14.12.2022

New MD for Liftisa

Spanish aerial lift sales and rental company Liftisa has appointed Ramón Santamaría as managing director.

In his new role he will be responsible for all of the day to day management of Liftisa, which now runs a fleet of more than 2,000 rental units from four locations across Spain, and looks after a further 3,000 units that have been sold with annual maintenance agreements. The company is owned and has been managed by Liftisa founder Ivan Papell, who becomes chairman, while also managing his other companies which include Gloobal vehicle mounted lift rental.
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Ramón Santamaría (L) with Ivan Papell

Santamaría joins Liftisa from the forklift company Still where he has been head of sales at its Spanish distribution company Still España for the past four and a half years. He began his career in 1990 in the travel industry, moving to the material handling business five years later with OM Pimespo Ibercarre - part of the Linde forklift group - becoming sales manager before leaving for access rental company Nacanco in 2004 where he was appointed sales and marketing manager. He remained with the company after it merged with Hune, progressing to group commercial director before leaving in 2014 for a similar role at Nacanco Italy/international. He departed for Still in 2018.

Speaking of his appointment Santamaría said: "It is for me a great satisfaction and a great challenge to lead a project that began more than 30 years ago, which constantly provides new alternatives to improve safety and efficiency in work at height, with the aim of making Liftisa the reference company and a model to follow in the sector."

Ivan Papell added: "It is a great satisfaction for me and for the entire Liftisa team to have a top level professional like Ramón. With his appointment, we will make a great leap, towards being more efficient, and closer to our customers. With Ramon at Liftisa and Iñigo Mendoza now running Gloobal, both companies have a managing director, and I will be able to focus more on a strategic level."

Liftisa can trace its roots back to 1989 when it began as a forklift distributor, in 1998 it was acquired by Belgian access rental specialist DK rental with Ivan Papell becoming managing director of DK Spain.
In 2007 DK Rental and its subsidiaries were acquired by Lavendon with Papell staying with the business. Papell left Lavendon in 2009 and restarting an independent Liftisa two years later. He also set up truck mounted rental company Gloobal, which acquired Alve in 2019 to become a major vehicle mounted lift rental business.