Wise

What Wise does

WISE Handling Ltd designs, manufactures, and supplies bespoke marine and industrial material-handling equipment from its headquarters in Bradford/Cullingworth, United Kingdom, and has operated continuously since 1976. Its product portfolio centers on three equipment families: Boat Hoists (20-800T) for dockside and finger-pier handling, Amphibious Hoists (10-800T) capable of submersible slipway operation, and Transporters & Trailers (20-200T) that take over vessel movement immediately after lift-out. The underlying technology is mechanical lifting built around hydraulic systems and engineered material-handling components, with full in-house design and manufacturing capability supporting bespoke configurations for atypical lifting challenges.

The company's commercial model is direct, contact-based sales of custom-engineered equipment with pricing determined per specification rather than from a published list. The customer base spans two primary segments: marinas and boat yards requiring controlled lifting, manoeuvrability, and space-optimization at the waterfront, and industrial manufacturers needing purpose-built systems for moving heavy loads such as train carriages, car bodies, containers, and other factory equipment. Named enterprise customers include Premier Marinas, Sunseeker International, Princess Yachts, Yacht Havens, Rolls-Royce, Babcock International, Siemens, Urenco, and Hydreléctrica de Cahora Bassa, indicating a credible roster across luxury marine, defense, industrial technology, nuclear, and power-generation end markets.

WISE sells exclusively through direct factory engagement (phone, email, website inquiry) with no third-party distribution, and it delivers machines worldwide from a single UK manufacturing site. The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment, no subsidiaries, no public listing, and a headcount of 11-50 employees. WISE's positioning rests on nearly five decades of specialized engineering expertise, durability demonstrated by its first hoist (built in 1976) remaining operational, and the ability to engineer to customer specification across both marine and industrial use cases.

Name

Wise

Legal name

WISE Handling Ltd

Website

https://wisehandling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WISE Handling Ltd designs, builds, and supplies bespoke marine and industrial material-handling equipment, including boat hoists, amphibious hoists, and transporters (10-800T), serving marinas, boat yards, luxury yacht builders, and industrial enterprises worldwide from its UK manufacturing base since 1976.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine and Industrial Material Handling Equipment

NAICS

Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigeration & Cold-Chain Equipment Service (IMAIABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hoists (Electric, Manual & Pneumatic) (IMAHAJAG), Cargo Handling & Lifting Equipment (Cranes, Derricks, Hoists) (IMAJAIAB)

Keywords

• Marine lifting equipment
• Boat hoist systems
• Material handling machinery
• Amphibious hoist technology
• Bespoke lifting solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Cullingworth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Marine Equipment Sales: Sale of boat hoists, amphibious hoists, and transporters/trailers for marine applications ranging from 10T to 800T capacity
2. Industrial Equipment Sales: Purpose-built industrial systems engineered to specifications and workflow requirements
3. Bespoke Engineering Services: Custom design and manufacturing support for specialized lifting operations and equipment

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

WISE Handling Ltd designs, manufactures, and supplies specialized marine and industrial lifting equipment. Its product range includes boat hoists (20–800T) for dockside and finger-pier handling, amphibious hoists (10–800T) for submersible slipway operations, and boat transporters and trailers (20–200T) for post-lift vessel movement. The company also provides bespoke design and build services for customized lifting solutions to client specifications.

Product overview

WISE Handling Ltd is a marine and industrial handling equipment manufacturer offering a portfolio of specialized lifting solutions. The core product line consists of Boat Hoists (20-800T) for dockside and finger-pier handling, Amphibious Hoists (10-800T) for submersible slipway operations, and Transporters & Trailers (20-200T) for post-lift vessel movement. These products are complemented by a Bespoke Design & Build service that provides full custom engineering and manufacturing support. Founded in 1976, the company serves both marine and industrial sectors with equipment delivered worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boat Hoists Durable boat hoists built for controlled lifting and manoeuvrability for dockside and finger-pier handling, with capacity ranging from 20T to 800T. Designed for marina operators and boat yard facilities requiring controlled lifting, manoeuvrability, and space optimization in waterfront environments.
• Amphibious Hoists Robust, manoeuvrable boat hoists delivering dependable dockside and submersible slipway performance, with capacity ranging from 10T to 800T. Built for waterfront infrastructure operators and marinas requiring amphibious lifting capabilities and submersible slipway operations.
• Transporters and Trailers Manoeuvrable boat transporters designed to take over vessel movement immediately after lift-out from water, with capacity ranging from 20T to 200T. Suited to marina operators, boat yards, and yacht handling facilities needing efficient post-extraction vessel transport.
• Bespoke Design and Build Specialists in bespoke engineering, offering full design capability and complete manufacturing support for custom lifting solutions. Purpose-built industrial systems engineered to specific workflow requirements, including lifting, offloading, loading, and moving heavy equipment such as train carriages, car bodies, and containers in factory environments.

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Marine Travelift (Cimolai): Wisconsin-based global leader in marine boat hoists and self-propelled transporters, directly competing with WISE's boat hoist (20–800T) and transporter (20–200T) ranges across marinas, naval bases, and yacht builders worldwide.
• Wiggins Lift Co (Kalmar / Cargotec): Historical direct competitor in heavy-capacity boat hoists and lift trucks for marina and shipyard use, now part of Kalmar/Cargotec; comparable product range and customer base to WISE Handling's marine line.
• DBG Marine (Dutch Boat Lift Company): Dutch manufacturer of boat hoists and amphibious slipway lifts with overlapping capacity ranges and customer segments (marinas, boatyards, superyacht facilities); comparable European competitor to WISE Handling.
• Pettibone: US-based manufacturer of material handling and rough-terrain lifting equipment including boat handling and transporter products; competes with WISE on marine transporters/trailers and bespoke industrial lifting applications.
• Verlinde: European manufacturer of electric and manual hoists, cranes, and lifting equipment for industrial and marine applications; competes with WISE on the industrial hoist side of the portfolio across similar capacity ranges.

Broad incumbents

• Konecranes: Global industrial crane and hoist incumbent offering overhead cranes, port solutions, and material handling equipment; competes with WISE on industrial bespoke lifting projects and increasingly on marina/shipyard equipment via its Cargotec/Kalmar portfolio.
• Liebherr: Large diversified OEM with mobile, crawler, and shipyard crane product lines plus maritime cranes; relevant broad incumbent competing for shipyard and marina contracts that WISE also targets with bespoke hoists.
• Terex Corporation: Global manufacturer of cranes, material handlers, and port equipment (including Terex Gottwald port logistics and Genie utilities); broad incumbent whose port and industrial product ranges overlap with WISE's industrial bespoke business.
• Manitowoc Company: Major crane OEM (Grove, Potain, National Crane) serving construction, infrastructure, and industrial lifting markets; competes with WISE for heavy industrial lifting tenders where customers prefer larger, listed suppliers.
• Mammoet (incl. Stothert & Pitt heritage): Global heavy lifting and engineered transport specialist with deep UK heritage through Stothert & Pitt; competes with WISE on bespoke industrial lifting and transport of heavy equipment (containers, rail, energy infrastructure).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wise