Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) has become a full member of LEEA and received ISO 9001 accreditation, just weeks after marking a year back in the UK marketplace.
Recognition from the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association, the world’s leading representative body for all those involved in the industry, and the International Organization for Standardization, is a double endorsement of LGH’s ever-growing stature in the industry.
LEEA offers four categories of membership—provisional, associate, development, and full. LGH initially became a development member, which essentially served as an application for full status, which was granted upon completion of 12 months of trading and a stringent audit. Membership is only awarded to companies that, in the opinion of the association’s directors, is competent and can give an adequate service.
Phil Smith, commercial manager at LGH, said: “If you want to be regarded as a serious player in the lifting market, being a fully-fledged LEEA member is vital. The organisation provides all members with advice and support on virtually any related topic concerning lifting, which is simply not available elsewhere. LEEA works closely with the HSE [UK Health and Safety Executive] and is widely regarded as the lifting standard—not only in the UK but worldwide.”
LEEA has been providing specialist training services to its members for over 50 years and has its own dedicated training centre in Huntingdon, UK. LGH personnel are expected to undertake varying levels of these courses depending on the extent of their exposure to product and the requirement of an individual to understand best practice in advising customers on what products to use.
ISO 9001:2015, meanwhile, is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, and continual improvement. Smith called it the “pinnacle of standards” and a “minimum benchmark” for any business dealing with safety-critical products.
He added: “Given the nature of our product range, existing and prospective customers expect us to have the latest 2015 specification of ISO 9001. Further, accreditation offers them peace of mind that they are sourcing lifting and rigging equipment from a highly disciplined organisation. Achieving it involved a complete review of our processes and systems, and documentation of findings in a quality management system.”
Colin Naylor, managing director at LGH, said: “LGH continues to grow and as we enter our second full year of trading our employee count has reached 25 with an additional five recruits scheduled to join in the next few months. Additional commercial vehicles have also been acquired amid ongoing investment in our rental fleet.”
Naylor also pointed to the company’s expansion into the Wienold equipment range with the acquisition of a wide range of SLK and GML counterbalanced Genie units, including the new, fully adjustable MFC 750/k mini floor crane.
l LGH will host this year’s LEEA Golf Day, which takes place at Wychwood Park, Crewe, UK on Thursday 14 June. Visit the website at www.leeagolfday.co.uk
