Business Owner’s Guide to Buying an Elevator

Step 3: Design Your Lift

This is the exciting stage where you get to create your own bespoke lift design! Check out the different sizes and features available for each lift model and think about what colours and materials would suit the interior design of your business establishment.

Tip: Try the Cibes Lift Configurator to create the perfect lift design for your business! For general inspiration, check out the article about interior design trends by Arch Daily.

Step 4: Get Your Quotation

Once you have decided on the configuration of your lift (model, size, number of floors, preferences for colours and materials), you can ask for an estimated price and delivery time. At this stage of our Business Owner’s Guide to Buying a Lift, nothing is set, and you can still change the specification if you want to add or remove a feature. Take the time to talk through your options with your lift dealer to make sure that you have everything you need.

Generally, your lift quotation is valid for 3 months. If you make changes to the lift specification the price and delivery time may change. To read more about lift prices, check out our article How much is a platform elevator?

Tip: Check if the construction work that is not directly related to the lift installation, such as carpentry or paintwork, is included in your price. If not, you may need to plan for that extra building work or ask your lift dealer to revise your quotation.

Step 5: Measuring & Site Check

If it has not been done earlier in the process, it is time for the dealer to visit your business to take measurements and get a good look at the installation site. This is a last check to make sure that everything is as it should before you get your final price and place your order. It is also the moment when the necessary building preparations are planned, such as creating the openings for the elevator to pass through the floors, building the lift shaft or digging an elevator pit.

Installing an elevator generally requires planning permission. Check with your local authorities or talk to your elevator dealer to find out what administrative measures you need to take.

Tip: Cibes platform lifts have a very shallow pit (0″, 1 ³¹/₃₂,” or 5 ¹/₈”) and are always delivered with a ready-made shaft in steel or glass so that you do not need to build your own elevator shaft unless you really want to.

Step 6: Order Your elevator

We have arrived at the sixth step of our Business Owner’s Guide to Buying an Elevator. Your dealer will help you check your order but buying an elevator is an important investment for your business. We therefore advise you to take the time to double-check that you have included everything you want and need.

When you are happy with your elevator order, it is time to approve it. Your dealer will send the approved order to the elevator factory and the manufacturing will start. Your elevator dealer takes care of everything, you do not have to handle any dealings with the factory.

Tip: Once your elevatoris in production, any changes or additions may add extra charges and increase delivery time. So please take the time to double-check your specification before order approval.

Step 7: Delivery & Installation

The transport and delivery of your elevator are organised by your Cibes dealer, so you do not need to worry about anything. You just agree on a date for when the elevator is to be installed at your premises.

Thanks to the space-efficient, ready-made construction, Cibes platform elevatorscan be installed in as little as 2-3 days and elevators with an enclosed lift car, in 3-5 days.

To learn more about how long it takes to install an elevator, read more here.

Step 8: Sign a Maintenance Contract

The last step of our Business Owner’s Guide to Buying an Elevator is often overlooked, given that elevator maintenance is not always viewed as part of the actual purchasing process. Nevertheless, just like a company car, your elevator needs to be checked and serviced on a regular basis.

The best way to make sure that your elevator is safe to use and in good working order is to sign a maintenance contract with your Cibes dealer. It is important that you pick a partner for elevator maintenance who is trained and qualified to maintain your type of elevator and drive system.

The screw-driven system of Cibes elevator solutions is robust, safe, and low-maintenance. Nevertheless, your elevator needs maintenance at least once a year, and more frequently than that if it is used many times a day. Your Cibes dealer will offer you a maintenance contract tailored to your specific needs.

Tip: Check the regulations for elevator maintenance in your state. In many cases, the frequency of lift maintenance is regulated by law. In such cases, legal requirements always supersede the elevator manufacturer’s recommended minimum for maintenance.

For general advice on how to make your business more accessible for people with disabilities, please check out our blog How to Make Your Business Accessible.