Apex Lifts
Apex Lifts is a UK-based lift and escalator manufacturer, installer, moderniser, and maintenance provider serving commercial, residential, and public sector clients across London, Greater London, the South East, and Home Counties, managing over 3,500 maintenance contracts from its Bexleyheath headquarters and Sidcup workshop as part of the Cibes UK Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersKent, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Apex Lifts does
Apex Lifts is a UK-based lift and escalator solutions provider founded in 1970 and headquartered in Bexleyheath, Kent. The company designs, manufactures, installs, modernises, and maintains vertical transportation systems across London, Greater London, the South East, and neighbouring Home Counties, operating a bespoke fabrication workshop in Sidcup and managing a portfolio of over 3,500 maintenance contracts. Its product portfolio spans passenger lifts, goods and service lifts, scenic lifts, vehicle lifts, traction/MRL and hydraulic systems, fire fighting lifts, escalators, and a full Cibes platform and home lift range covering accessibility applications. Technical differentiation is supported by LiftWatch, a proprietary interactive client portal providing real-time portfolio monitoring, electronic order exchange, and remote performance data, alongside regenerative drive technology for energy recovery in modernisation projects.
The company serves commercial buildings, residential properties, housing associations, heritage sites, and public sector clients across London and the South East. Its revenue model blends recurring subscription-based maintenance contracts (the largest stream, covering lifts of all manufacture, origin and age with 24/7 emergency support), one-time modernisation project revenue (performance, appearance, accessibility, and green upgrades), new equipment sales and installation, and rapid-response repair services. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales, procurement framework channels (ranked #1 on South East Consortium, listed on Fusion21, National Framework Partnership), and retail distribution of the Cibes platform lift range. Customer segments are horizontal across commercial, residential, public sector, and accessibility verticals.
Since 2022, Apex Lifts has operated as a subsidiary of Cibes Lift Group alongside Titan Elevators under the Cibes UK Group, retaining its independent brand and trading identity. The company holds a Royal Warrant from His Majesty King Charles III, is an EAL Approved Assessment Centre for in-house NVQ training, and maintains a comprehensive certification stack including ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, Lift Cert, RoSPA, Safe Contractor, CHAS, and Planet Mark sustainability certification. Leadership was refreshed in 2025 with the appointments of Steve Chesney as Managing Director and Mark Cinganelli as Service Director, signalling a growth-oriented operational phase.
Apex Lifts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Apex Lifts
- Legal name
- Apex Lift and Escalator Engineers Limited
- Website
- https://apexlifts.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Apex Lifts is a UK-based lift and escalator manufacturer, installer, moderniser, and maintenance provider serving commercial, residential, and public sector clients across London, Greater London, the South East, and Home Counties, managing over 3,500 maintenance contracts from its Bexleyheath headquarters and Sidcup workshop as part of the Cibes UK Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Apex Lifts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vertical Transportation Services
- NAICS
- Elevator and Moving Stairway Manufacturing (333921), Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance (8114)
- SIC
- Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accessibility & Platform Lift Service (Wheelchair/Vertical Platform Lifts) (BPABAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Stair Lifts, Platform Lifts & Residential Elevator Services (HSABAJAD), Stair Lifts & Residential Platform Lifts (HSAPANAC)
Keywords
Where Apex Lifts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kent
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Apex Lifts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Lift Maintenance Contracts: Recurring revenue from scheduled planned and preventative maintenance contracts covering lifts and escalators of all manufacture, origin, and age. The company reports over 3500 maintenance contracts in portfolio. Services include reactive repairs and emergency call-outs with 24/7 support.
- Lift Modernisation: One-time project revenue from bespoke lift modernisation projects tailored to each customer's location-specific requirements, including green options, performance improvement, appearance upgrades, and accessibility improvements.
- New Lift Equipment Sales & Installation: Revenue from manufacture, supply, and installation of new lifts including passenger lifts, goods/service lifts, scenic lifts, vehicle lifts, traction/MRL, hydraulic, fire fighting lifts, platform lifts, and disabled access lifts. The company operates a Sidcup workshop for bespoke manufacturing.
- Lift Repairs & Escalator Services: Rapid-response repair services and first-time fix approach for breakdowns, vandalism, and emergency callouts. Escalator maintenance, repair, and servicing for high-volume passenger traffic locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Cibes Platform Lifts from £16,000–£17,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Apex Lifts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Apex Lifts designs, manufactures, installs, modernises, repairs and maintains lifts and escalators across London, Greater London, the South East and neighbouring Home Counties. It services lifts and escalators of all manufacture, origin and age under planned preventative maintenance contracts, and sells new equipment including passenger, goods, scenic, vehicle, traction/MRL, hydraulic and fire fighting lifts, as well as the Cibes platform and home lift range.
Product overview
Apex Lifts is a lift solutions provider operating as part of the Cibes UK Group, offering a comprehensive vertical transport portfolio combining in-house manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and modernisation services. Their product portfolio includes core lift types (Passenger, Goods & Service, Scenic, Vehicle, Traction/MRL, Hydraulic, and Fire Fighting Lifts) alongside a full Cibes platform and home lift range (A4000, A5000, A8000, C1 Cabin Lift, Air, External, B3000, S6, S7) for accessibility applications. Services include Lift Maintenance with remote performance monitoring, Lift Repairs, Lift Modernisation (covering green options, performance, appearance, and accessibility improvements), and Escalator services. Their proprietary LiftWatch digital portal provides clients with real-time monitoring, reporting, and portfolio management capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lift Maintenance Scheduled planned and preventative maintenance and servicing of lifts and escalators, including reactive repairs and emergency call-outs with 24/7 support, covering 3,500+ maintenance contracts across London and the South East. Targeted at commercial, residential and public sector building owners and facilities managers.
- Lift Repairs Rapid-response repair service for lift breakdowns and vandalism using a first-time fix approach, aiming to restore lift operation on the first engineer visit. Provided to commercial, residential and public sector clients.
- Lift Modernisation Bespoke lift modernisation projects tailored to customer requirements, including green/energy efficiency upgrades, performance improvements, appearance upgrades and accessibility enhancements such as regenerative drives. Targeted at owners of older lift installations in commercial and residential buildings.
- Escalator Services Planned preventative maintenance, repair and servicing of escalators for high-volume passenger traffic locations such as shopping centres, transport hubs and commercial buildings.
- New Lift Equipment Sales and Installation Manufacture, supply and installation of new lifts including passenger lifts, goods and service lifts, scenic lifts, vehicle lifts, machine-room-less (MRL) traction lifts, hydraulic lifts and fire fighting lifts, produced at Apex's Sidcup workshop. Targeted at commercial, residential and public sector building owners and developers.
- Cibes Platform and Home Lifts Sale and installation of the Cibes platform and home lift range for accessibility and residential applications, including the A4000, A5000, A8000, C1 Cabin Lift, Air, External, B3000, S6 and S7 models. Marketed to private homes, schools, hotels, shopping centres and care homes, with 2-3 week manufacturing turnaround and 2-3 day installation.
- LiftWatch Customer Portal Proprietary interactive online client portal that provides customers with in-depth portfolio information including proactive reporting, data transfer, engineer updates, electronic order exchange, an interactive calendar for planned maintenance scheduling and downloadable call-out reports, featuring a traffic-light system for maintenance and repair status tracking. Targeted at clients with active maintenance contracts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 32.8% year-on-year reduction in carbon footprint (from 279.5 tCO2e to 187.3 tCO2e)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Apex Lifts
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Apex Lifts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Apex Lifts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- The Halley AcademyminorFour-year STEM partnership with The Halley Academy, a local secondary school. Apex sponsors yearly challenges such as 'Race to the Line' for Year 7 students exploring aerodynamics and motion. Company visits school to speak with sixth form students about STEM career pathways, particularly lift engineering.
- Cibes Lift GroupcoreCibes Lift Group acquired Apex Lifts in 2022 to strengthen their UK market presence. Apex Lifts operates as part of the Cibes UK Group alongside Titan Elevators. The acquisition brought financial stability and enables cross-selling between Cibes, Titan, and Apex. Reyaan Shepherd (MD Cibes UK) assumed MD role at Apex. The company retains its name and operates as an independent business within the group.
- Titan ElevatorscoreTitan Elevators operates alongside Apex Lifts as another Cibes UK Group subsidiary. Together with Cibes Lift UK, Apex and Titan form among the largest independent lift companies in the UK. Steve Chesney's leadership is driving future collaboration and synergies between the three companies.
- South East ConsortiumcoreApex Lifts is ranked #1 lift company on the South East Consortium's Lifts framework. Public sector bodies can directly award or tender to Apex through this framework for maintenance, modernisation, and new installations.
- Fusion21coreApex Lifts is listed on Fusion21's Lifts framework, enabling public sector housing associations and local authorities to access Apex's services through this procurement route.
- Planet MarkcorePlanet Mark provides sustainability certification and annual carbon footprint measurement for Apex Lifts. Partnership involves annual certification audits, emissions data analysis, and support for Apex's Environmental Impact Strategy (EIS) 2024 focusing on People, Process, and Promotion.
- National Framework Partnership (NPF)minorApex Lifts is listed as a partner on the National Framework Partnership procurement framework.
- Drury CourtminorApex Lifts partnership with Drury Court, listed as a partner on the company website.
- First RankminorApex Lifts listed as a supplier through First Rank on ProcurePublic public sector procurement platform.
- Lambeth Council / Bounce Back ProjectminorCorporate social value partnership with Lambeth Council and the Bounce Back Project. Partnership connected Apex with young people including Adam Bouzid for work experience placements, supporting career awareness in the lift and construction industry.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Apex Lifts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ace Elevators: UK independent lift maintenance and installation specialist serving London and surrounding counties. Comparable service-oriented model and regional focus, often competing for similar SME and commercial maintenance contracts.
- Compass Lifts: UK independent lift company providing maintenance, repair, modernisation, and new installations across London and the South East. Comparable in size, service-led business model, and regional footprint to Apex.
- Stannah Lifts: Long-standing UK family-owned lift manufacturer and service provider with full-lifecycle capabilities (manufacture, install, maintenance, modernisation). Closest UK independent comparable in business model — combining in-house manufacturing with a large regional service portfolio — to Apex.
- Pollock Lifts: UK independent lift company offering new installations, modernisation, and maintenance across the South East. Closely overlaps Apex's customer mix of housing associations, small commercial, and heritage residential buildings.
- Cibes Lift UK: UK arm of the Swedish Cibes Lift Group, the parent of Apex and Titan, specialising in platform lifts, home lifts, and accessibility solutions. Directly comparable in product range to Apex's Cibes retail business, and a sibling commercial entity within the same corporate group.
- Titan Elevators: Sister company under the Cibes UK Group offering lift installation, modernisation, and maintenance across the UK. Operates within the same parent structure as Apex, sharing customers, frameworks, and engineering resources, and is the most directly comparable entity in the UK market.
Broad incumbents
- Schindler UK: Swiss-headquartered global OEM with UK operations spanning new equipment, maintenance, and modernisation across commercial and public-sector markets. Overlaps with Apex on London/SE commercial maintenance and major modernisation projects, but with broader national coverage.
- TK Elevator UK: UK arm of the German lift OEM (formerly ThyssenKrupp Elevator), offering installation, service, and modernisation nationally. Competes with Apex on mid- and large-scale commercial and residential portfolios across London and the South East.
- Otis UK: UK subsidiary of the world's largest lift OEM, offering full-lifecycle lift and escalator services nationally. Overlaps with Apex on commercial and public-sector maintenance and modernisation contracts, but at significantly greater scale and broader geographic reach.
- KONE UK: UK operations of the Finnish global OEM KONE, providing lifts, escalators, and maintenance as part of a multinational portfolio. Competes with Apex on London commercial and residential tenders, with strength in large-scale modernisation and digital service platforms.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Apex Lifts social profiles
Digital presenceApex Lifts compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance16 records
Apex Lifts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Apex Lifts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Apex Lifts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Apex Lifts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Apex Lifts
What does Apex Lifts do?
Apex Lifts designs, manufactures, installs, modernises, repairs and maintains lifts and escalators across London, Greater London, the South East and neighbouring Home Counties. It services lifts and escalators of all manufacture, origin and age under planned preventative maintenance contracts, and sells new equipment including passenger, goods, scenic, vehicle, traction/MRL, hydraulic and fire fighting lifts, as well as the Cibes platform and home lift range.
Is Apex Lifts a public or private company?
Apex Lifts is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Apex Lifts founded?
Apex Lifts was founded in 1970. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Apex Lifts based?
Apex Lifts is headquartered in Kent, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Apex Lifts make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Lift Maintenance Contracts are the primary driver. The others are lift Modernisation, new Lift Equipment Sales & Installation and lift Repairs & Escalator Services.
Who are Apex Lifts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ace Elevators, Compass Lifts, Stannah Lifts, Pollock Lifts, Cibes Lift UK and Titan Elevators. Broad incumbents are Schindler UK, TK Elevator UK, Otis UK and KONE UK.
Does Apex Lifts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Apex Lifts.
What industry is Apex Lifts in?
Apex Lifts's product category is Vertical Transportation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABAIAI, Accessibility & Platform Lift Service (Wheelchair/Vertical Platform Lifts), with a secondary code of HSABAJAD, Stair Lifts, Platform Lifts & Residential Elevator Services. Its NAICS code is 333921 and its SIC code is 3531.