60 seconds with…Lee-Roy Rushforth, Technical Sales Director, PR Lift Equipment

Tell us about your business, when was it formed and what do you do?

We officially started on the first day of covid lockdown 2020. We are independent suppliers of High Quality lift equipment, with UK based technical support. We’re also official UK agents for ARKEL (control systems) / PRISMA (door equipment) / OMAR (hydraulics) / Vega (fixtures). We also provide modernising standard MR and HYD controllers / bespoke MRL replacements for the likes of Schindler / Kone / Otis / Orona / etc. We provide exceptional technical support and training, covering the whole of the UK.

Who are your customers? Which markets do you serve?

We are B2B suppliers, working with companies ranging from smaller independents, all the way through to the larger multi-national companies. Most of our business is in the modernisation market. With some of our customers, we are their preferred supplier of control systems for the new installation market (supplying the controller / fixture elements to a mechanical package).

How many times have you been to LIFTEX?

This will be our second time attending this event, having a larger stand at this event.

What are the main issues that your customers deal with and how do you help them?

Knowledge, ability, lack of engineers are always an issue for our customers. This is a big issue across the whole of the industry. We provide dedicated training on site / our offices / customers offices. Our support is key to our success, never walking away from an issue, always resolving. Sometimes coming up with solutions that are outside of our scope of supply e.g. 3D printing of a part to help the customer.

Are there any issues that specifiers, contractors / owners should be aware of in the next 12 months?

Lack of technical understanding in our industry is always an issue. We need to look towards more training for the engineer. I understand that time taken out, means that customers are not earning money, but the rewards from training can increase productivity / understanding / fixed first time / quicker installation times / more confidence to the engineer.
We supply free training with the equipment that we supply.

How can we, as an industry, help designers and building owners to become more energy efficient and meet Net Zero targets?

By giving a better understanding of the equipment that is available, helping to understand how equipment works. The last thing that we want to do is needlessly supply equipment that doesn’t benefit the client.

What will you be promoting / what can visitors expect to see on your stand?

We will be displaying our range of Arkel controllers:

• Arcube (open / close loop, cost effective and compact).
• Arcode (packed full of features, creating an easy installation for larger projects).
• Armaxx (The Worlds smallest remotely programmable MRL, 64 floors, 6m/s, 8 car group, hall call destination control).
• Prisma Doors
• Fixtures from Vega

What advice would you give to anyone visiting the show? What should they look for and how can they get the most from their visit?

Have a plan in mind. What are you looking for? Speak to the people on the stands and don’t be afraid to ask questions like what support do they have. Speak to other people that have used that equipment to gage reliability and ease of installation and enjoy a catch-up.