Growth often starts with a quiet realisation: they’ve got something we need.
A service footprint in a region you can’t reach. Techs with skills your customers keep asking for. A van parked outside the same warehouse you’re quoting.
Buying a competitor, sometimes, is the fastest way to move forward.
In the industry, real growth is physical.
Mechanical and lifting providers grow through coverage, vehicles, people and reliability, and you need to scale all four at once.
That’s why acquisition makes sense in this sector. You’re buying revenue, routes, vans, qualified teams, and gear already in the field.
We’ve seen it first-hand with our customers in the industry: Hoist & Crane Service Group grew by acquiring a direct competitor in Tennessee. They gained three states of coverage overnight, dozens of experienced technicians, and a chance to integrate them into their in-house training systems from day one.
In Australia, Headland Technology did the same by buying Noble Industrial in Western Australia. They secured the region by acquiring a team with established trust, technical fit, and a track record of delivery.
Smart growth can build on someone else’s momentum.
Busy isn’t the same as scalable.
Work flowing? Crews busy? That’s good. But then a national tender lands on your desk: a global logistics provider, a grocery chain, an international 3PL warehouse, and you realise there’s a gap between staying busy and scaling up.
Have you missed any deals by not having coverage? If you’re booked solid and saying no to jobs that only need one more crew in one more region, that’s your signal.
National clients want consistency: one contract, one contact, no excuses. They expect installs across regional sites at the same time. No staff shortages. No freight delays. No missed SLAs.
Small firms can’t always meet that. Not without help. Not without subcontractors eating into the margins. Is not about service, top-quality equipment, and pricing. It’s about being able to deliver the same job, with the same quality, across more places at the same time.
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Getting past the nerves and into the buying mindset.
If the idea of buying a business feels overwhelming? Start with clarity:- What do you need: coverage, capability, or contracts?
- Can your current systems absorb another business?
- Who in your team could lead a second site?
If you’re looking for confidence, some of it comes from running the right systems. When the data is clear, and you can see what’s profitable and what’s at capacity, another business can become a bolt-on, not a burden.
From a systems standpoint, here are the seven questions we hear most from businesses getting ready to buy or merge:
- Financials: Can we handle multiple entities, tax rules, subsidiaries, and report on a compounded General Ledger?
- Inventory: Are our SKUs, units of measure, and bin configurations consistent and structured enough to absorb another company’s inventory without starting from scratch?
- Work Orders & Jobs: Can we import and standardise another business’s job data, routings, and Bill of Materials (BOMs) without disrupting how we track Work in Progress (WIP) and profitability?
- CRM: Can we merge another company’s records without creating duplicates, and preserve their sales history, contacts, credit terms, active pipeline, warranties, and any linked Service Level Agreements (SLAs)?
- Field Service: Can our system absorb another team’s service history, work rules, and parts usage without breaking scheduling, billing, or mobile workflows?
- Fixed Assets: Can we import their asset register without duplications, and apply consistent valuations, depreciation methods, and lifecycle tracking?
- Readiness: Can our current setup scale across subsidiaries, teams, and workflows without manual patching or rework?
If you can confidently say yes, that’s your green light. If not, that’s where to start; not with a deal, but with the prep.
Bigger scopes demand bigger capability.
Staying in the game means being able to take on bigger scopes, deliver across more sites, and adapt faster. That’s why mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are often less about finance and more about function.
Here’s what some of our customers and advisors say drove them to become buyers:
1.
Major clients are reducing the number of vendors they deal with. One provider for conveyors, another for cranes? That model is fading. If you can’t offer the full install, you don’t make the shortlist. Businesses that once specialised in a single piece are buying their way into broader capabilities.
2.
From Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), clients expect more than machines. They want automation, data, and predictive tools. Acquiring a tech-focused business gets you there faster, skipping the research and development (R&D) lag.
3.
Being strong in VIC or NSW used to be enough. But with big contracts spanning the Pilbara, Northern Territory, and regional QLD, buyers need a national presence. That’s why more firms are acquiring local players to qualify for tenders and regional site installs.
4.
A lot of industrial equipment businesses were started in the ’70s and ’80s. Founders are looking to step back, and younger operators are looking to step up. These deals bring experienced tradespeople, built-out facilities, and decades of field credibility. When the transition’s handled well, it’s a win on both sides: a clean exit for one, a fast lift for the other.
5.
With materials and labour costs rising, more owners are reviewing their subcontractor spend, and in some cases, they’re spending more with a supplier than it would cost to own them. That kind of visibility drives acquisitions in fabrication, component supply, and field service. The more control you have over delivery, scheduling, and pricing, the stronger your margins.
Final word.
To get you in the buying mindset, you don’t need a target list. You need a starting point. Many acquisitions start with a flat white, not a pitch. A conversation between two business owners who’ve dealt with the same headaches: finding talent, chasing parts, and keeping clients.
You probably already know who you’d call: an older operator with no clear succession, a competitor who’s still good but slowing down. These chats often go further than any strategy deck.
Growth isn’t easy. Labour’s tight. Expectations are high. But you can grow. You can deliver national contracts. You can compete with the big end of town. You just might need to buy strength where it already exists, and build from there.
