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06/09/02 Lifting gear distributor opens in Plymouth

Sales Manager Steve White outside Certex UK’s new lifting centre in Plympton.

A major supplier of lifting has opened a new branch in Plympton, near Plymouth, as part of a national three-year expansion and re-organisation programme.

Certex UK Ltd. - one of the country’s largest distributors of lifting products and services and part of the international FKI Group - has opened a purpose-built lifting centre on the Valley Road Trading Estate on the outskirts of Plymouth. In line with the company’s proposed 50 UK lifting centres, the new outlet will handle lifting gear sales, product hire, and repair and maintenance as well as product inspection and testing.

Launched to meet demand for local lifting services from the docklands and construction industries and engineering firms and yacht manufacturers in the area, the centre will be run by Sales Manager, Steve White, and Inspection Engineer, Chris Taylor. The Plympton centre will offer increased product choice, specialised training and on-site lifting equipment inspections. On-site facilities for testing and pressing wire ropes have been installed, including a 30-tonne horizontal testing bed and 350-tonne presser. Meanwhile, larger items will be held at one of the company’s three newly-equipped production and service hubs placed strategically across the UK and offering computerised stocktaking, product tracking and 24-hour delivery.

Consultancy services will also expand at local level to include lifting gear selection, operational audits, risk assessment and safety audits, and lifting method and feasibility statements.

“Our customer base has grown considerably in the Plymouth area and it was felt that our Redruth branch was no longer able to meet local demand,” said Certex’s

Garry Oakley who masterminded the move. “The Plymouth opening is part of the company’s promise to remain a locally-based supplier but with the added benefits of wider product choice and prompt delivery via our national distribution network.”

Certex’s Managing Director, Mick Batty, added: “The lifting industry is very complex. We currently supply over 50,000 lifting products to a wide range of industries. Every application is different from wire rope production through to slings, the fabrication of lifting beams, the preparation of plastic coated wires and the supply of overhead cranes and runway systems, boom pennants, and swaged and chain assemblies.

“The Plymouth centre will help us to keep in touch with local customers. They can call in for sales and advice and we, meanwhile, can visit them on site to identify and meet their buying, testing and maintenance needs.”