Reid Lifting
Founded in 1998, Reid Lifting is a manufacturer of lightweight, portable lifting equipment solutions for numerous lifting applications
Reaching new heights
Reid Lifting’s innovative ideas ensure its equipment is some of the most affordable and reliable in the industry
Founded in 1998, Reid Lifting is a manufacturer of lightweight, portable lifting equipment solutions for numerous lifting applications. The company’s products help to reduce injury in the workplace and assist in making work practices safer by using lighter aluminium structures, which can be easily transported and assembled.
The combination of strength and portability of this range of lightweight lifting equipment means high utilisation and significant reduction in capital spending when compared to the installation of permanent structures. The business also prides itself on providing a very high standard of quality in the products, customer care, service, support and productivity enhancement.
Reid Lifting is continuously active in product development and working towards solving its customers’ lifting problems with a lightweight and safe product. After receiving an innovation grant from the Welsh Assembly Government, Reid was able to invest significantly in product design. As a result, the Porta-Gantry was born.
This range of lightweight portable gantries brings a new dimension to the professional lifting market. With its bolted structure, lateral beam and leg bracing, it gives tremendous stability and rigidity under load. Nick Battersby, managing director of the company comments: “The portability, safe, manual assembly and rigidity of the structure mean that it opens up a whole new market for the use of gantries with lifting applications, such as confined space, rooftop, HVAC, liftshaft, waste water, clean environments and increasingly availability from the hire industry.”
All of Reid Lifting’s products are thoroughly tested at NAMAS accredited laboratories to ensure the company knows the full capability of the equipment. The Porta-Gantry is no exception. In addition, the component sections and materials of the gantry are custom designed to give the maximum load capacity at minimum weight without compromising safety factors. Furthermore, the product is very easy to use on site with simple dismantling into three portable parts using just four bolts. Other benefits of the Porta-Gantry include reduced costs, as it can be used across many applications and it is virtually maintenance free.
As a result of the outstanding benefits of the lightweight Porta- Ganty, Reid Lifting received the Queens Award for Enterprise in the innovation category in 2006. Nick explains: “This was a great endorsement for our products and it has given our export potential a significant boost. The award impresses our international customers and helps us build an unrivalled reputation in the market.”
Continuing with its innovative thinking, the company has now launched the world’s first portable gantry, which is able to lift five tonnes. Nick continues: “This is a groundbreaking product, which has many operational benefits, including lower costs, decreased environmental impacts and ease of use compared with the alternatives.”
He adds: “The Porta-Gantry system can be used in a number of different markets – it has been particularly successful in the hire market, especially with Speedy Hire. This product has provided a whole new market for Speedy. The Porta-Gantry can be taken to almost any location and assembled manually, the operators can then safely perform the lift quickly and easily – making it perfect for the hire market.”
The company’s current product range also includes davits, manhole lifters, porta quads and solution accessories. These products can be used across a wide range of industries, such as water and sewage works, automotive, maintenance and the hire market. The key to providing solutions is that Reid can customise its products to meet most customer needs.
In addition to the new Porta-Gantry, the company has recently developed a new Porta-Davit system. Nick comments: “This counter-balanced davit system can be used for both man-ride and goods lifting applications. It has been thoroughly tested at a NAMAS accredited laboratory and it also complies with all regulations in connection with carrying people.”
Reid’s Porta-Davit range of lightweight and portable davits allows operators to work with safer equipment with capacities currently up to 500kg. The portability of the unit and range of options can also enable significant cost reductions by utilising the same davit at many lifting positions. Furthermore, with the ability to centralise the annual insurance inspection and testing of equipment there is potential for further significant cost benefits.
One of the key strengths of the business’ product range is its simplicity. Nick comments: “At the moment, the construction industry as a whole is being greatly affected by its lack of skilled employees. The way we address this issue is to develop our products so they are relatively simple and straightforward to assemble and we also provide training for our customers. To complement this we provide very clear operating and maintenance manuals and ensure that the labeling of the equipment is clear.”
Reid Lifting is growing at a steady pace and its lifting equipment is now being used for many different purposes in various industries. Nick comments: “In order to stay ahead of the competition you need to continuously invest in product development and innovation. The lifting industry has been around for years and there are lots of traditional ways of undertaking projects. The key to becoming successful is to develop your product range to offer customers improved quality and additional benefits. This is what we do.”
He continues: “To enable us to determine our customers’ needs, we have developed close relationships with them. The secret to our success is a combination of listening to the requirements of our clients and then bringing them modern designs, which tackle their everyday challenges. The main vision for us in the future is to continue with this strategy of innovation and in addition we will be looking to expand our geographical reach.”
Nick concludes: “We are currently looking to venture into the Middle East and Central Europe, as there is a significant amount of investment into construction in these areas. In order for us to be able to fulfil this growth we are now in the process of moving facilities. The new site will be three times the size of the old one, it will enable us to increase productivity, efficiency and to provide customer training facilities. ”