75 years of easy goods lifting

With the construction boom at the beginning of the 1950s, the demand for aids to transport building materials also increased. In Westphalia (Federal Republic of Germany), brickworks and the furniture and electrical industries were booming. Mechanical engineer, Alois Lödige, the founder of the company, struck a chord with his first product, the "Hubfix", a hand pallet truck with a removable loading table, similar to today’s pallet. 

Alois Lödige quickly recognised the need for special solutions that were designed for both transporting and lifting heavy goods. Thus, Alois Lödige developed patented lifters with sophisticated techniques for transporting stacks of bricks or movable lifters with a gripping technique for barrels. Initially, simple column hoists were also used in buildings to transport goods over several floors.

The EXPRESS, a fast loader developed for loading trucks, also served as a lift substitute. The manually operated lifter was used from the outside of buildings or through ceiling openings to transport loads up one floor. 

The lifting of loads became more and more precise and was adapted to the safety requirements of passenger lifts as developed and required by the German Technical Inspectorate (TÜV) at the time. The first telescopic lifts secured with wire mesh became lifts with a lift cabin and shaft. By the mid-60s Lödige goods lifts could lift up to 20 t and had hydraulic drives.

Due to the further development of goods lifts according to new lift guidelines, the production of passenger lifts was the logical next step. The passenger lifts led to greater brand recognition, as the lifts were now also used by private individuals. In the 1980s and 90s, Lödige Industries built countless glass and steel lifts, which are still in use today in furniture stores, cinemas and even on ships.

Today, production and warehousing companies use Lödige Industries goods lifts all over the world. For loads up to 4.5 tonnes, goods lifts with self-supporting shafts - optionally with or without attendant transport - can be installed. For heavier loads Lödige Industries offers heavy-duty lifts that vary in dimension and load capacity according to customer requirements. 

In addition, specially designed car lifts for private buildings, offices and hotels as well as gigantic lorry lifts complete the range. Lödige Industries offers service and maintenance for all types and makes of lifts throughout Europe, wherever branches or partners are active.