Every Niftylift machine working anywhere in the world today traces its story back to one engineer, a garden shed in Bedfordshire, and a design philosophy summed up in two words: keep it simple. This is that story.
Watch the Full Story
Got 20 minutes? Take the complete Niftylift journey, told by the people who lived it. Use the chapters to jump to the moments that interest you most.
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Foundations of an Engineer
1947: Roger Bowden is born in Bedfordshire, England.
1950s: A Meccano set, given for his fourth birthday, inspires a lifelong passion for making things and a fascination with engineering. It marks the beginning of an incredible journey.
1960s and 70s: Roger completes a five-year student apprenticeship with the Plant Department of John Laing Construction, then rises to Plant Manager and Chief Engineer at Elstree Plant Ltd, John Laing's external hire company.
Early Enterprise and Electric Firsts
1976: Roger leaves Elstree Plant Ltd and establishes FRB Platforms Ltd, buying and selling second-hand lorry-mounted hydraulic platforms.
1979: Roger establishes Platform Rentals Ltd, and the rental business quickly gains momentum. A 9-metre boom set, created by mounting a modified Eurolift trailer onto a 3,500 kg chassis and powered by an auxiliary battery charged from the vehicle alternator, becomes a milestone innovation: an electric first for MEWPs, and highly popular with council lighting departments.
1981: Roger's friend Pat Fergusson, a former Colditz prisoner of war, professional racing driver and retired corporate CEO, joins part-time to help with the growing rental business. His mantra, "necessity is the mother of invention", together with the principle of Keep It Simple, shapes the design philosophy behind every Niftylift machine to this day. Through Pat's introduction to the motor racing world, Roger meets electronics expert Reg Dixon, who would go on to become his right-hand man, a connection that proves pivotal to Niftylift's future.
Birth of Niftylift
1982 to 1984: As new opportunities appear in the access market, Roger designs and builds his first in-house machine, the Nifty 95 pull-around lift, in his garden shed, following it with the UB40 Underbridge unit. Market demand for a larger trailer-mounted model leads to the 12-metre Nifty 120 in 1984. Its unique boom geometry enhances safety and becomes the foundation for everything that follows. Roger unveils the prototype at the Milton Keynes Red Balloon Release community event, where he meets Jacky Eyre, who helped organise the occasion and who would become his partner.
1985: With demand for the Nifty 120 driving serial production, FRB Platforms Ltd is renamed Niftylift Limited. Niftylift is officially born, with the Nifty 120 as its first manufactured product. It remains in production today.
Building the Business
1988: The Height Rider (HR), Niftylift's first self-propelled machine, is introduced at the SED Show. The product range expands with four new platforms, and the team grows to eight as Alison Edmunds joins to support international sales.
1989: John Keely, introduced to Roger by Reg Dixon, joins Niftylift as General Manager. He would later become Managing Director.
1991: Niftylift reaches a milestone: 500 machines sold.
1994: The company moves to its first purpose-built headquarters at Stonebridge, Milton Keynes. The range now includes the Nifty 90, Nifty 120 and Nifty 170 trailers, plus the HR10.
1995: Niftylift Inc. is established in the USA, and the HR12 is launched, becoming Niftylift's first telescopic articulating boom, developed from the non-telescopic HR10. In the mid-1990s Roger brings in fresh engineering talent from Brunel University, where his own journey began.
1997: The HR15N (Narrow) is introduced, marking the start of a new era of self-propelled product development. Niftylift also becomes a member of the Milton Keynes Community Trust.
Setting New Standards
2002: The HR15 4x4 and HR17 4x4 launch, setting new standards for low weight and compactness with exceptional performance in a more transportable form.
2003: Niftylift raises the bar with its tallest machines to date, the HR21 4x4 and Nifty 210, the first in a new 21-metre product family.
2005: Niftylift Inc. opens its first service and spare parts facility in Greer, South Carolina, USA.
2006: A new high-tech steel fabrication facility opens in Hoyland, South Yorkshire, to support Milton Keynes operations.
2007: The Diesel/Electric Bi-Energy HR21 4x4 is introduced, combining clean electric operation with diesel power for flexible, efficient performance.
2009: A landmark year for safety and sustainability. The patented SiOPS® system and ToughCage are introduced, winning an IPAF Safety Award, and Niftylift launches the HR21 4x4 Hybrid, the world's first MEWP with a true parallel hybrid power system, setting a new benchmark for sustainable performance in powered access.
2012: The HR17 Hybrid 4x4 launches at Towcester Racecourse, where the HR28 Hybrid concept, the tallest machine Niftylift has produced to date, is also unveiled.
Royal Recognition and Global Growth
2013: Niftylift wins two Queen's Awards for Enterprise, for International Trade and for Innovation, the latter recognising the HR17 Hybrid 4x4.
2014: A new sales and service site opens in Markranstädt, Germany, and construction begins on a new world headquarters at Shenley Wood, Milton Keynes.
2015: Niftylift celebrates its 30th anniversary and the opening of its state-of-the-art Shenley Wood headquarters. The HR28 Hybrid becomes the first machine to roll off the new production line and, at 28 metres, the world's tallest electric-powered MEWP. Niftylift also hosts its first Women in Engineering Day event.
2017: Roger Bowden receives the IPAF Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the powered access industry.
2019: Niftylift receives two more Queen's Awards for Enterprise, for International Trade and for Innovation recognising the HR28 Hybrid 4x4, becoming the first company ever to win two Queen's Awards twice.
2020: Niftylift launches its All-Electric range, setting a new standard for efficiency with significantly longer run times on a single charge, and introduces Niftylink®, a powerful digital analytics tool providing real-time insight into each machine's health, usage and location. A new purpose-built Service and Spare Parts Centre opens in Greer, South Carolina, to support growing North American demand.
2021: A new European distribution and service hub opens in Sittard, the Netherlands.
Electric, Hydrogen and Beyond
2022: NiftyPRO, a dedicated online training and support channel, launches to help owners and operators get the most from their Niftylift equipment.
2023: The all-electric HR17E is named Product of the Year at the Hire Association Europe's Hire Awards of Excellence. Closer to home, the RC Nifty Challenge launches, a team-based STEM competition in which local school students build and race remote-controlled scale models inspired by the HR12N, and a fully interactive HR12NE machine display opens at Milton Keynes Museum for visitors of all ages to operate.
2024: Niftylift receives its first King's Award for Enterprise, for International Trade, its fifth royal award overall. The world's first hydrogen-electric MEWPs launch with the HR15 H2E and HR17 H2E, and the HR15 H2E wins Product of the Year at the International Awards for Powered Access (the IAPAs), organised by IPAF and KHL. ClipOn launches, providing visual and audible warnings when a machine is operated without a safety harness properly secured. And at Vertikal Days, Niftylift unveils the HR22SE, its first telescopic stick boom.
2025: Niftylift celebrates its 40th anniversary, welcoming over 300 customers and partners from ten countries to Shenley Wood, and unveils the third-generation HR12 range. The company expands into the Middle East, promoting its hydrogen-electric models as part of a broader focus on zero-emission solutions, while the HR22SE wins IAPA Product of the Year and the HR17 H2E makes its international debut at bauma in Munich.
2026: Niftylift launches the MyNifty digital support platform worldwide, giving owners, operators and service personnel instant access to machine-specific technical information via QR code, and is named HAE Hire Industry Supplier of the Year for the third consecutive year. The previous year's Middle East expansion is rewarded when the HR28 4x4 is named Diesel Access Machine of the Year at the 2026 Construction Machinery Middle East Awards.
The Future
Niftylift continues to lead the industry in innovation, performance and sustainability, always looking forward to the next chapter in its remarkable journey. That chapter is being written right now, in our design offices, on our production lines and on job sites around the world.
To find out how our machines can work for you, speak to a member of our sales team today. And if you would like to help build what comes next, explore careers at Niftylift.