The origins of Stafford can be traced back to humble beginnings in Wexford, Ireland where Stafford brothers Patrick and Derek grew up working on their family farm. Derek founded the very first iteration of STC in Dublin, Ireland in 1996, which became a highly successful tower crane rental business. In 2004, Patrick founded Stafford Tower Cranes of America, based out of Phoenix, USA. Over the last two decades the company, now named Stafford Crane Group, has expanded to become one of the largest suppliers of tower cranes and man-material hoists in North America.
After founding and operating several other tower crane rental companies spanning several continents, the Stafford brothers made the decision to enter the manufacturing sector in 2021 with the acquisition of Soima. Soima was founded in Viseu, Portugal, in 1977 by Manuel Morais along with his business partners Agostinho Almeida and Serafim Faro, initially to manufacture a variety of construction equipment, including plate rolling machines, presses, overhead traveling cranes, bricklayers and concrete mixers. In 1980, Soima began to manufacture tower cranes exclusively, including hammerhead, flat top and self-erecting cranes. It soon established itself as a leader in the southern European tower crane market with sales throughout Portugal, Spain, and France to name a few.
In 2024, Soima was renamed to Stafford. With the change, Stafford introduced a brand new line of hydraulic and conventional luffing tower cranes, and expanded its flat top tower crane line to include a 50 ton machine. All of Stafford’s future tower crane designs will be done through the newly established Milano Tower Crane Center in Milan, Italy, in collaboration with accomplished engineer Lorenzo Nizzolini.
Today, from its factory in Canas de Senhorim, Portugal, Stafford has an annual production capacity of 400 tower cranes. Each crane that is rolled out of the Stafford factory is guaranteed to be of the highest quality materials, manufacturing processes, and design. The manufacturing of the cranes is under the direct care and direction of Derek Stafford, who takes great pride in every crane produced. With decades of experience in the tower crane rental industry, the Staffords can relate to the day-to-day operations of the majority of clients, and provide unparalleled customer service.
