This week’s #madeinsandwell Monday high riser is Lift & Engineering Services, based in Cradley Heath.

As you know, lifts are an essential part of business and community infrastructure. Lift & Engineering Services designs, manufactures, installs, maintains and repairs lifts in civic, healthcare, education and residential buildings across the UK.

Despite public-sector budgets being squeezed, the company has managed to raise productivity by over 15 per cent and sales by 93 per cent since 2011, earning it fourth place in Sandwell’s Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies Index for 2017.

The business also provides a service that’s rare to UK lift companies: in-house design and manufacturing. It is the only UK lift company ever to win a British Safety Council International Safety Award with Distinction.

Roy Casey, joint managing director, explained that it was the 2007 recession that provided an impetus to change the company’s client profile, “embracing public sector procurement and getting much better at it, so that now over 90 per cent of our sales are to public sector clients”.

Although this required heavy investment, he said that “with a sales increase of over 90 per cent in five years, we won’t be looking back with any regrets”.

As well as a stronger focus on the public sector, the company attributes its success to creating evidence of its achievements through awards, accreditations and the commissioning of its own bespoke staff training and qualifications.

“Our people are the number one differentiator from our competitors, so we train and retain them,” said Steve Smith, joint managing director.

Lift & Engineering Services has taken full advantage of the support offered by Think Sandwell, including training on public-sector procurement, the recruitment of apprentices, and an introduction to the Black Country Skills Factory, where Steve Smith now serves as a non-executive director.

The business is looking forward to further growth and expansion, through productivity, training and public bidding, possibly coupled with further acquisitions.

Think Sandwell wishes it all the best, and is confident that Lift & Engineering Services will continue to be a rising star in our region.

#madeinsandwell Monday is a celebration of the talent and diversity of businesses in our borough. If you’re interested in being considered for a #madeinsandwell Monday profile, read this.