GH Cranes & Components specializes in designing and building advanced lifting solutions, including cranes and hoists, for a variety of industries. With a commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, GH Cranes & Components is a global leader in the lifting and logistics sector with a workforce of more than 1000 employees worldwide.
GH Cranes & Components’ services and products are designed for various industries, including automotive, construction, energy, logistics, shipbuilding, steel, and aerospace. They offer wide range of products, including single and double girder overhead cranes, gantry cranes, jib cranes, and various other types of lifting equipment. These products are engineered to meet specific customer needs, and the company also provides bespoke solutions for unique and complex lifting requirements.
In addition to the manufacturing of cranes and components, GH Cranes & Components offers a variety of services to support their products. These include installation, maintenance, modernization, and repair services for cranes, as well as training courses for crane operators and maintenance personnel.
GH StartUp Factory is the Venture Client unit of GH Cranes & Components.
We follow a standardized process to support startups in integrating and validating their products, services, or technologies in a real GH Cranes & Components use case. Our program also assists GH Cranes & Components business units in testing how well the startup’s solution fits their requirements and decision-making process. After a successful pilot, this can result in various forms of partnerships, including supplier-buyer relationships.
GH StartUp Factory functions as an independent third party that keeps all disclosed information confidential. Startups retain their intellectual property while gaining GH Cranes & Components as a client and validating their solution in a real industrial setting.
GH StartUp Factory is the Venture Client Unit of GH Cranes & Components. This means that it enables GH Cranes & Components to become a startup’s first client, even when the solution and company are not yet as mature and stable as incumbent partners.
We purchase a first unit of a startup’s product, service, or technology, and through this relationship, startups obtain supplier status and receive a supplier number, a purchase order, and revenue. This model provides startups with the opportunity to integrate and validate their solution in a real GH Cranes & Components use case, while GH Cranes & Components becomes an early adopter of high-potential technology.
GH StartUp Factory does not invest or ask for shares or equity, and focuses on startups that can help GH Cranes & Components solve critical challenges across all industries and functions.
Relevance: Your product, service, or technology must have a clear and relevant use case that can solve a critical challenge in any of GH Cranes & Components’ business divisions, including R&D, services, manufacturing, IT, sales & marketing, and HR.
Product Maturity: Your startup must have a functional prototype or a working product that is mature enough to be tested within GH Cranes & Components’ divisions.
Funding Status: Your startup should have graduated from an equity accelerator program or received funding from a professional venture capitalist.
Full-Time Team: The key positions in your startup, such as CEO, CTO, and CMO, should be held by full-time employees.
Legal Entity: Your startup must be a legal entity.
Process and Timing
First Contact: To initiate the process with GH StartUp Factory, which means becoming a supplier of GH Cranes, simply send us information about your company. We are looking for companies that can help us solve critical challenges across any business division of GH Cranes & Components. Make sure to include your product and company deck. This way, we can contact you when a suitable opportunity arises, or connect you directly with a GH Cranes business unit that is searching for the solution you offer.
Initialization: Initially, we focus on understanding the current need of a GH Cranes & Components business unit. We want to comprehend the underlying problem and motivation for a partnership. Your GH Startup Factory manager will then assess the potential benefits for everyone involved as well as partnership readiness.
Screen & Connect: At this stage, we screen the market and create a longlist of potential partners, which we then narrow down to a shortlist with the GH Cranes & Components business unit. If you are on our shortlist, we invite you for a demo meeting to discuss your solution in greater depth. You retain your intellectual property (IP) by signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with us and your potential client at GH Cranes & Components. Next, we send you a request for proposal, specifying a pilot project or proof of concept in which we want to apply and validate your solution. The project could involve integrating a prototype of your technology into a new GH Cranes & Components product or service, incorporating it into GH Cranes & Components’ IT environment, or running a pilot for a new manufacturing solution. We will ask you to review and refine your proposal. Once agreement has been reached, we can start the project. Prior to the pilot commencing, you will receive an official GH Cranes & Components supplier number and a signed purchase order.Congratulations – you have gained GH Cranes & Components as your client.
Proof of Concept: You and the GH Cranes & Components business unit will maintain close contact during the pilot to apply and validate your solution. In this phase, your GH Startup Factory manager will supervise the project and provide support for any non-technical challenges that may arise.
Partnership: You and your client at GH Cranes & Components agree that the pilot was a success? Great! Now we can negotiate the exact structure of your partnership with GH Cranes & Components. This can result in various forms of partnerships, including but not limited to supplier-buyer relationships or joint development agreements. As your Venture Client unit, GH StartUp Factory will conduct regular follow-up meetings to ensure that your partnership has maximum business impact.
Timing: The whole onboarding process can take as little as four weeks.
Deadline: There is no deadline. We are always interested in learning about exciting solutions from startups.
No, we are a Venture Client for leading startups.
We focus on validating and integrating startups’ solutions into our business operations. Our goal is to help startups learn about the crane and lifting industry, connect them with our decision makers for potential business development opportunities, and provide them with the necessary support and resources to succeed.
Unlike accelerators, which typically help startups in their early stages by providing resources such as mentorship, capital, and networking opportunities, GH Cranes & Components works directly with startups that have a functional prototype or a working product that is ready to be tested in our business operations. We provide startups with a supplier number and purchase order, and they invoice us for their work and expenses. Our team of engineers and managers work closely with startups to ensure the success of the partnership.
We are always looking for great startups. We have no deadlines.
Please leave information about your startup here.
There is no deadline.
Adapt and Validate – During the pilot project, your primary objective is to adapt your solution to our specific use case for validation. This is a pre-agreed step before the project begins. GH Startup Factory will reimburse you for your expenses and efforts related to this process.
Gain Industry Insights – By working with GH Startup Factory, you gain valuable insights into the global industrial leader, GH Cranes & Components. Our experts will teach you about industry dynamics, development, manufacturing, and purchasing processes, providing you with a better understanding of the market.
Create a Roadmap for Success – Together, we will create a compelling roadmap that outlines how your solution can be applied and scaled throughout GH Cranes & Components. You will be connected with key individuals who can help you expand your business within various GH Cranes & Components business units.
Upon the successful validation of your solution, GH Cranes & Components aims to establish a long-term partnership with your startup.
Typically, your solution needs further development after the pilot project before it can be applied. You will directly negotiate further development and supplier agreements with the client business unit and our purchasing department. Ideally, these negotiations start during the pilot project.
If applicable, we can connect you with our established suppliers for industrialization.
GH StartUp Factory becomes an early client, not your shareholder. Once you join, you will receive a supplier number and a purchase order.
You will receive payment for the pilot. How much we pay depends on the complexity of the pilot project.
All costs related to the integration and validation of your solution are covered. This includes materials, travel, working hours, etc. You can propose a budget based on our requirements.
No.
We want to partner with top startups like yours!
Questions? Please see our FAQ.