An uplifting history

Movetech UK has a long heritage in heavy duty lifting and moving, being in operation since 1959. Technical sales director David Houghton reveals the secrets to the firm’s longevity.

HSS: What benefits can customers gain from Movetech’s experience?

David Houghton: With most queries, we have faced something similar before, so we are able to assist with relevant information and advice speedily. Most customers approach us with an enquiry that is only a portion of their overall requirement so knowing that Movetech UK can deal with that particular issue efficiently, and with confidence, allows them to move forward and consider other elements of the overall project.

HSS: Movetech has recently taken on apprentices. Can you explain your strategy here?

DH: We need skilled technicians proficient in a range of differing technologies such as pneumatics, hydraulics and electro-mechanical drives. They all have to be integrated into fabricated components with precision. Finding experienced people with these skills is difficult to say the least.

Apprenticeships allow us to invest in, and develop precisely the skills we need, in our own employees. Currently half of our skilled staff are from apprenticeship schemes we have run, and we have another starting this month. As a small family business each and every one of our employees is important to us and we want them to stay with us. We are proud of them, they are our most important asset, and investing in them is good business sense.

HSS: Movetech is known for bespoke design and unusual applications. Can you give us an example?

DH: It is difficult to select just one. However, in recent years no doubt our biggest challenge has been introducing a truck turntable to minimise the service yard size for supermarket outlets.

These outlets are often in inner city areas with very confined footprints so minimising the service yard increases the available sales floor area. That said, the clients need the delivery trucks to drive into, and out of, the yard in a forward direction with the minimum of fuss.

The turntable for an articulated truck is 15 in metres in diameter with a 44 tonne capacity, usually electrically powered. But the supermarkets are not interested in the turntable itself, it is what is does that counts. They want to guarantee reliable deliveries to the store.

This throws up questions – will it work in all weather conditions? Can they integrate it easily into the construction works? Can they operate it during a power cut? Can it be simple enough for store staff to operate? Can we ensure staff safety during operation? Can we service it without disrupting deliveries? What is the life time cost?

To answer those questions successfully not only did we need to demonstrate good mechanical engineering practices but also learn how to work on major construction sites to their contractual and health & safety requirements. We also had to demonstrate a much more integrated design philosophy and develop much more responsive servicing capability. We even visit the sites with installations every few years to check that the equipment still meets (and is being used in accordance with) the original design intent. These are quite different challenges for a small company that usually prides itself on its technical capability. Still, they are lessons well learned, that we are now introducing to our other customers.

HSS: Can you give us an idea of your product range, what you can achieve, and give us an idea of what makes them stand out from the competition?

DH: When I joined the company over 30 years ago we mostly produced turntables for car showroom and retail display purposes, everything from a few rings in a jewellers window to a new car in a prestige showroom. We still produce these, as a standard range of ‘off the shelf’ products, but with the decline of the High Street no longer in the same numbers. 

However, our bespoke build facilities, particularly with the addition of the Hovair air film technology division, have grown to more than compensate. These range from very simple manually operated bench assembly turntables of just a few kilos capacity to fully automated high resolution positioners (rotary or linear) of 100 tonnes or more for various commercial and industrial concerns. 

We also move heavy loads for the nuclear industry (including floating on air 25 tonne flasks of irradiated waste for efficient storage), help the aerospace industry move and align large assemblies during manufacture (rotating and positioning heavy tools into presses, moving engines/wings through production processes).

We help the defence industry test the latest range of battlefield equipment (including locating and rotating aircraft and battle tanks being checked for their radar signature). Our customers tell us that our strengths are in our flexibility as a small company, and our in-house capabilities to design, manufacture, install and service our own equipment (with all the relevant Quality Assurance and safety credentials).