Lifting and Rigging Trends for 2026: Industry Outlook

2026 Lifting and Rigging Trends Overview

– Happy New Year, it’s 2026. What trends can we expect to see within the lifting and rigging industry this year? What might drive success, what could cause concern? What changes might we see? Today, we’re going to take a look into the future and preview some of this year’s lifting and rigging trends.

My name is Ben, and this is The Lifting & Rigging Channel. Here at Mazzella, we spoke with several experts from the lifting industry to gain some insight into the trends, opportunities, and changes on the horizon for this year. Here is a quick summary.

How AI Data Centers Are Driving Power Demand

If 2025 could be defined by a buzzword, you might agree that that word was AI. AI this, AI that, and unsurprisingly, as we move into 2026, and AI is continually embraced, it’s going to have a massive impact on the lifting industry.

Let’s start with data centers. AI data centers are driving a huge power demand, which means a large increase in transmission line projects.

Energy Infrastructure Projects for AI and Data Centers

Also, due to the huge demand for power, our current energy infrastructure may not be sufficient to support many of these centers. Expect growth in energy projects for nuclear energy, solar, wind, although the policies surrounding wind have been mixed, as well as other alternative and conventional energy sources.

Many of these data centers will also be investing in building out their own on-site dedicated energy sources, creating more construction projects and a need for skilled and trained riggers and crane operators.

AI‑Driven Inspections and Predictive Maintenance Tools

How might AI be incorporated into everyday lifting and rigging practices and operations? We will see an expansion of AI-driven inspections and predictive maintenance tools. For example, tools like Scope, which are being used to inspect synthetic rope, are looking to expand into wire rope inspections.

Component‑Level Data, Sensors, and Smart Equipment

Data on the component-level will become essential for equipment, especially critical process equipment. You will see technology that keeps data on every piece, part, and system. Sensors and software will keep maintenance teams ahead of the curve on any potential issues with any component or part of their critical equipment.

The ability to “chat” with your manual to troubleshoot equipment use, or “chat” with your rigging handbook, will become common.

AI Safety Systems, Crane Automation, and Technician Skills

AI is being integrated into site camera systems to ensure workers comply with safety practices. With that, we can expect more advanced anti-collision and object detection systems for overhead cranes and mobile load handling equipment.

In the short term, crane operation may become easier, lowering the barrier to entry, as the skill load required for operation may become more automated. Long-term, you know those robots are coming for our jobs. AI will be used to potentially remove crane and mobile equipment operators entirely, making cranes fully automated or tele-operated from a distance.

As AI tools look to replace operators, the job of a crane technician will become much more valuable as future cranes will require deeper electronic knowledge and the ability to troubleshoot software, drives, and programs. Although mechanical skills will remain important, the electrical and software side will grow significantly.

It will also become increasingly challenging to work on cranes in-house, and outside technicians will become even more necessary. Crane technicians will need to become consultants, advising on how to best maintain the crane rather than just being the person who fixes it.

Digital Twins, Lift Planning Software, and Smart Rigging Gear

What else might be coming? AI-assisted lift planning and simulations? Lifts planned and rehearsed in software and digital twins? RFID tracking that predicts the useful life of gear, or flags overloads, in other words, “smart” rigging hardware? We will see AI start to impact nearly every aspect of lifting operations in some way.

Reshoring, Steel Mills, and Rare Earth Manufacturing Projects

We are going to see major projects bring manufacturing back to the United States. From major investments in steel to facilities built to process rare Earth materials. Lots of new construction as well as facility modernizations and upgrades.

With all of these new projects, there will be a need for more skilled riggers and operators, quality training will be paramount as new men and women enter the field.

Aging Workforce, Tribal Knowledge Loss, and Labor Shortages

A continuing challenge we can expect to see within the industry is the aging workforce and loss of the industry knowledge. Industry veterans with decades of experience will continue to retire, taking their tribal knowledge with them, while the pipeline for talent behind them is not sufficient to fully support the needs of the manufacturing industry. We will continue to see shortages of crane technicians and other skilled tradesmen as we work to correct the current labor shortage.

Companies that are working to build structured training pipelines and investing in training younger or new employees will be better positioned for the future.

Digital Transformation, Smart Lifting Systems, and Cybersecurity

For those producing lifting and rigging equipment, customers are going to start expecting more technological advancements. This is a slow-moving dinosaur of an industry, but as our customers become more advanced, the lifting industry is going to need to keep up to better support them.

Customers will increasingly expect providers to understand and support AI, automation, and smart initiatives. However, with increased connectivity and software integration, the industry will also need to prioritize cybersecurity to protect these advanced systems from new vulnerabilities.

2026 Lifting and Rigging Outlook Wrap-Up and Viewer Predictions

What other trends are you seeing in the industry? What changes can we expect? Drop them in the comments. Let us know your predictions, or if we missed anything.

If you found this video useful, informative, entertaining, or you just feel like being friendly, then hit that Like button, so we can get this information out to everyone who needs it. Remember, safe rigging is smart rigging. My name is Ben, stay safe out there.