,” Piso explains. “I like to say we are as vertically integrated as we can be short of owning a steel mill to have access to our raw materials. We install 98 to 99 percent of our own product, the cranes that we build. We are a manufacturer and an OEM distributor of all crane parts.”
To date, the company’s cranes can be found across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. According to Piso, G.W. Becker is not limited to geography. “North America is our limitation,” he says. “Other than that, we will go anywhere, literally from Maine to California to Washington to Florida. We have cranes, not in every state, but we are trying to get there.” Alabama and South Carolina have hundreds of G.W. Becker cranes in operation.
Family values and industry engagement
Decades after it was established by founder George Becker, the company remains family-owned and operated, which is a point of pride for both staff members and customers. Celebrating its 45th anniversary in March 2025, the business remains focused on growing to meet demand. Unlike some larger manufacturers, family ownership helps G.W. Becker remain far more agile, able to provide fast, personalized service where clients get answers in hours, not days.
Today, George remains founder and CEO, while his son Chris, representing G.W. Becker’s second generation, serves as President. “It’s not just family ownership that’s a benefit to our customers,” says Piso. “Chris, our President, is a leader on different industry boards,” including the Lawrence Mercer Manufacturers Coalition (LMMC). Based in Youngstown, Ohio, the LMMC is described as “an industry-led organization determined to attract, retain, and upskill the manufacturing workforce our members collectively need to thrive and grow.”
Along with the LMMC, G.W. Becker’s industry memberships and affiliations include the Material Handling Industry of America (MHI), the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), executive membership in the Crane Manufacturers Association of America, Inc. (CMAA), and the Penn-Northwest Development Corporation.
In addition, the company has forged many long-term relationships with suppliers of everything from advanced wireless control solutions to electrification systems, load-handling attachments, controls, hoists, lifting mechanisms, and other parts. These include Columbus McKinnon, ACCO® – WRIGHT® LOUDEN®, Bushman Equipment, Caldwell Lifting Solutions, Control Chief Wireless Solutions, and R&M Materials Handling, to name just a few.
At G.W. Becker, the company’s many successful years in business and long-held partnerships with customers speak for themselves. “George Becker, Chris’s father and our owner, has been in business 46 years,” comments Piso. “He has a great reputation around the country, and Chris has only enhanced that with his leadership and visibility within the industry and affiliated organizations. Relationships have been built, held, and initiated by George when the company was founded, and Chris even more so, and it all trickles down through me, our Regional Sales Managers, Service Techs, and our engineers. So our reputation is very solid. We are not top-heavy, so we are able to be out in the field and communicating more than corporations.”
Investing in people and machinery
In just the past few years, G.W. Becker has made significant investments in the business, including a complete upgrade of its machine shop and new machine tools. This remains a source of pride for the company’s owners since it allows the business to serve its many customers to the best of its abilities. “We have equipped ourselves to be pretty efficient in our production and fabrication, and will continue doing so,” says Piso. “We continue to invest in the company to make ourselves more efficient in our production and our fabrication.” Now, along with machinery, the company has expanded its engineering department to its largest headcount to date.
G.W. Becker’s information-rich website features products, detailed descriptions, and a list of services, as well as a comprehensive Resource Center featuring completed products, brochures, a blog, and more. In May, the company will have a booth at AISTech 2026. Held in Pittsburgh, AISTech remains the premier event for the world’s steel industry and a venue in which professionals can meet, learn about industry developments, and network with experts.
Now in its 46th year, G.W. Becker continues to expand, adding to the team as needed. “Our future sales plan is to continue growing at the pace we’ve been growing for the last eight years, which has been substantial,” Piso says. “We are certainly in growth mode, trying to close every order that’s out there on the street and bring new business in every day. We have a bright forecast for the future, and it’s supported by all of the industry information available in manufacturing and the steel industry. Manufacturing in the United States is going to continue growing; we are along for the ride and expect growth in the same fashion.”
