Axel Johnson International’s Lifting Solutions Group (LSG) is stitching together a rental network that covers Australia’s major project corridors – without losing the local character that built each business.
Dynamic Rigging Hire in Melbourne, Lifting Gear Hire & Sales in Western Australia, and the newly incorporated Queensland Rigging Hire in Brisbane now operate as one rental wing under LSG, with equipment and know-how moving where the work is.
“There’s coverage basically from Port Hedland to Perth, Perth to Melbourne, Melbourne to Brisbane, and everywhere in between,” said Ross Johnson, who leads the group’s Australian rental businesses.
Ross frames the offer simply: consistent gear, consistent standards, and the same people customers already know. “Customers still deal with the people they trust,” he said. “This is a relationship-driven industry. Whether you’re a national contractor or a small family-owned crane business, trust and reliability count more than anything.”
That local mindset shows up in procurement. “Our product suite has always been focused first and foremost on Australia-made,” Ross said. “We go to the likes of Maxirig, Spanset, United Slings and Bremco before looking elsewhere. Supporting local fabrication means quality and faster turnaround – and it keeps Australian jobs strong.” When local manufacturing isn’t possible, the group prioritises proven European brands:
“We’ll always buy quality – Green Pin for shackles, and J.D Neuhaus air-powered hoists – because good gear pays for itself.”
The economics are blunt. “I’ve got spreader beams in our rental fleet that are 15 years old,” Ross said. “They’ve serviced us very well and structurally as good as the day they were made.” Reliability, he added, rests on discipline: refurbish what can be refurbished, retire what can’t, and document everything.
Standardised systems underpin that discipline. Long before the acquisitions, each rental business happened to be running the same asset platform. “By chance, we were all on Point of Rental already,” Ross said. “Every item is serialised, inspected and logged. If anything ever went wrong – which it hasn’t – we can go back through years of inspection and rental history.” The cadence is continuous: periodic inspections to Australian Standards, return-from-hire checks by trained staff, and full audit trails inside the software. “It’s like painting the Harbour Bridge – you just keep going.”
Expanding the footprint
LSG’s acquisition of Queensland Rigging Hire (QRH) formalised a long, collegial relationship. Ross first met Ben Fitzgerald when the group briefly operated a Brisbane branch more than a decade ago.
Over seven years, Ben and his partner Jess grew QRH into a respected state player. “They built a great business,” Ross said. “By joining Lifting Solutions Group, they’ve now got the backing, systems and support of a global organisation. It’s a great outcome for everyone.”
For LSG, the deal broadened reach and deepened stock. With branches in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and a depot arrangement in Karratha that ties into Stenhouse and Certex branches nationally – the group now claims the country’s first truly national specialist rental footprint for lifting and rigging.
Structure follows common sense: keep the brands that are strong in their markets and align the back office behind them. “QLD Rigging Hire is super strong in Queensland; Dynamic Rigging Hire has its following in Melbourne,” Ross said. “For now, each business will keep its name and continue trading as usual – the change is in the structure no one sees.”
Day to day, each branch runs with a similar model: a manager, a hire controller, a workshop lead and drivers, linked into group finance, HR, quality and rentals leadership. The national umbrella also changes how inventory is managed. “Joint ownership means we can move equipment around geographically,” Ross said. “There’s no point holding idle high-value kit in one state if another is about to place a purchase order. Put it on a truck in three days and maximise utilisation.”
The Western Australian arm has added a depot arrangement with Certex in Port Hedland, with further placements planned.
“We’re mindful not to spread ourselves too thin, but the goal is simple – gear where the customers need it.”
Investment is flowing where it matters. In early 2026, the Western Australia rental operation is slated to relocate into a larger, more secure facility.
“The current site is bursting at the seams,” Ross said. “The new facility is about capacity, presentation and security – it sets us up for the Defence and port work coming around Henderson and Fremantle.” The group services regions nationally well beyond their branch location with QRH covering into the Northern Territory and south to Sydney, Dynamic supplies into South Australia and Tasmania with Lifting Gear Hire & Sales covering all of regional Western Australia.
On growth markets, Ross is pragmatic. New South Wales remains a longer-term objective; Adelaide is nearer term. Consolidation is the immediate priority. “We’ve brought two rental businesses into the group within 12 months,” he said. “Right now, it’s about bedding them in and making the most of the network we have. But expansion is on the agenda.”