The ESCORTA Goods Attendant Lift: Certified for Passenger Accompaniment
Type-Tested to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC for Safe Multi-Passenger and Goods Transport
The ESCORTA is Lödige's goods attendant lift, the right choice when trained staff or operators need to travel with the load between floors. Where the SHERPA is a goods-only lift with no passenger access permitted, the ESCORTA is fully type-tested and certified to the European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, meaning accompanying persons are legally permitted to ride with the goods. This makes it ideal for warehouses, production facilities, hospitals, and retail environments where supervised goods movement is required.
The ESCORTA carries loads of up to 4,500 kg to a lifting height of up to 18 metres, with between two and six configurable stopping points and up to 12 access points. Cabin width, depth and height are all fully customisable, with dimensions reaching up to 2,800 mm in each direction.
Safety is built in as standard: the ESCORTA features a double brake system as a core part of its design, providing an additional layer of protection during accompanied transport.
The lift arrives as a freestanding self-supporting structure requiring no machine room and no structural changes to the building. A low ramp replaces the pit where floor excavation is not practical, making integration into existing buildings and racking systems fast and straightforward.
The benefits of the ESCORTA goods passenger lift
Match Hydraulic Lift Capacity with the Simplicity of a Freestanding Structure
Improve business productivity by moving more, in less time.
The ESCORTA delivers load capacities of up to 4,500 kg, comparable to a hydraulic goods lift, without the associated infrastructure costs. There is no pit to excavate, no machine room to construct, and no structural changes to the building.
The self-supporting steel frame shaft is included as standard. Installation times are significantly shorter than hydraulic alternatives, reducing the overall project cost and minimising disruption to your operations.
For applications where passenger accompaniment is not required, the SHERPA goods only lift offers the same capacity and installation benefits at a lower specification.
ESCORTA vertical goods lift technical data
| Load capacity | max. 4,500 kg |
| Lifting height | Up to 18 m |
| Nominal speed | 0.15 m/s |
| Cabin width | 900 to 2,800 mm |
| Cabin depth | 1,600 to 4,500 mm |
| Cabin height | 1,800 to 2,800 mm |
| Pit depth* | 70 / 90 / 110 / 130 / 150 mm |
| Stops | 2 - 6 |
| Accesses | 2 - 12 (one above the other or opposite) |
| Passengers | Are allowed |
| Sill load | 60% of the payload |
| Shaft width | 1,270 to 3,600 mm |
| Shaft depth | 1,740 to 4,840 mm |
| Installation width/depth | Shaft width/depth + 40 mm circumferential |
| Shaft head height* | min. cabin height + 450 mm / max. cabin height + 950 mm |
| Power train | Electric with chain |
| Directives | Machine Directive 2006/42/EC DIN EN 81-41 (on the basis) |
* Depending on the load capacity
No pit is needed if a ramp will be used.
Special designs in terms of size, conveying height and material possible on request. Technical specifications for planning purposes only. Subject to change.
Design your ESCORTA vertical goods lift online!
The Lödige approach enables various configurations, allowing users to accommodate special requirements and structural conditions. The ESCORTA vertical goods lift can be individually configured in many customisations, from size (up to 3,000 kg) and lifting height to materials and look.
Possible applications of an ESCORTA vertical goods lift:
Production
In production environments, the ESCORTA connects manufacturing stages across multiple floors while allowing operators and quality control staff to travel with the load. This is particularly valuable where goods require supervision during transit, such as fragile components, high-value materials, or work-in-progress items that need inspection at each stage.
The ESCORTA integrates directly into existing production facilities and racking systems with no structural modification, and cabin dimensions are fully customisable to suit the goods and any associated handling equipment.
Logistics and Distribution
In logistics and distribution environments, the ESCORTA enables staff to accompany goods between mezzanine levels and warehouse floors, eliminating the need for separate personnel staircases alongside goods lift routes.
This is particularly efficient for supervised picking operations, cycle counting across floor levels, and the movement of high-value or fragile stock where staff oversight during transit is required. The ESCORTA's freestanding structure integrates into both new-build and existing warehouses without pit excavation or a dedicated machine room.
Event and Shopping Centres
In retail and event venues, the ESCORTA enables goods movement between service floors while keeping staff alongside the load, essential for supervising fragile displays, high-value merchandise, or catering equipment during transit.
Its self-supporting shaft requires no machine room and can be integrated into existing buildings including heritage structures where structural changes are restricted. Unlike a standard goods-only lift, the ESCORTA allows authorised staff to ride with the goods, removing the need for separate personnel to meet the lift at each floor.
Hospitals
In healthcare settings, the ESCORTA is particularly well-suited to applications where staff accompaniment is operationally necessary or required by infection control protocols.
Pharmaceutical deliveries, clinical waste removal, sterile supplies, and catering trolleys often require a member of staff to travel with the load and take responsibility for it at each floor. The ESCORTA supports this workflow without requiring the use of passenger lifts or bed lifts that are prioritised for clinical and patient use. With a 4,500 kg capacity and fully customisable cabin dimensions, it accommodates the full range of hospital service floor requirements.
Dimension your goods lift correctly - in 3 steps
Discover how to plan the most efficient goods lift for your project
What is to be transported? What is the manoeuvring space? What is the weight load? This whitepaper guides you through the essentials of goods lift dimensioning.
Find out more about Lödige lift solutions
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ESCORTA Goods lift
Brochure -
SHERPA, ESCORTA - goods lifts, Planning guide
(Status: 08-2020) -
ESCORTA at a selfstorage
Reference sheet -
Planning Bundle ESCORTA (UK)
Cabin size: 1400 x 2000 x 2000 mm Tender specification, sample drawings (pdf & dwg)
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A vertical goods lift, also referred to as a freight lift or cargo lift, is a lift designed for transporting goods between floor levels in industrial, commercial, and healthcare buildings. Depending on the model and its certification, goods lifts either restrict transport to goods only, or permit accompanying persons to ride with the load.
The ESCORTA is Lödige’s goods attendant lift: it is type-tested and certified to the European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, which means authorised staff are legally permitted to ride in the cabin alongside the goods. This distinguishes it from the SHERPA, which is a goods-only lift where passenger accompaniment is not permitted.
Yes. The ESCORTA carries loads of up to 4,500 kg, comparable to a hydraulic goods lift, across a lifting height of up to 18 metres with up to six stopping points. Cabin dimensions are fully customisable, with width, depth and height all configurable to suit the specific goods, pallets, or handling equipment being transported.
For accompanied loads, the ESCORTA includes a double brake system as standard, providing enhanced safety during transit. The sill load capacity is 60% of the total payload, and special designs for higher capacities or non-standard dimensions are available on request.
The ESCORTA is used wherever goods need to move between floors and staff accompaniment during transit is required or preferred. Common applications include: Warehouses and distribution centres, where staff supervise picking or stock movement across mezzanine levels. Manufacturing and production; where components or work-in-progress items require operator oversight during transit.
Hospitals and healthcare; where pharmaceutical, catering, or clinical supply deliveries require a member of staff to travel with the load. Retail and event venues; where high-value or fragile merchandise needs to be supervised between service floors. The ESCORTA can also be configured for automated operation, making it compatible with AGV and AMR systems in automated warehouse environments.
The ESCORTA is designed to be straightforward to operate for warehouse, production, and facility staff. Controls are intuitive and no specialist operator training is required beyond a standard site induction. The ESCORTA offers two operating modes: manual mode for hand-loading and accompanied transport, and automatic mode for integration with AGV and AMR systems in automated environments.
The control cabinet mounts directly to the lift shaft, removing the need for a separate machine room and keeping the installation footprint compact. Cabin dimensions and access configurations are customisable during the design stage to match the specific workflow of the site, reducing the need for operational workarounds after installation.
The SHERPA and the ESCORTA are both freestanding goods lifts with identical maximum load capacities of up to 4,500 kg and lifting heights of up to 18 metres. The key difference is passenger access. The SHERPA is a goods-only lift. Staff are not permitted to ride in the cabin during operation. It is certified to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC under DIN EN 81-31.
The ESCORTA is a goods attendant lift. It is type-tested to the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC under DIN EN 81-41, which legally permits authorised personnel to accompany the goods during transit. It also includes a double brake system and a minimum cabin depth of 1,600 mm (versus 1,200 mm for the SHERPA) to accommodate accompanying persons safely.
If passenger accompaniment is not required, the SHERPA is the more cost-effective choice. If staff need to travel with the load, the ESCORTA is the appropriate model.