CraneTech and Steel River Foundry have started work on a new workforce development and training centre at their company headquarters in Cleburne, Texas.
The facility is intended to provide hands-on learning for technicians, operators and other industrial professionals from across North America.
The companies say the training centre will combine classroom teaching with practical experience using current industry equipment and practices.
This approach is designed to prepare participants for the requirements of industrial workplaces in fields such as manufacturing, construction, energy and material handling.
The centre will deliver more than 40 training and certification programmes. These will include instruction on overhead and mobile cranes, rigging, heavy equipment operation, signal person qualifications, aerial work platforms, inspection certifications, forklift safety, and train-the-trainer courses.
The campus is expected to feature classrooms, laboratories, practical training environments, and accommodation and dining facilities for participants travelling from outside the region.
CraneTech and Steel River CEO Eric Factor said: “We’re building technicians who support the backbone of American industry, the infrastructure they maintain, and the equipment they service, which help power manufacturing facilities, steel mills, foundries, energy producers, and countless other industries that Americans rely on every day.”
The training team will include experienced professionals, drawing on CraneTech’s more than 100 years of combined field experience in inspection, service and heavy equipment operation.
Steel River Foundry CEO Dave Fisher said: “This facility represents a major investment in the future of workforce development and industrial training. Our vision is to create an environment where technicians, operators, maintenance professionals, and safety leaders can learn from experienced industry experts, build confidence through practical application, and return to their organisations better prepared to perform safely and effectively.
“We’re not simply expanding our training capabilities—we’re investing in the people who will keep American industry running for decades to come.”
Steel River executive chairman Austin King said: “This facility is just the beginning of something that will help drive American industry forward by preparing new workers with new skills to support the factories and facilities that keep our economy moving.”
Construction of the centre is underway, with further details about the training programmes, facility features, and the opening schedule due to be released in the coming months.
In May, CraneTech delivered two double-girder overhead cranes, each rated at 20t with an 80ft span, to an electrical equipment supplier located in central Illinois.
