23.02.2004

Holland Lift appoints UK distributor

Holland Lift, The Netherlands-based producer of heavy-duty scissor lift work platforms has announced the appointment of a UK and Irish distributor, Russon Access of Brierley Hill, West Midlands.

Russon Access has been highly successful in recent years representing the Liftlux range of heavy-duty scissors, more recently trading as Manlift. Late last year Manitowoc, owners of Liftlux, announced that it was ceasing production, closing the Liftlux plant and exiting the industry. This left Russon, the company’s largest distributor, without a product line and with an uncertain future.

The official start date of the agreement is 1 March, 2004, but Russon already has a number of potential orders lined-up subject to confirmation. While Russon Access will now sell Holland Lift rather than Liftlux, the company will still carry out service and maintenance work for Liftlux machines in addition to distributing spare parts. Allen Russon, principle of Russon Access confirmed to Vertikal.Net that: “As far as customers for the Liftlux range are concerned, it is very much business as usual in terms of product support. It is just that new units are no longer being produced."

The market for such large and heavy-duty scissors has traditionally centered around The Netherlands and Germany, where their extreme platform heights, ranging to over 30 metres, high lift capacity, rigid lift mechanisms and high reach to width ratios are very much appreciated, particularly for high-rise warehouse construction and glass façade buildings.

Russon has managed to carve out a substantial niche for this type of product in the UK and Ireland in spite of numerous UK rental companies initial reluctance to pay the premium that these lifts command.

The Liftlux factory is now all but closed, with the last few units being completed, while Manitowoc will not make any statement on the matter, it is understood that a number of manufacturers have been looking at the Manlift product ranges and in particular Liftlux, with a view to purchasing them. It would seem that should a deal be struck, the buyer will most likely be simply buying the designs and any fixtures.

Liftlux and Holland lift offer very similar design features, having emerged from the same company when in the mid 1990’s a number of employees left Holland Lift/MBB and set up Liftlux. The Liftlux name came from the fact that the business was originally set up in Luxembourg for certain financial and legal reasons. . A legal challenge by Holland lift never came to anything and Liftlux went on to outsell Holland lift by extending its distribution over a wider geographical area. After a number of financial failures, Liftlux was acquired by Potain who then became part of the Manitowoc group.

Holland Lift was founded in 1984 and after a very successful period through the 80's was rescued from financial difficulties in 1993 by MBB a division of Daimler Benz and was sold on to Terex in 1998, the High value machines did not sit well with the Terex philosophy of the time. Current owner, Stoneham equipment Inc of Chicago, headed by Roger Tracey purchased the company from Terex in January 2002. Since then stability has reigned and the company is now preparing several new products for launch at this years Bauma.