EMEAI - English
We work with building owners, developers, principal contractors and facilities managers across the United Kingdom. Our teams plan, install and maintain permanent facade access systems for high-rise buildings and complex elevations, staying with each project from concept through to long-term service. Everything we do is aligned to UK standards and current regulations, including the Work at Height Regulations 2005, LOLER 1998 and the Building Safety Act 2022, so duty holders can be confident their obligations are being met.
Facade Access Solutions is part of Alimak Group, a global leader in this sector. More than 1,000 colleagues across 39 locations support our UK work, and our track record includes over 16,000 units installed worldwide. For clients, that scale means reduced risk, fewer surprises during procurement and a partner who will still be here when the system needs its first major service.
Our permanent access equipment range covers the full spread of UK building types, from mid-rise commercial properties through to landmark towers with complex elevations. Drawing on the Tractel, Manntech and CoxGomyl brands under one roof, we can match the right system to each roof configuration and facade type, rather than forcing a single product to fit every situation. That choice matters for owners: the correct specification at the outset means lower long-term ownership costs, fewer disruptive interventions and a longer working life for the asset.
Building Maintenance Units travel along the roof to give safe, repeatable access across large elevations. Each BMU is engineered around the specific building geometry and roof loadings, with collective fall protection built in from the design stage. UK projects are planned around BS 6037-1:2017 and BS EN 1808:2015, giving owners confidence that the system will remain compliant across its working life and that day-to-day maintenance activity can be carried out with reduced risk to operatives and to occupied floors below.
Our davit systems and davit arms are well suited to smaller roofs and buildings with infrequent access requirements. They transfer working loads safely into the building structure and support powered cradles or rope access for routine maintenance. For owners of mid-rise assets, a well-specified davit solution can be a more cost-effective route to compliant access than a full BMU. Where davits are used for rope access, the hierarchy of control under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 should be applied to confirm suitability.
A monorail carries a cradle along a fixed track and is often the right answer for atria, soffits and recessed elevations. A roof-mounted rigid rail system provides a flexible track-based option for more challenging roof profiles and non-standard architectural forms, allowing our engineers to reach areas that a conventional BMU cannot serve without compromise. Rope access monorail configurations are also available on request.
Anchor points and lifelines provide the fixed infrastructure that rope access and fall protection work depends on. They are the right choice where a full mechanical system is not required, and they give facilities teams a compliant means of reaching areas of the facade for inspection and light maintenance. Installation and periodic inspection are carried out in line with BS 7883:2019, BS EN 795:2012 and BS EN 17235:2024, providing a clear audit trail for the duty holder.
Our powered platforms run on permanent guide rails and deliver steady, controlled vertical travel. They are particularly well suited to tall, repetitive elevations across UK commercial and residential portfolios, offering reliable daily access with minimal disruption to tenants and reduced downtime for the wider maintenance programme.
We support each asset across its full lifecycle. Our UK offer covers new developments, early design-stage planning and upgrades to existing installations, giving owners a single partner who understands the building today and can help plan for what it will need in ten or twenty years’ time.
For new construction, we design and install access systems that fit the architecture from day one. Early specification helps clients meet the hierarchy of control set out in the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and align with BS 8560:2012+A1:2018, and it typically results in cleaner integration with the facade, fewer late-stage design clashes and a lower total cost of ownership over the life of the building.
Our integrated design services bring facade access planning into the early design phase, working alongside architects, structural engineers and facade consultants. Involving specialist engineering expertise at this stage means access provisions are considered when there is still flexibility in the design, rather than being retrofitted around finished elevations. The result is a more elegant solution that keeps the building line clean and the compliance position clear.
Our retrofit services upgrade or extend the access provision on existing UK buildings with minimal disruption to tenants. We assess ageing systems against current standards and replace components that no longer meet the required level of protection, giving owners a route to bring older assets back to a compliant, insurable condition without the expense of full replacement.
Beyond facades, we also deliver infrastructure access solutions for bridges, tunnels and nuclear facilities across the UK, drawing on the same engineering discipline our building clients rely on.
Our UK services keep facade access systems safe, compliant and available when they are needed. We maintain our own equipment and installations from other manufacturers, so owners of mixed estates can consolidate their maintenance arrangements with a single accountable partner.
Our service solutions cover planned preventative maintenance and reactive call-outs, keeping systems running when the maintenance programme depends on them. Response times and competent persons are managed locally, so owners get quicker resolution and a single UK-based point of accountability rather than a call routed overseas.
Our inspection, safety and compliance service checks systems against UK standards and current regulations, including LOLER 1998, the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and BS 6037-1:2017. Reports are clear, actionable and structured to support the duty holder’s own record-keeping, which helps demonstrate compliance to insurers, regulators and building control.
Our refurbishment solutions extend the working life of ageing BMUs and powered platforms by replacing components and control systems. A well-executed refurbishment delivers improved safety, a modernised control experience for operators and a lower long-term cost than full replacement — often at a fraction of the disruption to the occupied building.
Genuine OEM spare parts keep older systems reliable and compliant. We supply parts for CoxGomyl, Manntech and Tractel equipment, drawing on the original engineering drawings rather than pattern parts, which reduces the risk of unplanned downtime caused by ill-fitting components.
Our asset management service consolidates inspection records and service history in one place. This gives duty holders a clear view of the condition of their equipment, helps them demonstrate compliance and supports better long-term capital planning by making future spend more predictable.
Our training prepares operators and competent persons to use facade access systems safely and in line with UK regulations. Well-trained teams reduce operational risk, shorten each maintenance visit and help owners get more from the equipment they have already invested in.
Our UK team is your single point of contact from first enquiry through to ongoing service, so you always know who to call and who is accountable when something needs to happen. That local relationship is what most clients tell us matters most day-to-day — the confidence that a named person understands their building and can move quickly.
Behind that team sits genuine engineering depth. Our specialists work from hubs in Germany, Spain and Luxembourg, with further teams in Toronto, Dubai and Singapore, and every UK project can draw on that capability when a design challenge needs it. This combined footprint means clients get international engineering resources while keeping accountability firmly in the UK.
Our specialists bring more than 120 years of combined experience to the sector, with 16,000+ machines installed worldwide and 300+ new facade access projects delivered each year. That scale gives owners confidence in our ability to support complex or unusual buildings, while our local presence means the people managing your project and servicing your equipment are based near you in the UK.
We also give clients a breadth of choice that few others can match. The combination of Tractel, Manntech and CoxGomyl means we can specify the most appropriate system for almost any building, rather than pushing a single product line. UK clients reach all three brands through one team, supported by the wider strength of Alimak Group.
Our UK team will help you plan a new project, inspect an existing system or scope a refurbishment.
BS 6037-1:2017 typically calls for an annual load test on a BMU, together with a thorough six-monthly inspection and quarterly visual checks by a competent person. LOLER 1998 sets the underlying duty for the thorough examination of lifting equipment. Actual inspection intervals should always be confirmed with a competent person, as the risk assessment for a specific site may require a different regime.
Key references include BS 6037-1:2017, BS 6037-2:2020 and BS EN 1808:2015 for suspended access equipment. Anchor systems and personal fall protection also draw on BS 7883:2019, BS EN 795:2012, BS 8610:2017, BS 8437:2022 and BS EN 17235:2024. UK projects sit under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Work at Height Regulations 2005, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and the Building Safety Act 2022. Our codes, regulations and standards page sets out how these apply across the equipment range.
Yes. Our UK service teams maintain and inspect installations from a wide range of brands, not just our own. Genuine OEM spare parts and refurbishment work keep older units safe, compliant and available, which is often more cost-effective for owners than removing and replacing equipment that is otherwise structurally sound.
Yes. We bring facade access planning into the design stage so that systems are compliant and well integrated from the outset. Early involvement supports alignment with BS 8560:2012+A1:2018 and the hierarchy of control under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and it usually produces a cleaner architectural result and a lower whole-life cost than solutions added later.
The duty holder is responsible for managing the equipment safely. Depending on the arrangement, this may be the building owner, facilities manager, principal contractor or designer. Each duty holder is expected to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, LOLER 1998 and the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Where responsibilities are shared, we always recommend clarifying accountability in writing early in the project.
A BMU should be reviewed when components approach the end of their design life or when inspections identify safety or compliance concerns. Refurbishment can restore reliability where the underlying structure is sound. Full replacement is usually the right call when the system can no longer be brought up to current UK standards. Our UK team can review the installation in place and recommend a refurbishment or retrofit path based on age, condition and business need.