Health & safety comes first for commercial designers

Intertech, a UK commercial design company, has installed a movemanSKG Titan goods lift at its head office and showrooms in Kingston upon Hull. It lifts up to 1000kg, allowing workers to move heavy goods to the upper level display areas safely and also acts as a demonstration unit for potential customers.

Established over 20 years ago, Intertech delivers creative commercial environments and showrooms for professional businesses specialising in the automotive, hotel, leisure, office, healthcare and retail sectors. It has a customer base that spans six continents and is reputed worldwide for the quality of its products and services. Intertech's customers include names such as Honda, Harley-Davidson and the NHS.

Intertech's building has three storeys, with general offices at ground level. A design office is on the first floor and sample showrooms, one containing Honda motorcycles and the other a mock-up hospital, occupy the second floor.

movemanSKG's Titan goods lift travels just over 6.5 metres between the ground and second floors. It lifts up to 1000kg, has a large 2.5m x 1.5m platform and fire rated doors, which offer protection from heat and smoke in an emergency. At Intertech one of Titan's jobs is to help employees move motorcycles between levels, a feat it easily accomplishes.

"Obviously it is impractical to wheel motorcycles up and down stairs, not to mention unsafe," says Intertech Director Andrew Fenton. "They are very heavy and we don't want our workers to sustain injuries so a goods lift is a perfect solution. Titan is also an attractive unit and blends with its surroundings, which means we can show customers that a goods lift can complement rather than detract from a showroom environment."

Built in 2010, Intertech's head office and showrooms in Kingston upon Hull has strict energy efficiency targets. The company's aim is to demonstrate what can be achieved when implementing energy efficiency solutions. movemanSKG's Titan has a low energy consumption which was a key factor for Intertech in selecting the unit.

Titan is genuinely freestanding; there is no need for a support wall or expensive, ugly structural steelwork. It features controlled acceleration and deceleration to eliminate jolting between landings and can be installed in just days, minimising disruption to work areas.

Andrew continues: "We are very happy with Titan because it meets and exceeds all our requirements. It is vital to the normal operation of our facility."