In an industry dominated by imports, one Australian manufacturer is proving that quality and innovation still have a strong foothold at home. Maxirig, based in Geelong, has become a quiet achiever in the nation’s lifting sector, producing lifting equipment that is both bespoke and proudly Australian Made.
For Managing Director Nathan Van Berkel, the campaign is more than just a logo stamped on products. “It’s about conveying quality, responsiveness, and the ability to meet Australian standards,” he said. “We’ve been a signatory to the Australian Made campaign from very early on. It’s been a long relationship, and it’s central to how we present ourselves in the industry.”
Partnering with the Global Lifting Group
Maxirig’s growth and reputation have been closely tied to its partnership with the Global Lifting Group, a nationwide network of suppliers. Early in the company’s history, the decision was made not to sell directly to end users but instead to work exclusively through distributors.
“That decision to partner up with the Global Lifting Group was made early and I’d suggest to our benefit,” Nathan said. “Their people are at the coalface, talking to end users, understanding their problems. By the time queries come to us, they’re already qualified. That means we can focus on providing a solution quickly.”
The close working relationship with Global Lifting Group has also amplified Maxirig’s role in the Australian Made campaign. By running through the Group’s established distributor base, Maxirig’s products and values reach crane hire companies and operators across the country, which in turn reinforces the importance of buying local.
“The Global Lifting Group is much more than just better retail benefits,” said Brayd Gross, Founder Director of Alpha Rigging Service, a GLG member that sources from Maxirig. “It offers some of the best networking in the lifting gear market, bringing together like-minded business owners and suppliers.”
“We’ve always tried to stay relatively anonymous and let our products do the talking,” Nathan said. “But through the Global Lifting Group, our reach has expanded, and the campaign gains real traction in front of customers nationwide.”
Humble beginnings to national reach
Maxirig was established in 2005 as an offshoot of a local engineering business in Geelong. When work slowed at the parent firm, the team began developing spreader bars and other lifting products for members of the Global Lifting Group.
“What started as a small suite of products has grown into something much bigger,” Nathan recalled. “We still make those legacy products, but a significant portion of what we do now is bespoke work. People come to us with a problem, and our job is to solve it.”
“We’ve been working with Maxirig since their foundation in 2005,” Brayd said. “Together we’ve tackled everything from everyday spreader and lifting beams through to highly specialised solutions. One standout project was when Alpha Rigging and Maxirig designed and fabricated fully adjustable mobile floor cranes for multiple Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases – replacing overseas-sourced units that were no longer available. Maxirig stepped up to an urgent request that was outside its normal scope, and as always, it delivered.”
The company’s solutions have grown with the machines it serves. “The biggest projects we’ve delivered so far are in the 600–700 tonne range,” Nathan said. “As cranes coming into Australia get bigger, our equipment has to match that scale. We work in that space between the hook and the load – and that’s where our expertise lies.”
Maxirig’s process combines design, fabrication, painting, and testing, all under one roof. It works with an experienced engineer who brings decades of experience and ensures designs are rigorous and tailored.
On the fabrication side, efficiency is critical. The company recently commissioned a welding robot to lift productivity, a move Nathan described as essential for competing with imported products.
“That’s the challenge for all local manufacturers – productivity. We’re no different. The robot is about finding smarter ways to deliver Australian-made products at competitive prices.”
Certification and testing
Another pillar of Maxirig’s reputation is its rigorous testing. The company operates an in-house horizontal test bed and an A-frame setup capable of handling container lifting gear and other specialist equipment. Plans are also underway for a large-scale vertical test tower.
“By the end of the year, we hope to have our test tower commissioned,” Nathan said. “That will give us even greater capability to validate products in-house, alongside third-party certification routes that the industry is familiar with.”
Championing new Australian-made products
The partnership with the Global Lifting Group is also enabling the development of a new fully welded, Australian-constructed personnel cage.
“We’re trying to build a product that’s genuinely Australian but can be offered at a price point closer to imported units,” Nathan said. “That’s part of why we’ve invested in robotic welding – to make sure we can compete while still delivering the quality that local customers expect.”
The Global Lifting Group’s distributor network will play a central role in rolling out this product, ensuring the Australian Made story continues to reach worksites across the country.
The value of local manufacturing
For Nathan, the conversation around Australian Made is deeply personal. Growing up in Geelong, Victoria, he has witnessed the decline of traditional heavy industry in the city, with Ford, Alcoa, and other manufacturers shutting their doors.
“One of the things I’m passionate about is Australia not becoming just a quarry,” he said. “The vast majority of our wealth comes from mining, but I’d like to think there’s still a place for value-added manufacturing in this country. We’ve lost too many of those industries in recent decades. If we want those skills to continue and prosper, we have to see it through the hard times.”
That passion extends to Maxirig’s broader mission. “Our challenge is to find our niche and push the frontier of advanced manufacturing where we can. Welding steel might not seem like high-tech work, but innovation comes in the details – automation, efficiency, and responsiveness to customers. That’s where we can make a difference.”
Looking ahead
With a strong distributor network, anchored by its partnership with the Global Lifting Group, investment in automation, and a clear commitment to the Australian Made campaign, Maxirig is positioning itself for the future. Yet Nathan remains pragmatic. “We’ve always sat behind our distributors and let them do the talking.”
Regardless, Maxirig’s story is one of persistence and quiet conviction. In an industry where imported products often dominate, the company continues to back Australian skills, standards, and manufacturing. As Nathan said, “We’re blessed with natural resources and energy, but too often it all just gets put on a ship, and we buy it back. At Maxirig, we’d like to think we can buck that trend and show that Australian-made products still have real value.”