Gaining Insight

Members of the Platform Lift City Operations team visit Motala. 

by Sean O’Sullivan; photo courtesy of PLC

Since January 2020, the Platform Lift Company (PLC) has enjoyed being a key distributor for Sweden-based Motala Hissar AB, which specialises in platform lifts and is a trusted partner in the supply of parts, servicing, maintenance and training to other lift companies in the U.K.

On 4 January, four members of the PLC Operations Department visited the Swedish company’s production plant as part of their ongoing product training and career development. This was a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the manufacturing process and discover more about the R&D of the Motala platform lift product. 

Stefan Westin, managing director of Motala Hissar, welcomed Annie Holder, Samantha McSkelly, Callum Trickett and Jack Bourne from PLC to the factory. To provide a complete overview of the business, their day focused on key areas: the history of Motala Hissar, a factory/office tour, market/product development and performance, including sales support. 

Motivated by her visit, Annie (AH) was eager to talk to your author (SO) about her experience and why she felt this visit was so important to her role as Sales & Operations coordinator.  

SO: What did you hope to achieve with the visit?

AH: For all of us, a massive part was putting faces to names of those we speak with daily to help build a stronger rapport. However, we all really wanted to know how the factory worked in terms of how the lift is manufactured, lead times and the running of the business. 

We all had slightly different agendas according to our job roles: Samantha and I were keen to understand more about their operations department and to meet members of the team, whereas Callum and Jack wanted more details on dimensions, parts and the online portal that helps design the lift and produces quotations.

SO: What were the key things you learned during your visit?

AH: None of us realised how big the factory was or how smoothly their process is from the minute they get our order through to the lift being delivered to our head office. But the most important thing we all learned is “when is the perfect time for a lift to be installed” to ensure no parts are damaged.

It was also fascinating to discover the amount of technology the factory uses to programme the lifts and the other products they manufacture, as well as the Motala 2000. We were eager to discover more about future plans to expand the business, including the new paint shop which is currently being built at the factory.  

SO: How has this trip contributed to your current role?

AH: From the operations side, the trip has made us understand and appreciate the work carried out to meet our orders and expectations, which has undoubtedly made us more patient with our requests. Receiving more training on the Motala online portal was beneficial, as we are now producing quotations and 3D drawings much quicker. 

Having been introduced to the whole Motala team, we now know who to contact for each stage of the order. Also, with our increased product knowledge, we can ensure we are providing the best product fit for the application and that it is installed at the right stage of a project.  

SO: What was the most memorable part of your visit?

AH: The whole experience was incredible, from the massive snowstorm — we have never seen snow like it — to seeing the robots in the factory and just how advanced the technology is behind the manufacture of the platform lifts.  

To have been given such a fantastic learning opportunity by PLC is something all four of us will cherish. On the way back, we all agreed that we truly do have the best bosses ever; Sean and Elsa O’Sullivan are brilliant. Never have any of us worked somewhere where success and growth as individuals are just as important to the business.  

On behalf of the Operations team, I would like to say a massive “thank you” to Motala Hissar for having us and being such wonderful hosts and teaching us all things Motala!