The Manufacturer-Distributor Relationship

Your author discusses the importance of relationships for retaining identity and remaining competitive as an independent.

It gets more and more difficult to move within a crowded market if you are all selling the same thing but with a slightly different shop front. This is why the manufacturer-distributor relationship is so important, as is keeping your business agile.

Your author has been in the platform lift industry for 25 years and has seen it change from just a few companies specialising in this industry to many, all promoting similar or the same models of platform lifts. The tell-tale sign is when you visit your competitors’ websites and recognise immediately that they are a distributor for the same manufacturer as you because the product images are the same.    

So how do you retain your own identity and remain competitive? One way is to establish a good relationship with the manufacturer. It sometimes can seem frustrating being given the same set of marketing materials as your competitors, so it is always worth speaking to them about investing in new photography and video so, at least, there is a wider library of material from which to choose. In an ideal world, it would be great if the manufacturer could contribute to the costs of sending out a professional photographer or a videographer. 

Some of the best manufacturers of platform lifts will have several distributors. So, what are the options? Accept your website and brochures are going to look the same as your competitors’ business or invest in your brand, like we have done.

Last year, the Platform Lift Company launched a new website. We invested heavily in getting professional photography and video of our installations. This has paid off, as the new website not only looks stunning, but it has also distinguished us from our competitors. The beauty of being an independent company is that we have the freedom to create our own image and choose the right manufacturers to keep growing the business. This means our product range always represents the best and latest innovations.

The beauty of being an independent company is that we have the freedom to create our own image and choose the right manufacturers to keep growing the business. This means our product range always represents the best and latest innovations.

We also have shaped the business, so it works for the manufacturers by being a trusted U.K. partner for parts, training and servicing. For example, the Service and Maintenance division of our business has entered a new agreement with Liftup A/S to provide product parts and technical training to U.K. distributors on behalf of the Danish company. 

This new agreement has been put in place to improve efficiencies and the level of service to Liftup’s U.K. distributors who will benefit from improved delivery times and increased availability of spare parts for platform lift products, including the popular Flexstep, Easy Lift and HDN.

In addition to the supply of parts, the Platform Lift Company will also provide U.K. distributors with technical training on Liftup’s product range at its new showroom and head office in Andover, Hampshire. 

We are the only company in the U.K. to specialise exclusively in platform lifts. Our business is supported by a network of fully qualified platform lift maintenance engineers. With everything “under one roof,” our business is ideal for overseas manufacturers wanting a trusted partner in the U.K. who can support their customers. 

It gets more and more difficult to move within a crowded market if you are all selling the same thing but with a slightly different shop front. This is why the manufacturer-distributor relationship is so important, as is keeping your business agile.

For example, the Platform Lift Company is responsible for providing parts, servicing, maintenance and repair for Motala Hissar’s range of platform lift products within the U.K. As a key distributor, we can also supply their products to other trade lift companies, which has enabled us to expand our network of trade partnerships.

Building close relationships with platform lift manufacturers is a fundamental element of our business. Earlier this year we were thrilled to be awarded Certified Distributor status by Liftup for delivering excellent customer service, good collaboration and outstanding performance. This is a huge achievement and incentive for us to continue promoting their award-winning products and building a relationship with them. The certification gives us a competitive edge as it demonstrates our credibility and product knowledge. Being a Certified Distributor means businesses like us are recognised by the manufacturer for achieving agreed annual growth and being instrumental in developing their brand. It shows loyalty from both parties. 

The platform lift industry is fast becoming like a game of Monopoly, with the big players snapping up independent companies like us. Obviously, there are advantages to being owned by an investor, like bigger marketing budgets, resources and financial security, but as demonstrated, there is something to be said for resisting this “dangling carrot” and remaining independent.

We know our customers come to us because we will make sure the product is “fit for purpose” and meets their specifications. The beauty of being an agile business is that we can add to our product range at any time to meet new market trends like luxury home lifts, vertical lifts with seamless glazed panels on all four sides, energy-efficient drive systems and cabin lifts that can deliver the same experience as a passenger lift but without the costs. 

Being a small independent business doesn’t mean you get lost in the crowded market — it is quite the opposite. You will always get noticed for being an individual.