For more than two decades, DLL has played a steady, behind-the-scenes role in Australia’s crane and lifting industry.
Acting as a trusted partner, IT helps businesses obtain the equipment needed to grow through flexible finance solutions. With operations in 25 countries and a model built around long-term original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partnerships, DLL has shaped a niche that blends global reach with local understanding.
Country Sales Manager Sean Tuxford, who has been with DLL for 17 years, has watched the business evolve alongside the market. He began as an account manager, moved through materials handling and access equipment portfolios, and eventually took on leadership of DLL’s Construction, Transport and Industrial division for Australia and New Zealand.
Today he also oversees the materials-handling portfolio and works closely with DLL’s global vendor partners, including its long-standing crane relationships.
“Our model has always been simple,” Sean said. “We align closely with OEMs or distributors to deliver custom finance solutions that help facilitate and sell more equipment. That’s how we’ve grown our portfolio and our customer base. While in recent years we have expanded to include a direct channel, vendor and dealer relationships remain at the core.”
A broader view of the lifting sector
DLL has supported the crane and lifting market in Australia for more than 20 years, supporting customers working across construction and infrastructure, mining services, energy, transportation and logistics.
“We support a full range of equipment through our partners – all terrains, crawlers, mobiles, and tower cranes,” Sean said. “If our partners distribute it, we can support it.”
DLL has a direct team that works with larger corporate customers and supports businesses whose fleets extend beyond cranes.
“For many of our customers, cranes are just one part of what they do,” Sean said. “They might also run aerial work platforms, trailers or industrial equipment, and we can help across that whole mix. It’s important to us that customers see our broader capability, not just one slice of it.”
He also noted DLL’s long global relationships with access-equipment manufacturers, along with strong alignment with transport and trailer suppliers – all parts of a crane businesses day-to-day operations.
What sets DLL apart
While DLL is a financier, it does not see itself as a traditional bank. Its strength comes from deep industry knowledge, internal capability, and a hands-on understanding of the assets it funds.
“Our industry expertise is a major difference,” Sean said. “We know the true value of the equipment we finance through its entire lifecycle. This helps us understand risk and provide structures that a standard bank may not be able to.”
DLL also operates with internal asset-management, legal and credit teams, which speeds up decision-making.
“Large corporates love to negotiate terms,” Sean said. “We can do that quickly because we’re not sending anything external. It’s another value-add, especially when timing matters.”
This approach is grounded in relationships and trust – something Sean said is essential in the crane industry.
“If we build trust, we build relationships,” he said. “Every customer’s needs are different. Our job is to interpret those needs and execute the right solution, not just offer a one-size-fits-all model.”
Global reach, local confidence
DLL’s international footprint gives local customers stability, especially those with operations or procurement plans that stretch across borders.
“For some of our larger customers, we’ve been able to assist them in multiple countries,” Sean said. “Having one financier across Australia, New Zealand, Europe or the United States gives consistency and certainty.”
It also strengthens internal collaboration. DLL teams across the world share structures and solutions that have worked in different markets.
“We learn from them and they learn from us,” he said. “It creates a more consistent experience for both our OEM partners and their customers.”
Electric and hybrid equipment
Electrification has become one of the most talked-about topics across lifting and access equipment. “Electrification is probably inevitable,” Sean said. “The uptake has been slower, but we’re ready. These assets are more expensive, and the value cycle is different, so we need to adapt.”
DLL’s strength in asset-value forecasting plays an important role here. With decades of crane-lifecycle data behind them, the step into new technology is measured and methodical. The company expects more clarity and product-specific detail to emerge at global industry events.
Data, telematics and smarter fleets
As crane fleets become more connected, telematics and diagnostics are reshaping asset management.
“It’s fantastic for the end user,” Sean said. “You can identify issues before they occur. For us, especially with operating leases, the more insight we have into how an asset has been used the better.”
Well-managed equipment supports stronger resale values, safer operations and smoother transitions when an asset is returned at end of term.
The used-equipment market
With long lead times on new cranes and currency pressures affecting pricing, the used-equipment market has become an essential part of the industry. DLL has adapted accordingly. “Sometimes, used equipment is the more attractive option for a customer, and we absolutely support it,” Sean said.
He notes that OEMs are also leaning further into trade-ins as a way of keeping new sales flowing while helping customers upgrade their fleets.
A relationship-driven industry
For DLL, the crane and lifting market will always come back to people. Sean calls it a relationship industry, one where loyalty, trust and familiarity carry as much weight as financial structures.
“It’s a space full of family-owned businesses, and you’re dealing directly with the decision-maker,” he said. “Being present matters.”
That presence will continue globally as DLL strengthens its partnerships and expands its capabilities across cranes, access equipment, transport and industrial assets.
“We want customers to see the broader DLL picture,” Sean said. “We’re here to support the industry with flexibility, expertise and a global network behind us.”
Reach Out To DLL
Heading over to CONEXPO-CONN/AGG in Las Vegas from March 3-7, 2026? Say hi to the DLL team at booth N12715 in the North Hall. For further details, click here.