Engineering Consultancy Expertise & Services

LECS (UK) Ltd is a leading engineering consultancy specialising in vertical transportation, lifts, escalators, cable cars and all forms of lifting and mechanical handling equipment.

As a highly specialised team of engineers, LECS (UK) provides expert independent engineering consultancy services to a vast range of worldwide clients spanning all market sectors. Our areas of expertise include: maintenance audits, expert witness & loss adjusting, specifications for new installations, specifications for modernisations, project management, traffic analysis, witnessing of commissioning, statutory inspections, surveys and training.

Independent Maintenance Audits: Lifts, Escalators & Mechanical Handling Equipment

Appointing LECS (UK) to undertake an independent maintenance audit of any mechanical handling equipment, lifts and escalators provides confidence that maintenance schedules are being followed to a satisfactory level, on time and as specified or contracted.

1. What type of maintenance service will you need for your mechanical handling equipment?

2. What is the optimum maintenance schedule needed for your particular equipment?

3. What needs to be included in routine maintenance?

4. Who is the best provider of this maintenance?

5. Who should we engage for ongoing maintenance?

Talk to LECS (UK) - as getting all this right at the outset is very important. The placement of maintenance contracts is an integral part of the custodianship of any mechanical handling equipment.

THE BENEFITS of using LECS UK’s consultancy at this stage include:

1. Independent experts by your side, so that you make the right decision.

2. Avoid premature wear and tear, followed by early replacement, by ensuring that maintenance schedules are being correctly implemented.

3. Avoid failures that can cripple a building along with loss of time, efficiency and profits.
Engineer Expert Witness

We are a preferred engineering Expert Witness for the legal profession - advising on hundreds of potentially contentious legal cases. We have vast experience of providing expert witness services all around the globe including depositions for USA cases. Regretfully, we have extensive experience of providing our expert witness services in fatal accident cases. Our engineers are regularly requested to assist insurance companies and loss adjusters when investigating engineering claims and accidents.

LECS UK is a team of highly respected, independent and objective forensic engineers that carry out examinations, tests, accident investigation and reconstruction when needed. We provide high quality and cost-effective expert witness reports in all fields of mechanical handling equipment and vertical transportation equipment, to include lifts, escalators, moving walkways, cableways and cable car systems.

LECS UK is extensively consulted as expert witnesses by solicitors, loss adjusters and insurance companies in claims arising from personal injury accidents, allegations of defective installation, allegations of patent infringement, contractual disputes to deficient counsel from advisors,. Our experience also includes acting as a single joint expert under the requirements of civil procedure rules.

Our bespoke engineering expert witness service can range from brief advisory services to preparing extensive expert reports and giving evidence in court or a tribunal.

Many cases are settled before trial, regretfully some are not and an expert witness is required to be cross-examined on their written evidence. Generally, our expert opinion can assist solicitors in bringing a case to a conclusion before trial is reached.

We hold the prestigious Law Society ‘checked and listed’ status for our work in this area.

LECS (UK) engineers have vast experience acting as expert witnesses in:

-       Criminal Courts

-       Civil Courts
-       Coroners Courts
-       Rent and Land Tribunals
-       Mediation Cases
-       Adjudication Cases
-       Arbitration Cases
-       ADR
-       Expert Determination Cases
-       Conciliation Cases

LECS UK has been checked and verified for inclusion in:

- The Expert Witness Directory

- Sweet & Maxwell Expert Witness Directory

The directors and senior members of the company are registered with one or more of the following professional bodies:

Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers

Institution of Engineering & Technology

Chartered Association of Building Engineers

Society of Operations Engineers

Bureau of Engineer Surveyors
Bespoke Maintenance Specifications for Mechanical Handling Equipment

Using our engineering expertise and experience of all mechanical handling equipment, lifts, escalators and vertical transportation equipment, LECS (UK) is perfectly positioned to prepare the best bespoke maintenance contract for any installation.

LECS UK will help you distil the accurate answers to the following

-       What do you need from a (mechanical handling equipment) maintenance contract?

-       What do you need covered by the maintenance contract?

-       Are all necessary items & components, such a ram seals, ropes and so on, included?

-       Should other aspects, such as statutory obligations, supplementary inspections and so on, also be covered by the maintenance contract?

The wrong maintenance contract or a contract that does not include crucial elements may well mitigate any initial perceived savings made at the outset. Our advice is: get it right at the outset - talk to LECS UK for impartial, expertise and recommendations on getting your maintenance specifications nailed down at the outset

The maintenance contract can then be implemented by your chosen maintenance provider, or LECS UK can also help with Issuing to tender, tender analysis and contractor interviews.
Modernisation Specifications: lifts, escalators, cable cars & any vertical transportation.

A programme of modernisation can often extend the life of existing mechanical handling equipment such as lifts, escalators, cable cars and any type of vertical transportation. It can be very cost-effective in comparison to a complete replacement. LECS (UK) can provide engineering advice and bespoke modernisation specifications to meet clients’ needs in achieving a successful project.

From experience, we know that occasionally a contractor’s desire to present the best price and their bid in a more favourable light can sometimes lead to the exclusion of minor items. Unfortunately, missing these shortfalls can result in increased costs later down the road.

LECS UK’s team of expert engineering consultants can help you devise the most appropriate modernisation specification for your particular project, while considering the main areas, such as:

- What type of mechanical handling equipment is required?
- Will it be fit for purpose?
- How do we accurately compare competing tenders?
- Are all contractors quoting for the same elements and the same value added?

The modernisation contract can then be implemented by your chosen provider, or LECS UK can also help you with issuing to tender, tender analysis and contractor interviews. LECS UK can also provide full project management consultation too if required.
New Installation Specifications

LECS UK’s team of expert engineering consultants can help you devise the most appropriate installation specification for your particular project, while considering the main areas, such as:

-       What type of mechanical handling equipment is required?

-       Will it be fit for purpose?

-       Will it provide the lifespan required?

-       Will it conform to standards & statutory legislation to prevent post-installation issues?

-       How do we accurately compare competing tenders?

-       Are all contractors quoting for the same elements and the same value added?

Finally, from experience we know that occasionally a contractor’s desire to present the best price and their bid in a more favourable light can sometimes lead to the exclusion of minor, but often crucial elements. Overlooking these shortfalls early on can result in increased costs during and/or after installation.

Make sure you avoid these scenarios by using the expertise of LECS (UK) engineers to objectively advise on the best course of action to meet your next installation requirements. Also consider whether a new installation is necessary? Would a Modernisation programme be worth considering instead?
Portfolio Management

Many of our clients have portfolios of buildings with lifts, escalators and other mechanical handling or vertical transport equipment. To manage this effectively they outsource the management of this equipment to the engineering expert consultants at LECS (UK).

LECS (UK) Portfolio Management Service includes:

-       Off-site maintenance monitoring

-       Back-up support to include reliability investigations and forward budget management.

-       A regular reporting structure that will identify and highlight any imminent maintenance problems. These can then be address directly with the maintenance contractor if required.

-       Reminders and general advice on upcoming inspection dates.

-       Meeting all statutory obligations

-       Completing and maintaining all documentation requirements on behalf of the portfolio owner
Project Management

LECS (UK) has an enviable reputation for the provision of project management services. Appointing our team of engineers to oversee new installations and/ or modernisations of any lift, escalator and mechanical handling equipment ensures that projects are completed to specification, on budget, using quality equipment and the very best working practices.

Our clients can select the level of project management they prefer from our list of modular services including:

- Initial Survey (modernisation’s)
- Feasibility Study (new installations)
- Traffic Analysis
- Specification Preparation
- Issue to Tender
- Tender Analysis
- Contractor Interviews
- Off site Manufacturing Witnessing and Certification
- Site Visits and Meetings during installation
- Certification of Accounts
- Witnessing of Commissioning
- Issuing of Defects List
- Defects Liability Inspection
- CDM services
Risk Assessments

Workplace accidents can be costly to both a company’s finances and reputation. It is a statutory requirement that risk assessments are undertaken in the workplace environment. To help avoid accidents, LECS (UK) engineers are trained to assess risks and the probability or likelihood and severity of harm from a particular hazard occurring and what the consequences are likely to be. With equipment such as lifts and escalators being deemed work equipment under The Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER’98) and the world becoming a more litigious place having suitable risk assessments in place has never been more important.
Statutory Inspections

Certain items of plant and equipment are subject to periodic thorough examination and certification as part of meeting the requirements of statutory instruments. Not only do statutory inspections fulfil legal compliance for statutory instruments such as The Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER’98) and The Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER’98), but also act as an invaluable ‘early warning’ system - protecting users and owners from the unthinkable, by providing details of potential defects in plenty of time to correct the fault.

LECS (UK) have a matchless track record in providing cost-effective inspections to our clients. As in all that we do, empathy with our clients is of paramount importance, allowing us to offer out-of-hours inspections where taking equipment out of service could otherwise affect a company’s effectiveness and profitability.
Acquisition & Condition Surveys

Maintaining the value and effectiveness of expensive capital equipment is essential to all businesses. A detailed, objective survey of a lift, escalator and/or mechanical handling installation provides clients with the peace of mind rarely provided by a standard contractor’s maintenance report or insurer’s examination. Frequently, clients seek surveys prior to purchase or handover of an installation, prior to sale, to aid budget preparation, at cessation or break clause of a lease, or simply where advice and guidance is needed for repairs or modernisation. Naturally, we tailor our survey reports to an individual client’s needs and circumstances, but typically we would include:
- Terms of Reference
- Schedule of Plant
- Defects & Observations
- Non compliance with Current Standards
- Statutory & Legislative items
- Maintenance Items
- Budget costs for a predetermined period
- Recommendations
- Conclusion
- Photographic evidence
Dilapidation Surveys

We believe it essential, when representing either the landlord or a tenant, that a dilapidation survey presents an accurate position in relation to the terms of lease. LECS (UK) ensures, therefore, that our engineers are familiar with standard leases and are fully able to offer impartial dilapidation surveys including full Scotts schedules when required.

The benefit of appointing LECS (UK) to advise you with surveys is the independent and impartial advice that we offer as a result of having no commercial relationship with contractors or industry suppliers.
Traffic Analysis

Mistakes in quantifying likely use of lifts and escalators can be expensive. There is the obvious high cost and extreme difficulty in altering a building to install additional equipment after construction, the opposite to which is the unnecessary costs of over-engineering and installing too many lifts or escalators. But there is a more insidious problem that can arise. In the first instance, a building with too few lifts or escalators – unable to properly serve the building’s population - will soon gain a reputation that directly affects its value. Conversely, a building with too many installations reduces nett lettable space and can reduce the income value. From the very start, at the point of planning and specifying a new building or refurbishment, LECS (UK) can undertake a detailed assessment of a building’s requirements, the likely traffic patterns within it and offer an advisory report accordingly.
Witnessing Commissioning

A newly installed or modernised installation needs to be thoroughly checked to ensure compliance with statutory requirements, standards and any particular specification stipulations. In addition, a badly installed or cases of poor quality workmanship need remedying swiftly to avoid premature component wear and the need for early replacement. Mechanical handling equipment is normally a high value asset and the simple act of witnessing commissioning at the outset can avoid costs and future early disruption to a building.
Training

Our knowledge and reputation is acknowledged via the training courses we present to industry and commerce; both privately and through educational establishments. Our experienced lecturers have supplied courses to major chartered engineering organisations, NHS Trusts, high street retailers, government bodies and insurers.

As an example, the following courses are provided to building owners and managers:
- Emergency Passenger Release Procedures
- LOLER & PUWER Regulations 1998
- Statutory Requirements
- Managing lift and/or escalator portfolios
- Accident investigation for Environmental Health Officers
- Equipment specification and procurement
- HTM roles
- Standards and guidance documents
We also provide bespoke training when clients request something specific.