The Problem

A hydraulic lift failed in a residential block of flats the week before Christmas. The lift serviced all five floors, and quick repair was paramount. The immediate concern was for a wheelchair user who had returned home to find himself unable to access his flat.

The Approach

We responded to this situation as an emergency, manually pumping the lift to allow the resident to return to his flat safely. As the lift served many residents, it was crucial that we repaired it promptly and, as such, we pursued two solution avenues: firstly, rewinding the pump motor, and, secondly, sourcing a new pump motor. This process was fraught with difficulties: it was the week before Christmas, we were in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the new motor would need to be shipped from Spain shortly before Brexit.

We knew that the combination of issues could leave the residents without a lift for a long period, and so we needed to work quickly. We waived our requirement for an upfront deposit, immediately ordering the part from Spain (the quickest and most cost-effective option), fitting it ourselves on the day it arrived. During the period of lift downtime, we kept in touch with the residents’ association to check on the welfare of the residents.

The Outcome

On the surface, we were working in an impossible situation, with many major global events conspiring against us. It was clear from the outset that we would need to do everything possible to get the lift up and running in as short a time as possible, considering it was a lifeline to a wheelchair user. We rose to the challenge, speeding everything through as quickly as possible, and we fixed the lift in just over a week.

Contact

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