In the US, cable hoists are more common than hook lifts that are widely used in Europe.

The Palfinger Group has expanded its US operations with the acquisition of container handling systems producer Automated Waste Equipment Inc (AWE).

AWE, headquartered in New Jersey, has a particularly strong presence in the north east of the United States and has a 70% marketshare in some states. It is the US's second-largest manufacturer of cable hoists.

Herbert Ortner, Palfinger's CEO, says the acquisition is a "further step" in the company's strategy to strengthen local production and gain marketshare.

"It gives us access to a product range that is in line with the needs of the American customers in this segment," Ortner says.

In the US, cable hoists are more common than hook lifts that are widely used in Europe. The US container handling systems use a cable system to move containers.

AWE produces both systems, making it an "excellent supplement to the technologically more advanced Palfinger Palift portfolio", Ortner says.

He adds that Palfinger will gain additional customer bases in different industries from the take-over while AWE products benefit from Palfinger's extensive dealer network.

AWE, which employs about 40 people, generated USD13 million in revenue in 2008. Palfinger, headquartered in Salzburg, Austria, is a multinational lifting, loading and handling solutions provider, whose product offering includes the Crayler truck-mounted forklift and the Ratcliff and MBB tail-lifts.

According to Palfinger, the take-over of AWE makes Palfinger the second-largest container handling systems producer in the US.