Over the past 10 years, the Midlands-based firm Direct Hoist has been at the forefront of construction hoist technology, bringing innovative Italian Electroelsa machinery to the British market paired with a dedication to boosting health and safety standards on construction sites.
Established in 2014 by Managing Director, Rob Wilson, the company started as a passion project in Rob’s garage. Today, Direct Hoist has four locations and a recent, additional 30m unit premises to accommodate the new in-house training centre for bespoke training and the NVQ Level 2 in Hoist Installation.
Specialising in GEDA and Electroelsa hoists, which have lifting capacities from 200kg to 5,000kg, the new classroom facility is used to teach candidates the theory and practical elements of assembly and disassembly of various lifts that include the use of the GEDA and Electroelsa units.
The training courses cover up-to-date industry working practices, legal requirements and working equipment knowledge. The on-site facility includes a 10m training tower, with capacity for transporting a two-tonne platform hoist to full height, with expert tutors offering hands-on optimal safety training. The more experienced industry students are offered a two-day specialist training course in theory and practical assembly and disassembly of various lifts, with a further week-long course available for deeper understanding of erecting and dismantling hoists. Students are examined by an external assessor at the end of the course and will receive an industrially-recognised certificate, if successful.
Direct Hoist’s remarkable decade-long journey deserves to be celebrated. In 2022, the company secured a partnership with Electroelsa, a global market leader in safety and cutting-edge technology. Over the last two years, this partnership has significantly elevated the standards of the British construction industry. However, it hasn’t always been easy.
We caught up with Rob Wilson to review the successes and lessons learnt over 2024 and to look forward to 2025.
“It has been a challenging year for us. We were quiet for a fair few months running up to the general election as businesses anticipated a changeover in political parties. The budget release this year had an effect on our business too. As prices for fuel and equipment rise, we in turn must increase our prices which can, and have, affected us. Towards the back end of the year, we have managed to flip this on its head, and we are finishing 2024 on a busy high.
We recently switched to a 100% green electrical energy supply, which has gone hand in hand with running out fleet of vehicles on HVO fuel for the past couple of years. As the official UK distributors, we have further embraced Italian manufacturers, Electroelsa, and are using their brilliant and reliable hoists within our rental fleet on more sites across the UK.
We’ve been in this industry for more than 30 years, working face-to-face with valued clients. This means we intuitively know exactly what each customer needs for every project – how to make life easier, saving time and construction costs. In turn, they can trust our experience and advice to be the absolute best.”
This summer, Direct Hoist and Electroelsa jointly exhibited at Vertikal Days to showcase a wide selection of Electroelsa equipment including a PM-M56, PM-M23 and PM-M10 transport platforms, and the P46 mast climber. Electroelsa’s innovative features, such as high-tech SIM technology with data-logging and self-diagnostics, are revolutionising safety and efficiency. The latest missing bolts presence detector, ensuring safer mast assembly, is a testament to the brand’s commitment to excellence.
What’s more, Direct Hoist has worked in conjunction with Electroelsa to specifically adapt the range to suit the UK rental market while meeting the latest Transport Platform regulations. These signature vivid yellow Electroelsa hire fleets can be found on many construction sites across the UK and has become the ‘company of choice’ for many in the industry.
Positive projections for 2025
“We look forward to welcoming 2025 in the first quarter and we anticipate a more positive start compared to 2024; we are already getting enquires for hoist hire and sales for 2025, and we are delighted to work alongside some great companies. We hope to grow our customer base further. We have some fantastic returning and loyal customers who have been with us since the beginning of Direct Hoist in 2014, and we are looking to increase that as 2025 comes in. We will also be focussing on recovering from the quiet spell we had in 2024, which affected not only us but a lot of construction and allied industries too. On top of this, we have plans to further our training availability to give thorough training for hoist installers,” added Rob.
For more information, please contact the team today:
T 01724 781647
info@directhoist.co.uk
www.directhoist.co.uk