A number of overhead crane and hoist manufacturers will be amongst the exhibitors at the MHI’s MODEX 2026 trade show, which has been described as the largest supply chain trade event in 2026, and which will be held from April 13–16 at Atlanta, Georgia’s World Congress Center.
The sister trade show to the Chicago based ProMat show, MODEX has been held every other year in Atlanta since 2012.
According to Carol Miller, MHI’s chief marketing officer, the aim of MODEX is to provide face-toface business interactions and immersive firsthand experiences with cutting-edge supply chain equipment, technology and solutions. “The value of seeing and operating these solutions in person and in action on the exhibition floor, participating in informative educational sessions and connecting with industry thought leaders and innovators is critical to taking supply chain operations to the next level of experience,” she adds.
This year’s MODEX is all about scale, excitement and impact, continues Miller. “It’s not just a trade show – it’s an experience across three show floors on which over 1,100 exhibitors (including overhead crane and hoist companies) will be showcasing the latest in technology and innovation, including robotics, automation, AIdriven platforms and sustainability solutions.
“Also, industry thought leaders and visionaries will share their insights on leadership, resilience, digital transformation and future trends in four keynote speeches and over 200 educational seminar and panel discussion sessions,” she says, adding that MODEX 2026 will also offer attendees unique experiences and opportunities to connect at the MODEX Backyard, MODEX Peachtree Social, MODEX Women in Supply Chain, Young Professionals and the MODEX Industry Night with Jim Gaffigan.
There will also be many other panel discussions, some of which will include overhead crane and hoist companies. For example, Gorbel will be participating in a panel discussion discussing factors relating to ergonomics in factory environments, including those that influence demand for its products, including those that are designed to make it easier to load and unload tractor trailers, Robert Beightol, the company’s director of marketing, pointed out.
“Years ago, MODEX was a lot more manufacturing oriented,” notes Beightol. “But it has really broadened its focus over the past decade or so to focus more upon warehousing and transportation, which are areas where some crane companies such as Gorbel are looking to branch out into.
While only about 2% of the material handling equipment exhibited at MODEX are overhead cranes and hoists, Jason Bulan, vice president of business development and product strategy for Harrington hoists and cranes at Kito Crosby, says it is still very beneficial for producers and distributors of that equipment to attend and exhibit at the show given that most companies use various material handling equipment.
Taking in the crowd
Even though companies might use a forklift to unload trucks, once products are unloaded, they need to use cranes and hoists to pick them up and move them, therefore, Bulan believes that MODEX could drive more people towards the overhead crane and hoist industry.
Bulan notes that sometimes companies don’t know what is available to help them move their products, “But attending MODEX can allow them to see what equipment is available,” he says, adding that they are better able to make decisions when they talk with experts and put their hands on – and even operate – equipment than by just looking at a website and a picture on the screen, adding that MODEX gets people talking about their particular needs and what solutions can fit those needs.
Harrington will have a sizable booth at the show, enabling it to exhibit a diverse mix of products, including hoists, light rail crane systems, carts and below-the-hook lifting devices. This will include its IP55 rated NER electric chain hoist, which operates well even in certain dirty environments and can also be used for certain outdoor applications.
Harrington will also displaying its newly launched, highly ergonomic eepos aluminium light crane system, which Bulan says is a premium product that can make it easier – and smoother – for operators to move loads. He said that this crane has already been getting very positive market response and that he believes that the show will drum up more excitement for it.
MHI is excited to have 48 exhibitors showcasing a variety of cranes, hoists and overhead lifting equipment at MODEX 2026, says Miller, explaining, “Cranes, hoists and overhead lifting systems power the movement of essential materials with the speed, safety and precision that today’s supply chains demand. They unlock higher throughput, greater efficiency and a more resilient, future-ready logistics ecosystem.
“As supply chains become more digitalised, cranes and hoists are being integrated with autonomous vehicles, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS, warehouse management systems (WMS) and predictive maintenance platforms for continuous, datadriven material movement,” she adds.
For Karen Norheim, president and chief executive officer of American Crane and Equipment (ACECO), MODEX is especially valuable for her company because it allows it to have early conversations in the project life cycle and to position overhead cranes and hoists as integral components of overall material handing systems.
Meanwhile, she says that for the attendees the value lies in being able to see solutions in context and to speak directly with manufacturers who can help them design safer, more efficient facilities.
She notes that ACECO will be exhibiting products within its full scope of capabilities, including custom overhead crane and hoist manufacturing, system design, installation, inspections, ongoing service, modernisation and replacement parts. It will also be exhibiting NorLink solutions, a smart crane system and machine health monitoring platform the ACECO distributes.
Bringing things into focus
While many of the things on the MODEX show floor might not necessarily be targeting overhead cranes and hoists, Beightol explains, some of the technologies being showcased could be applied to the industry. He notes that such technologies could be anything from sensors to possible Internet of Things (IoT) technology or even some things that the industry has looked at in the past, including interactive dashboards.
Another potential consideration involves some automation of cranes and hoists to make workers’ jobs easier. It might not be full automation, Beightol points out, but a combination of manual operations and automation depending upon the application is a potential consideration.
According to Beightol, Gorbel will be exhibiting several different products from several aspects of its business. As far as its overhead crane side, that will include its enclosed track systems, which he pointed out is not an out of the box type system, but one that is designed to fit the exact needs of the user.
Gorbel will also be showcasing its newest G-Force lifting device, V Series G-Force, which it also showed at ProMat. The newest addition allows ease of motion as it works like an extension of the worker’s body. When in float mode, the worker can move a piece of equipment or part just by touching and guiding it.
Gorbel will also exhibit a new GS Hoist variable frequency drive hoist, says Beightol. And on the warehouse side of its booth, will be exhibiting its Destuff-it line, which is an ergonomically designed platform system that allows individuals to move up and down and side to side when loading and unloading trailers, enabling them to do so more quickly, safely without injuries.
Bridging businesses together
“Overall, MODEX is an important event for business to business (B2B) manufacturing companies like us,” Ashley Blum, marketing manager for OZ Lifting Products explains, given that it brings together decision makers, engineers and end users from across a wide range of industries, creating valuable exposure by allowing attendees to at all levels of production, warehousing and distribution to see many practical material handling solutions in one place with a strong focus on efficiency, ergonomics and lightweight solutions that improve safety while reducing strain on operators.
OZ will be exhibiting a wide range of lifting solutions, including portable davit cranes, hoists, clamps, trolleys and winches, with a key highlight to be the demonstration of the company’s relaunched Tele-Pro Davit Crane, which is available in 500lbs, 1,200lbs and 2,500lbs capacities, with a patented technology that allows the boom to telescope in and out while under load. This provides greater flexibility and control in tight or variable workspaces, adds Blum.
Tim Bambrick, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Spanco – one of the exhibitors – notes that MODEX has a broader scope of offerings than MHI’s ProMat show, noting that while ProMat focuses more upon traditional manufacturing logistics, at MODEX attendees can get a feel about how the whole industry is moving.
“There will be certain exhibits that you wouldn’t necessarily see at ProMat, including those relating to certain emerging technologies and automation,” which, he says, could be a leading indicator of how much investment companies are putting into different types of technologies.
Spanco will be exhibiting its workstation bridge cranes that that now include certain new features, adds Bambrick, including a relatively new electric chain hoist, which provides a fast, efficient and safer solution when using the crane to raise and lower objects. Introduced three years ago, this is Spanco’s first electric chain hoist.
Spanco will also be exhibiting a workstation jib crane along with a Workmate hoist, which Bambrick describes as a very compact, moderndesigned hoist that features an H4 duty cycle. Also, it is IP65 rated so it can be used outdoors.
Bret Lussow, director of sales and business development for Handling Systems International, says that its location is another factor that makes MODEX different than ProMat, which is why, despite being a Chicago-based company, Handling Systems will be exhibiting this year at MODEX for its first time. He explains that, because of all the manufacturing companies recently moving down to the Southeast or building new facilities there, the company has decided that it makes sense for it to also exhibit in Atlanta and potentially attract some new customers or dealers.
Amongst the products that Handling Systems will be exhibiting at MODEX is its recently launched The Rover, battery-powered motorised portable gantry crane that it also showed at last year’s ProMat show. “We call it The Rover because it is able to rove around the factory,” says Lussow, as it is essentially a crane on wheels, steered by a handheld device, as opposed to being a permanent building structure like most overhead cranes.
In addition to The Rover, Lussow says that Handling Systems will be exhibiting some of its box girder cranes and some more traditional products, including jibs and gantries, seeing MODEX as opportunity for the company to introduce itself to some Southern OEMs and distributors.
Conductix-Wampfler, a leading producer of mobile electrification and data transfer systems for industrial machinery, will be exhibiting its next generation NxBB hardwired data-overpower solution at MODEX 2026. Designed for intralogistics and industrial automation, Panos Gamvroudis, the company’s product manager, says that this upgraded product delivers secure, interference-free communication over the same conductors that power equipment, keeping systems safe, efficient and running without disruption.
With this upgraded NxBB, Conductix-Wampfler can deliver a hardwired solution that combines power and secure data in a single system as it eliminates the need for separate data cables by using existing power lines.
“If you’re serious about supply chain excellence, attending MODEX 2026 will be a game changer,” MHI’s Miller maintained, noting that with all of the exhibitors lined up and educational discussions, it will offer a great opportunity for attendees to benefit from face-toface interactions – even more than in the past.
MODEX has gained traction over the years, Beightol said, noting, “The more it branches out and looks for more spaces, the more interest it is getting from both exhibitors and attendees.”
The keynotes at MODEX 2026 will be:
13 April: “Lessons Learned from the Supply Chain Front Line” by Richard McPhail, chief financial officer of The Home Depot;
14 April: “Exponential AI Supply Chains: Transforming Logistics with AI and the ExO Methodology” by Salim Ismail, exponential strategist, founder and chairman of OpenExO, founding executive director of Singularity University and former Yahoo vice president;
15 April: “A Conversation with a Racing Legend” by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
15 April: Keynote Panel: “Preview of 2026 MHI Annual Industry Report” moderated by John Paxton, CEO of MHI, and featuring Wanda Johnson, technology fellow at Deloitte; Stephanie Thomas, associate professor of practice of supply chain management at Sam M Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas; Andrew Rice, senior product manager of warehouse management systems at Gallo; Frederick Cox, director of manufacturing at Central Shop, Disney; and Camille Blake, regional director of logistics for Carvana.
