PETERS RESEARCH LIMITED

What PETERS RESEARCH LIMITED does

Peters Research Limited is a UK-based, founder-led software and engineering consultancy specializing in vertical transportation. Founded in 1997 by Dr Richard Peters after a decade at Ove Arup & Partners, the company develops Elevate, an object-oriented Windows application written in Microsoft Visual C++ that performs elevator traffic analysis, round trip time calculations, general analysis, full dynamic simulation, and dispatching logic for offices, hospitals, airports, high-rise residential, and mixed-use buildings. The product is described as the worldwide industry standard for elevator traffic analysis and is licensed to companies in over 90 countries; the firm holds over 25 granted patents, co-invents dispatching algorithms with major OEMs (notably TK Elevator's TAC50 Destination Dispatch and TWIN systems), and actively contributes to international standards (ISO 8100-32:2020) and reference texts (CIBSE Guide D, of which Dr Peters is principal author).

The business monetizes through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel (store.peters-research.com) with tiered pricing: an Express License at £430, a perpetual Single User License at £2,140, Single Country Company Licenses at £2,785/year, Global Company Licenses at £6,850/year, upgrade paths between tiers, an accelerometer hardware product (Elevate Perform) at £450, and recurring CPD-certified training seminars at £350 each. Customers are vertical transportation engineers, building services engineers, architects, developers, and elevator manufacturers/consultancies. Distribution is entirely direct (no resellers), with software delivered as downloads unlocked by USB HASP keys (Single User) or activation codes (Express/Company), and a 30-day refund policy. The company is bootstrapped, privately held, headquartered in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, and operates with 1-10 employees plus a network of named consultants across North America, the Middle East, Germany, and the UK.

Name

PETERS RESEARCH LIMITED

Legal name

PETERS RESEARCH LIMITED

Website

https://peters-research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Peters Research Limited is a UK-based, founder-led software firm that develops Elevate, the worldwide industry-standard elevator traffic analysis and simulation software, licensed in over 90 countries to vertical transportation engineers, building services engineers, elevator manufacturers, and architects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Elevator Traffic Analysis Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Elevator Remote Monitoring & Predictive Maintenance (IoT/Connected Elevators) (BPABAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Elevator Modernization & Retrofit (Controllers, Drives, Door Systems) (BPABAIAE), Elevator, Escalator & Lift Maintenance (IMAIABAF)

Keywords

• Elevator traffic analysis
• Lift simulation software
• Vertical transportation design
• Destination dispatch control
• Elevator performance measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Missenden

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Core revenue from selling Elevate software licenses including Single User License (owned outright, unlocked with USB HASP key), Express License (code-based unlocking), and Company Licenses (leased annually, unlimited downloads). Company licenses available as Single Country or Global variants.
2. Company License Subscriptions: Annual leasing model for company-wide deployment. Unlimited downloads unlocked via code. Annual fee required to continue usage; failure to pay requires deletion of all copies.
3. Training Services: Online training seminars (Standard and Advanced) offered at £350 each, teaching elevator traffic analysis and Elevate software usage. Includes CPD certificates.
4. Hardware Sales: Sale of Elevate Perform accelerometer hardware at £450 for measuring elevator performance parameters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Peters Research develops and sells Elevate, the worldwide industry standard software for elevator traffic analysis and simulation, used to select the number, size and speed of elevators for new buildings and to demonstrate benefits of modernizations on existing installations. The product suite spans Elevate, Elevate Express, Elevate Dispatch (destination control and passenger interfaces), the Elevate Perform accelerometer hardware, and specialist vertical transportation consultancy and training services. Elevate is licensed to companies in over 90 countries and simulates millions of passenger elevator journeys daily.

Product overview

Peters Research offers a suite of elevator traffic analysis and simulation products. The core offering is Elevate software, available in full (Elevate) and basic (Elevate Express) versions for traffic analysis and simulation across various building types. Elevate Dispatch provides destination control and passenger interface capabilities. Elevate Perform is a complementary accelerometer hardware product. The company also provides specialized consultancy services. These products work together to serve elevator industry professionals in over 90 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Elevate Flagship elevator traffic analysis and simulation software used worldwide to select the number, size, and speed of elevators for all types of buildings. Features include up peak round trip time calculations, general analysis, dynamic simulation with graphical display, and support for conventional and destination dispatch control systems.
• Elevate Express Basic, code-unlocked version of Elevate for analyzing up peak traffic using round trip time calculations and dynamic simulation, intended mainly for office buildings with a single entrance level.
• Elevate Dispatch All-in-one dispatching solution incorporating destination control and passenger interfaces, with single and double-deck destination control capabilities for a seamless journey experience.
• Elevate Perform Accelerometer USB accelerometer hardware device that connects to the Elevate Motion application to simplify measurement of elevator performance parameters including door times, velocity, acceleration, jerk, and motor start delay.
• Vertical Transportation Consultancy Services Expert team assistance for vertical transportation consultancy, traffic analysis surveys, custom dispatching algorithm development, and engineering support for elevator projects worldwide.
• Online Training Seminars (Standard and Advanced) Two-day online training seminars (Standard and Advanced editions, £350 each) teaching elevator traffic analysis and Elevate software usage, with CPD certificates provided on completion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Used in over 90 countries worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TK Elevator (formerly ThyssenKrupp Elevator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partnership includes development of TAC50 Destination Dispatch algorithm, conception of optimized TWIN dispatching algorithm, and joint development of next generation elevator products. Dr Stefan Gerstenmeyer previously held senior R&D positions at TK Elevator. Joerg Mueller served as Global Highrise Product Manager.
• University of NorthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-chair of annual Lift and Escalator Symposium with University of Northampton and CIBSE Lifts Group. Dr Richard Peters is Visiting Professor at the university. Company staff contribute to PhD supervision and academic research.
• CIBSE Lifts GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of annual Lift and Escalator Symposium. Dr Richard Peters is past Chairman of CIBSE Lifts Group. Elizabeth Evans serves as Publicity Officer and Treasurer. Principal author of CIBSE Guide D Transportation Systems in Buildings.
• ArupminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArup engineers use Elevate software for traffic analysis projects and attend company training seminars. Dr Mike Pentney previously developed 3D graphics software for Arup's in-house CAD applications.
• ISO/TC178 WG6minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Richard Peters represents British Standards Institution on ISO/TC178 WG6 (Lifts, escalators and moving walks installation) since 2000. Contributed to development of ISO 8100-32:2020.
• Lift and Escalator SymposiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual conference co-organized with University of Northampton and CIBSE Lifts Group. Dr Richard Peters and Elizabeth Evans serve as Co-chair and Conference Director respectively. Platform for sharing company research and promoting Elevate software.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Arup: Global engineering consultancy that uses Elevate for elevator traffic analysis projects and attends Peters Research training seminars. A key reference customer and adjacent consulting peer whose vertical transportation practice depends on Elevate.
• DigiPara: BIM software vendor integrated with Elevate for elevator BIM modelling. A technology partner and adjacent building design software peer serving the same vertical transportation engineering personas.

Broad incumbents

• Otis Worldwide: Global elevator OEM with significant in-house traffic analysis and dispatching R&D (e.g., Compass destination dispatch). Competes with Peters Research at the OEM level by embedding proprietary tools in its engineering workflow.
• Hitachi Elevator: Major Asian elevator OEM with proprietary destination dispatch and group control technology. Comparable to Peters Research as a vertically integrated traffic and dispatch software developer within an OEM.
• Hyundai Elevator: Korean elevator OEM with internal AI-based group control and traffic analysis R&D. Comparable as an OEM with proprietary traffic software targeting the same high-rise and commercial building segments.
• Schindler Group: Major elevator and escalator manufacturer with internal traffic analysis tools used for building design and dispatch (e.g., PORT technology). Comparable in scale and reach to Peters Research's elevator industry customers.
• Autodesk: Provider of Revit and other BIM platforms that architects and building services engineers use as their primary design environment. Peters Research already integrates with Autodesk workflows (via DigiPara BIM), and Autodesk represents a long-term ecosystem competitor for embedded elevator design.
• KONE Corporation: Global elevator OEM with its own traffic simulation and group control R&D (e.g., KONE Destination Control Systems). Competes for the same vertical transportation engineer customers and OEM group control budgets.
• TK Elevator: One of the world's largest elevator OEMs with substantial internal R&D in destination dispatch and group control algorithms. TK Elevator is both a strategic partner of Peters Research (co-developed TAC50 and optimized TWIN algorithms) and a potential in-house competitor.
• Mitsubishi Electric: Elevator OEM with destination dispatch and AI-based group control systems developed in-house. Represents a comparable OEM-grade competitor and a potential partner for Peters Research's dispatch algorithms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 PETERS RESEARCH LIMITED