Design & manufacturing
British-engineered lift safety solutions built to exceed your expectations
At Atwell International, we don’t just supply industry-leading lift safety equipment. We design and manufacture it.
Our VG safety products range represents over 30 years of continuous innovation, creating solutions that set industry standards worldwide. From initial concept through to finished product, every component is designed and engineered at our Worcester facility. We serve lift manufacturers needing bespoke safety solutions, operators requiring equipment for extreme applications and contractors seeking products that outperform standard offerings.
Common problems we can address include safety gear engagement forces that are too high, components that can’t handle unusual loads or speeds, and equipment that doesn’t fit within existing lift shafts. Our design team thrives on these challenges, developing solutions like our 80,000kg capacity ‘Colossus’ safety gears, and compact VG8 systems that prove innovation drives safety forward. Whatever you need, we can design and manufacture the right solution.
Our design & manufacturing process
Our process starts where our standard products stop. Working from your specifications, our engineers develop solutions using advanced 3D modelling and stress analysis. Every design undergoes rigorous calculation verification before prototype manufacturing begins in our workshop.
We machine critical components in-house, maintaining absolute quality control. Our VG safety gears use specially developed cam profiles and spring configurations, refined through decades of testing. Each product undergoes individual testing beyond EN81 requirements. We don’t rely on batch sampling.
Our manufacturing flexibility means we can adapt standard products or create entirely new solutions, tailored to your exact requirements. Recent innovations include bi-directional rope brakes for unintended movement protection and safety gears adapted for rollercoaster applications. We maintain full material traceability and provide comprehensive documentation packages.
Our custom solutions typically take eight to 12 weeks from concept to delivery. Standard VG products ship from stock, modified designs within four to six weeks.
Why choose Atwell?
When standard solutions aren’t enough, our design and manufacturing capabilities deliver products that exceed your expectations. Our design expertise has solved challenges others considered impossible. We’ve created safety systems for Disney, Universal Studios, the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace and military vessels, all applications demanding absolute reliability. With complete in-house capabilities from CAD design to CNC machining, we control every aspect of quality and delivery. When you work with us, you’ll benefit from:
- British engineering heritage – Designed and manufactured in Worcester since 1996
- Proven innovation – From theme park rides to military applications
- Rapid prototyping – Full design to prototype in weeks, not months
- Extreme applications – Safety gears tested to 80,000kg and 10m/s
- Complete certification – BSI tested with full EN81-20/50 compliance
- Continuous development – Ongoing R&D investment in safety technology
Let’s talk
Whether you need modifications to existing products or completely new solutions, our design team is ready to deliver. So, bring us your toughest lift safety challenges. From extreme loads to impossible spaces, we engineer solutions that work.
