Jun

Interview with Nigel Lambert

What is an elevator for you?

Let me think for a moment! An elevator is not just a box that goes up and down, nor just a means of transport. An elevator brings the freedom of movement to all kinds of buildings, but should never be considered a tool. Travelling in an elevator should be an experience, using the right architectural design elements creating comfort, style and elegance. An elevator should part of the building, part of the buildings anatomy, DNA so to speak, not just there to serve a purpose.

How do you see the British market for new elevators?

The British market that’s simple, putting Brexit to one side, UK construction is buoyant and has a continuous stream of new build and refurbishment projects all of which require some sort of elevator. The market is split 70-30 in favor of the multi-national lift companies such as Otis, Schindler, Kone etc. the 70% of the market is generally a standard off the shelf product, sold at prices that independents like Premier struggle to compete. But that’s not a bad thing, as that leaves the other 30% of the market where maybe the lift needs to be bespoke to fit into a particular size or have some specific building constraints that the multinationals do not cater for. It also leaves companies like ours with a large market for very high end bespoke designer lifts, where the client has very specific needs and desires.

What would you say about the collaboration with Millepiani Elevators? It seems that Premier Platform Lifts are very well known for special application and luxury lifts?

The collaboration with Millepiani Elevators has been a fundamental factor to Premier Platform Lifts success in the UK. Having a Manufacturer that listens to our needs, with ability to adapt to our requirements has been key to our growth. I have been in the lift industry for close to 20 years, and finding a manufacturing partner that is not only passionate about their business but passionate about ours too, I thought this impossible but I was wrong. Millepiani Elevators’s attitude brings an open and honest working relationship, with both companies working closely together to achieve similar goals. Premier Platform Lifts are known in the UK for Luxury and bespoke lifts, or lifts that may need a special design to overcome difficult building constraints. We have been working in this area for some years now and have become known as a go to company for clients, architects, contractors, lift consultants and other lift companies where a standard lift will just not meet the desired level of design and aesthetic or where a standard lift is just simply not possible due to some specific construction requirements.

How is Millepiani supporting you to develop more and more in this market?

Millepiani support goes above the normal supplier relationship, we are in constant contact with new ideas, new product developments and new marketing strategies. Many of the projects we have undertaken in the UK are completely bespoke and in many case a Worlds first for design and innovation. To grow and develop in this market we require total customer satisfaction, with Millepiani’s impeccable Quality Control we are achieving this with every installation.

What do you plan for the future? How do you see your market going in the next 5 years?

The future for Premier is to continue to grow at a sustainable rate, we have just opened new offices in Kent, giving some additional support to the sales department. We now have offices in London, Kent, Manchester and Co Clare Ireland. We have also added 4 new staff members in key positions across the company to alleviate any operational stain during our continued growth. The market here in the UK for high end quality lifts/elevators is growing fast, many architects for years have been designing buildings with a lift, but now they planning the lift as part of the building design and aesthetic. The more we show them what is possible the more bespoke lifts are being requested.

How important is to have a good partner for develop ideas and markets?

A good partner is very important, without a partner that listens, but most importantly understands our requirements, developing our ideas would be non-existent. Thankfully Massimo Santambrogio, Uel Bertin and their team feel our passion for what we do, they work closely with us to take our conceptual design through to a project and using their manufacturing skills we achieve our goals.

Why is Premier Platform Lifts a different company in UK? What is your success factor?

Premier Platform Lifts are very different from most lift companies in the UK, as we don’t just sell and install lifts, we sell lifts, but deliver and install true luxury projects of beautiful design and distinction. Premier Platform Lifts over the years have become known for working outside of the standard, and become very successful in delivering projects not only for end clients but also for the multi-nationals using expert design and innovation to overcome either difficult technical barriers or specific client needs or desires.

Are you dealing more and more with special, prestigious and VIP’s?

Yes, since our collaboration with Millepiani in 2014, our marketing campaign for luxury lifts, and word of mouth from our clients, Premier are involved in many prestigious projects. Currently we have 56 projects in our system, all from a wide variety of individual clients including, Private houses, Yachts, Foreign dignitaries, designer retailers, football stadiums, offices, Hospitals, Education and buildings with Grade1&2 listings. The number special projects have increased dramatically over the last 3 years. We have seen an increase from 10-12 projects per year to over 30 projects this year, and believe that this area of the market will continue to rise over the coming years.