Yama Saha, owner of German access equipment dealer Sahalift, has acquired the name, trademark and intellectual property rights of insolvent Danish aerial work platform manufacturer Ommelift.
In 2020 Saha acquired Ommelift Deutschland, the manufacturer’s German subsidiary in Langenhagen, and renamed it Sahalift. Earlier this year, the Danish manufacturer Omme Lift A/S filed for insolvency. Saha says he stepped in after efforts by other investors to continue the business had failed.
He says his initial focus will be on establishing a worldwide spare parts supply for existing Ommelift machines through a new company, Ommelift GmbH in Germany, which will operate independently from his distribution businesses.
The new company will work through the existing technical documentation, review available parts and suppliers, and identify where parts can be sourced or – if necessary – manufactured. However, Saha has said that it is unlikely that all parts will be available immediately while information and supply channels are rekindled. He has not yet decided whether he will also restart the manufacturer of new Ommelift machines.
Saha said: “For me, Ommelift is far more than just a name on a machine. “I’ve known the people behind the company, many dealers, and many of our customers for decades. We have built a great deal together. Experiencing the insolvency was therefore all the more difficult. Many of our customers have been using their Omme machines every day for years. They need answers and spare parts to keep these machines running.”
“I don’t want to promise anything we can’t deliver yet, but we will explore every option, handle enquiries as quickly as possible and communicate openly whenever sourcing a part takes longer. Whether we will be able to offer machines under the Ommelift name again in a few months or a few years, I can’t say today. First, we need to build up the spare parts supply and do our homework.”
Omme Lift began as a blacksmith shop in the town of Sønder Omme in central Jutland, and began manufacturing agricultural machinery in 1945, adding aerial work platforms in 1983, shortly after long serving third generation manager Harry Lorentsen took over. He passed away in 2023 after a short illness. The company delivered its 10,000th lift at the end of 2019.
Saha has worked with Ommelift products since 1998 and was part of the founding team when the manufacturer set up its German subsidiary in Langenhagen, near Hannover, in 2004. He became managing director in 2015 and acquired the business five years later.
Vertikal Comment
There is a sense of Deja-Vu here in that the German distributor of Danish trailer and spider lift manufacturer Rothlehner acquired the assets of Denka Lift a year after it became insolvent and filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
In that case, Rothlehner also focused on restarting Denka parts and service, and only then did it consider restarting the production of the most popular models at its German facility. With the first units were delivered in 2014, more than two years after it had shut its doors.
It is entirely possible that the same will happen with the Ommelift, and I think most companies in the industry will be happy to see the survival of the brand, albeit at a dramatically reduced level.
