The amazing milestone of 40 years and 20,000 Microlift sales in the UK was celebrated on 13th November 2014 with a special day for everyone associated with this business success story.
Starting the day at the Hawk Conservancy in Hampshire was a management meeting looking back over the year and planning for 2015. Early afternoon guests arrived for a celebration that included a chance to get up close to some hawks in the daylight and then a fabulous moonlight display of owl-flying where many of the attendees felt the brush of soaring wings as the owls showed off inches above their heads. The day concluded with an excellent meal and a friendly buzz of conversation and congratulations between all.
Attendees at the event included five visitors from Daldoss Elevetronics S.p.A., the Italian manufacturers of Microlifts, who expressed their delight in joining in the celebrations and the long collaboration and friendship between the two companies. Both Stannah and Daldoss are family companies with three generations currently working together.
Mid-afternoon was the moment for formalities as Mark Chapman, General Manager of Stannah Microlifts, welcomed staff, trade partners, colleagues from the Orpington service branch, the Daldoss family and Stannah Group chairmen, Brian and Alan Stannah.
Alastair Stannah, Managing Director of Stannah Microlifts Ltd., thanked all the Microlift team for their hard work and dedication, congratulating everyone on a fantastic achievement. Particular mention was of Pete Whitehead, Chief Engineer, who has been with the company for those 40 years. He added that the marketing campaign around the Microlift milestone features a 39-year old Microlift , still fully operational and serviced by the Orpington branch over all those years.
Alastair also reminded everyone that Stannah has pledged to donate a Microlift to a deserving project. Nominations are requested via www.microliftgiveaway.co.uk and some exciting projects have already come in, including the British Legion in Bristol, a community centre in Cumbria and a food bank in Cheshire. The campaign runs to the end of 2014 so there’s still plenty of time to nominate.
Alan Stannah , Alastair’s father, then spoke of the family’s 40-year association with the Daldoss family, how Corrado Daldoss began the company with absolutely nothing after the 2nd World War and in 1966 won the15th International Inventors’ Show gold medal for the first electronically-controlled service lift, the Microlift!
Alan continued: “The association nearly didn’t happen. The initial contact from Daldoss could so easily have been dismissed, but Brian and I took a second look at their letter and decided to visit the company in Trentino, Italy. In addition to an excellent business relationship our two families have enjoyed great friendships and many leisure hours together, particularly skiing. We are all very proud of the bonds between our two companies and families and look forward to the next forty years!”
Alan then produced a framed photographic memento of one of those moments on the ski slopes in their earlier years. In response Carlo Daldoss, Presidenti of Daldoss, spoke in Italian, with colleague Massimo Ferraris translating, expressing emotional thanks to Alan and congratulations and thank you to ‘all our Stannah friends’ for their business, their support and their friendship. He too produced a gift to Stannah, a commemorative framed image celebrating the occasion.
Carlo’s son Andrea Daldoss added his best wishes and reminded everyone of the opportunities that lay ahead for both companies with the introduction of the new Microlift Evolution in 2015.
Find out more about Stannah at www.stannahlifts.co.uk
