Industry Interview
By Seth Skydel
Brian Heffron, PALFINGER
Reliable Resources
Brian Heffron of PALFINGER reflects on customer needs and mechanics trucks and service equipment designs in a changing field environment
Customers today, noted Brian Heffron, vice president of sales and service for service cranes and crane bodies at PALFINGER North America, are under growing pressure to deliver results quickly, safely and without failure.“ They’ re being asked to do more, often in remote or demanding environments because when equipment doesn’ t perform, everything stops,” he said.“ Our customers can’ t afford downtime.”
Across different markets as well, economic volatility, raw material costs and policy shifts have created a moving target for both manufacturers and fleet managers, Heffron related.“ Uncertainty is one of the biggest challenges our customers face,” he said.“ All of these realities are changing the way fleets spec service trucks and look more closely at how that equipment is used.”
Heffron also emphasized the importance of lifecycle value.“ Fleets are not just buying a service truck,” he added.“ They’ re investing in equipment that has to serve them for five, 10 or even 12 years or more. That’ s why more buyers are thinking in terms of total cost of ownership, what it costs to run, maintain and support that equipment over time.”
Essential Input
For manufacturers of service trucks and equipment, Heffron pointed out that customer and dealer input are essential.“ We work closely with them to understand their needs as they vary by region and application,” he said.“ Their input shapes the direction of our product design.
“ We’ re seeing more customers look for equipment that can cover multiple functions or be easily and quickly reconfigured,” Heffron
Brian Heffron, vice president of sales and service for service cranes and crane bodies at PALFINGER North America
Available in electric-hydraulic or hydraulic configurations, the PALFINGER PSC 6025 service crane has a lifting capacity of 6,000 pounds and 25 feet of outreach. Optional features include boom tip hooks.
28
August 2025 • www. cranehotline. com