Menu
Menu

A Legacy of Innovation and Safety for the Crane Industry

Posted 11/08/2025
Lifting & Lashing Points

Founded in Germany in 1875 and celebrating 150 years in 2025, the RUD Group is a global leader in chain technology and lifting solutions. It currently employs over 1,700 employees and sells products in more than 140 countries. RUD was founded by the Rieger family, which continues to blaze a path with a strong legacy of innovation, quality, and technical excellence.

RUD Australia was established in 1984 and has been led by the Nuttall family since its inception. For the past 40 years, it has been supporting the crane industry with innovative lifting and lashing solutions through local offices across Australia and New Zealand.

RUD's focus on safety is exemplified by the quality of its products, especially the ICE 120 chain slings, which are manufactured to meet the highest safety standards for crane operators and on-site staff. Mark Read, Director of SureLift Crane Hire, a long-term RUD customer, attests to the quality of RUD's chain slings, testifying that they are the "best chains in the industry". SureLift Crane Hire, which started with one crane in Moranbah, Queensland, now operates over 16 cranes and exclusively uses RUD products because of their performance, which Mark believes "embodies the message of safety."

RUD Australia has an advanced 6000m2 engineering and manufacturing facility in Brisbane, which offers bespoke lifting and material handling solutions for the crane industry. The production facility includes expanded positional robotic welding technology and multiple 200/500-tonne test beds, ensuring quality work that exceeds industry standards.

RUD provides customised lifting kits and lashing solutions for the crane industry. RUD’s ICE Grade 120 chains can be tailored to meet specific site requirements. The ICE Grade 120 chain is 30% lighter than Grade 80, a critical safety factor. Additionally, when used with a balancer, a RUD ICE 16 mm chain can lift up to 48 tonnes, which is the highest in its capacity class. Mark Read of SureLift Crane Hire highlights the balancer as a "huge point of difference" that allows them to lift at a higher capacity while maintaining safety.

Brisbane-based Hulk Lifting consistently turns to RUD for lifting and lashing solutions. “Knowing that we’re using RUD’s products provides us with a sense of comfort and reassurance,” says Ben Rose, Director of Hulk Lifting. “RUD really are ‘best-in-show’ for us: through the design, manufacturing and final build stages; everything is simply top-notch.”

RUD designs and manufactures a range of lifting and spreader beams locally, specified to customer applications. We also offer over 700 boltable and weldable lifting points featuring load ranges all the way up to 250 tonnes.

RUD Australia is known for its unrivalled after-sales service and support, which customers highly value. As Mark Read of Surelift Hire notes, “RUD is always available to provide advice on maintenance, new products and different lifting solutions”, which is similarly echoed by Ben of Hulk Lifting, “Whenever we get something in from RUD, there’s always an engineer coming afterwards to inspect the product and ensure that it’s performing exactly as it should.”

The New RUD Sling Configurator

Configuring lifting chains for applications can be time-consuming and complex. Multiple factors influence safety, complicating the choice of the right sling chain. The new Sling Configurator from RUD makes it easier to configure the perfect chain sling for any lifting application in only six easy steps.

In addition to choosing between a VIP-100 and an ICE-120 chain, you also get a choice of components, information on the lifting accessories, tips on lifting and the option to save your chain configuration as a PDF or CAD file and email it to RUD.

The benefits of the RUD Configurator

  • Calculate lifting means in 6 easy steps
  • Get a 3D view of the final configuration
  • Compare components and parts
  • Download a CAD file that can be used in lift plans

The Sling Configurator gives you a list of the parts in your configuration, which makes it easy to discuss the sling chain with your team and contact us to place an order or for more information.

https://configuration.au.rud.com/

By combining a long-standing legacy of quality with cutting-edge technology and a strong focus on customer service and safety, RUD aims to be a preferred partner for crane operators seeking a safe and reliable investment.

RUD is holding an open event on 15 October at 12 Commerce Place, Larapinta, QLD 4110. We will showcase our lift technologies for the crane industry, including break tests for chains, lifting beams, and lifting points. We will also demonstrate our new robot and ICE Tensioner load cell technology. Limited spaces, so call us to book your seat!

Interested in our lifting, lashing and chain solutions? Call us on 07 3809 1300 or enquire here.

Copyright to RUD: This information is accurate at the time of publication, and RUD Australia takes no responsibility for any errors, inadvertent or otherwise.

What Our Clients Say About RUD Australia

At RUD, we are all about our clients. Our collaborative approach makes us a partner of choice for organisations that value quality. 

Read why our clients trust us to deliver excellence in chain technology and engineered services.

Looking for a smart, chain driven solution?

Our in-house engineers and product experts will work with you to design a system that improves safety, reliability and productivity.
© 2026 RUD Group | All rights reserved
Solutions
Industries
Contact Us