Desem Lifts

What Desem Lifts does

Desem Lifts (legal entity: DESEM Lifts Ltd, Companies House registration 04771701) is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of bespoke hydraulic lifts, founded in May 2003 and headquartered at Bradwell Works, Davenport Street, Longport, Stoke-on-Trent. The company designs, manufactures, supplies, installs, and final-tests three core product lines — Goods Only Lifts (load capacities 1,000-15,000 kg, car sizes 1.2m x 1.5m to 6.0m x 6.0m, up to 3.0m tall), Goods & Passenger Lifts, and Passenger Lifts — all built on a Direct Acting hydraulic platform that is rope-free, eliminating rope renewals and safety gear testing across the working life of the lift.

The company's underlying differentiator is its rope-free Direct Acting hydraulic technology, which the firm states consumes zero energy on descent and near-zero on standby. Bespoke engineering extends to specialised applications, including a first-of-kind lift in low-temperature steels for constant -30°C environments (delivered in 2009, 2,200 kg through 8m travel). Quality systems are anchored by ISO 9001:2000 certification (held since June 2004), LEIA full membership (since 2007), Constructionline accreditation, and EN81 Lifts design and test certification.

Desem operates a direct-to-customer business model with no distributors, selling one-time bespoke lift installations complemented by recurring annual service contracts, refurbishment work (including on competitor equipment), and a 24/7/365 national emergency breakdown service that specialises in hydraulic ram resealing. The customer base is heavily weighted toward UK self-storage operators — with logos including Big Yellow, Safestore, Shurgard, Storage King, Lok'n Store, and others — alongside industrial/commercial facilities and property developers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Desem Lifts

Legal name

DESEM Lifts Ltd

Website

https://desem.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Desem Lifts is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of bespoke rope-free Direct Acting hydraulic lifts (goods-only, passenger, and goods-and-passenger), serving primarily self-storage operators and industrial facilities with custom installations, recurring servicing, refurbishments, and a national 24/7 emergency call-out service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stoke-on-trent

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lift Manufacturing and Sales: Design, manufacture, supply, installation, and final testing of bespoke lifts including goods-only, passenger, and goods & passenger lifts. Revenue generated from the sale of custom lift systems.
2. Lift Servicing and Maintenance: Annual professional service regime for their own and other manufacturers' equipment, programmed and monitored using their own lift engineering database.
3. Lift Refurbishments: Quality competitive refurbishment of any medium to large lift, including CAN bus systems and closed access systems.
4. Emergency Breakdown Service: 24-hour, 365 days a year National fast response service. Specializing in resealing hydraulic rams and systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Desem Lifts designs, manufactures, supplies, installs, and tests bespoke lifts including Goods Only Lifts (1,000–15,000kg), Passenger Lifts, and Goods & Passenger Lifts, using rope-free Direct Acting hydraulic technology. The company also provides complementary lift servicing, refurbishments (including CAN bus systems and closed access systems), and a 24/7, 365-day national emergency breakdown response with specialist hydraulic ram resealing.

Product overview

Desem Lifts is a lift design and manufacturing company offering a portfolio of three core lift product lines (Goods & Passenger Lifts, Goods Only Lifts, and Passenger Lifts) alongside complementary service offerings (Lift Servicing, Refurbishments, and Breakdowns). Their lifts are bespoke, engineered to high standards with sustainable and durable designs, and the company also provides 24/7 emergency support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Goods Only Lifts Bespoke heavy-duty goods lifts with load capacities from 1,000kg to 15,000kg, car sizes from 1.2m x 1.5m to 6.0m x 6.0m and up to 3.0m tall, requiring minimal head and pit room and suitable for FLT loading. Designed and manufactured for self-storage operators, warehouses, and industrial facilities moving goods and inventory.
• Goods & Passenger Lifts Medium and large capacity bespoke lifts designed to carry payloads in the form of many passengers per trip or large accompanied loads. Built to be sturdy and reliable with well-appointed features for facilities requiring combined passenger and goods transport.
• Passenger Lifts Bespoke passenger lifts covering a wide range of loads, sizes, speeds, and applications. Available with customisable corporate colours, varied finishes, visual possibilities, and full car width doors in Manual or Automatic options. Targeted at property developers, commercial buildings, and facilities needing passenger-only vertical transportation.
• Lift Servicing Proactive annual professional service regime covering Desem's own lifts and other manufacturers' equipment. Service activities are programmed and monitored using Desem's own lift engineering database, sold as an ongoing service contract to enterprise customers.
• Lift Refurbishments Quality competitive refurbishment of any medium to large lift, including CAN bus systems and closed access systems, covering both Desem's original equipment and other manufacturers' lifts. Sold as a project-based refurbishment service.
• Lift Breakdowns / Emergency Call-Out Service Around-the-clock, 365 days a year national fast-response service for lift breakdowns and emergencies at reasonable rates, including LOLER report advice and recommendations, with specialism in resealing hydraulic rams and systems. Available nationally for Desem's own and other manufacturers' equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero energy consumption on the down travel
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stannah Lifts: UK-based designer/manufacturer of passenger lifts, goods lifts, stairlifts and platform lifts with national service coverage. Closely comparable to Desem as a UK bespoke lift manufacturer with direct sales, installation, and servicing capability.
• Terry Lifts: UK manufacturer of passenger lifts, goods lifts, and platform lifts for commercial and residential settings. Comparable to Desem for its bespoke UK lift manufacturing and direct service model.
• Wessex Lift Co: UK specialist in goods lifts, passenger lifts, and service for commercial/industrial facilities. Overlaps with Desem on bespoke hydraulic goods lifts and 24/7 service coverage.
• Bardot Group: European manufacturer of hydraulic goods and freight lifts with deep expertise in bespoke heavy-duty lifts up to 10+ tonnes. Directly comparable to Desem's rope-free hydraulic direct-acting platform for industrial and logistics customers.
• RAM (Rope & Mechanical Access): UK provider of lift installations, refurbishments, and servicing for commercial buildings. Comparable to Desem across its service and refurbishment revenue lines.
• Access BDD: UK designer and manufacturer of bespoke lifts including goods lifts and platform lifts, with installation and service support. Comparable mid-sized UK bespoke lift specialist.

Broad incumbents

• Otis Worldwide: Global leader in elevators, escalators, and moving walkways with full service network. Broad incumbent whose goods and freight lift lines compete with Desem on larger commercial tenders.
• KONE: Major global elevator and escalator company offering commercial goods and passenger lifts. Competes with Desem on larger commercial/self-storage projects and through service contracts.
• Schindler: Global elevator and escalator manufacturer with significant presence in commercial goods and passenger lifts. Broad incumbent competing for the same self-storage and commercial customers.

Regional players

• Ascension Lifts: UK regional lift installation and service company focused on commercial buildings. Comparable to Desem as a UK lift specialist operating in similar commercial building verticals, though smaller and more service-weighted.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desem-lifts

Compliance2 records

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 Desem Lifts