Notre histoire & nos marques fortes

Hiab’s premium brands are leaders in the global load handling industry. It keeps everyday life moving by unlocking the full potential in our customers’ business.

We created this industry when Eric Sundin built the first hydraulic crane in 1944. He was a ski manufacturer and inventor from Hudiksvall, Sweden, who saw the potential of hydraulics and discovered how to use a truck engine to power loader cranes with the help of hydraulics. He created a hydraulic crane to move the heavy roundwood he needed for his ski production. In 1944, he established Hydrauliska Industri AB (Hiab), and the Hiab method was born.

This method revolutionised load handling.

The serial production of HIAB 190 started in 1947. This was quickly improved and became HIAB 192, which sold nearly 13,000 units until 1964. The same Hiab method is still being used by crane operators daily all over the world. When Hiab presented the “Elephant” loader crane in 1956, it was the breakthrough that introduced today’s “knuckleboom” crane standard. Since 1944, no less than half a million HIAB loader cranes have been delivered to customers in more than 120 countries.

Today, we offer a broad selection of HIAB loader cranes with broad variation in range and lifting capacity. In recent years, we have developed features that make crane operation easier. Whether you are delivering building materials, industrial products or digging, HIAB offers precision, performance and reliability.

Italy’s EFFER (joined Hiab in 2018) is a renowned premium knuckle-boom crane manufacturer with over 50 years of history. The product range includes truck loader cranes, special application truck cranes, and marine cranes, with particular recognition for heavy loader cranes with a capacity above 100 tm.

In Brazil, our loader crane offering is strengthened by ARGOS (joined Hiab in 2017). Historically, Argos is one of the main providers of industry-leading equipment in Latin America.

Our forestry cranes are sold under the LOGLIFT (founded in 1966, joined Hiab in 1988). These cranes are built to last and offer a new standard in safety and comfort with the HiVision™ control system tailored for the next generation crane operators in forestry.

JONSERED was founded in Sweden already in 1833 (joined Hiab in 1978) and provides recycling cranes designed for hard work in the waste & recycling segment.

MULTILIFT (founded in 1949, joined Hiab in 1977) with its skiploaders and hooklifts. These demountables are also well-suited for the construction, rescue and defence industries, offering a variety of features and smart functions as well as electrical solutions.

FOR AGILE URBAN DELIVERIES

Agile goods delivery in a variety of industries such as building, gas, agriculture, recycling and food & beverage is provided by truck mounted forklifts from MOFFETT, a pioneer brand invented by Cecil Moffett in 1986 in Ireland (joined Hiab in 2000). Truck mounted forklifts increase accessibility for deliveries, and with the MOFFETT eSERIES, the electric engine enables night-time deliveries with zero emissions. In the USA the industry-leading PRINCETON brand (founded in 1972) complements our truck mounted forklift offering.

We offer more solutions for local urban deliveries with our broad line of tail lifts. Easily installed at the back of trucks and vans, Hiab has three brands dedicated to tail lifts. ZEPRO (founded in the 1940s, joined Hiab in 2000) serves most of Europe except the UK, where we have DEL (founded in 1987, joined Hiab in 2008). In the US, our tail lifts operate under the WALTCO brand, which offers liftgates designed and built in the USA. Founded in 1954, WALTCO became a part of Hiab in 2000.