How AMG Plant Testing Conducted 533 LOLER Inspections in a Day with CheckedOK

Michael Warnock noticed something different on a competitor’s certificate.

The certificate itself looked clean. It was modern, easy to read, better than anything his own inspection company was producing. What were they using? CheckedOK.

If a competitor was using this lifting compliance software and producing certificates that looked good, what was AMG Plant Testing missing?

Michael runs AMG Plant Testing, a lifting inspection company covering the UK and Ireland, handling LOLER, GA1, and PUWER testing for lifting equipment across construction sites, manufacturing facilities, and industrial operations. His team knows their stuff. The problem wasn’t the quality of their work. The problem was the software slowing them down.

“The visibility was terrible,” Michael says. “Bulk inspections took forever. It was just long-winded.”

When your engineers are on site, every extra minute matters. Manual paperwork and clunky software don’t just frustrate your team; they limit how much work you can take on and how quickly you can deliver certificates to customers.

What Makes Good LOLER Inspection Software?

Michael’s first instinct was to rebuild what AMG already had. Make it faster, cleaner, more efficient. But once he looked under the hood and saw how tangled their existing system was, he started exploring alternatives.

What surprised him? Most of the bigger players in lifting compliance didn’t have their own software. They were relying on generic, off-the-shelf platforms that weren’t purpose-built for inspection work.

CheckedOK is different. It’s designed specifically for LOLER and GA1 compliance, with inspection workflows baked in from the start.

Cost mattered too. CheckedOK has no upfront cost, and all released updates were included in the subscription. That removed the financial risk of switching systems and gave AMG confidence they wouldn’t face unexpected costs down the line.

But Michael wasn’t just looking for the cheapest option. He wanted lifting compliance software that his engineers would actually use without unnecessary handholding, and support that would respond when things went wrong.

“The platform seemed easier to use,” Michael explains. “And I got a better feel for the support side – much quicker to react to issues. That customer service aspect felt more responsive.”

For an inspection company working across the UK and Ireland, where engineers are often on remote sites with patchy connectivity, responsive support isn’t optional. It’s what keeps jobs moving.

How Long Does It Take to Implement CheckedOK?

Michael didn’t want a chaotic rollout. No massive all-hands training sessions that everyone forgets the next week.

CoreRFID’s approach matched what AMG needed. Chris from the CheckedOK team ran a few training sessions, AMG tried things out, hit some snags, then went back to Chris for guidance. The sessions were spaced out over time and recorded, so the team could review them whenever they needed a refresher.

“There’s loads in the system we haven’t touched yet,” Michael says. “But we wanted to master inspections first before expanding.”

That measured approach paid off. Engineers didn’t feel overwhelmed, and they retained what they learned. When AMG is ready to explore pre-use checks, calibration templates or proof load testing features, they’ll come back to use the remaining training sessions. There’s no rush to adopt everything at once.

How Many LOLER Inspections Can You Complete in a Day?

The shift in efficiency caught Michael off guard.

Recently, AMG tackled a job for Electricityworx, a leading Independent Connections Provider and Renewable Energy Specialist in Northern Ireland; 533 pieces of lifting equipment inspected in a single day. Out of those, 43 items failed and were replaced on the spot. By Monday morning, the customer was compliant and ready to work.

Under their old system, that kind of volume would’ve been a nightmare. Hours of paperwork, delayed certificates, frustrated customers waiting on compliance documentation.

With CheckedOK’s inspection software, engineers sign in, the job is already allocated, and they move through inspections without wrestling with clunky menus or slow interfaces. The system populates as they go, certificates generate automatically, and everything syncs back to the office.

“I was surprised at the speed,” Michael admits. “It’s so much more efficient for the engineers. We can get more done.”

Part of that speed comes from CheckedOK’s offline capability. Not every site has reliable 5G or Wi-Fi. When you’re inside a warehouse or out on a remote construction site, connectivity can disappear. CheckedOK works offline, so engineers keep moving regardless of signal strength and simply sync once they’re back online.

What Do Customers Want from their Lifting Inspection Reports?

AMG’s customers started commenting on the certificates almost immediately. They looked cleaner, easier to understand and were better laid out.

But the real difference showed up in the data exports. Customers can pull inspection records into Excel, filter by location or equipment type, and analyse it however they need. The dashboard is simple to use; tick the information you need, export and you’re done.

“Some of these sites have so much equipment they struggle to keep an asset register,” Michael says. “The inspections we carry out let them keep track. They can’t always give us a list or serial numbers, but we capture that for them.”

For businesses with lifting equipment spread across seven or eight sub-locations, that visibility is everything. You can’t stay compliance if you don’t know what you have or when it was last inspected. CheckedOK’s specialised lifting software eliminates the guesswork.

QR codes are another feature customers love. Scan the code on a piece of equipment, pull up the full inspection history and any additional information stored in the system. It’s simple, but it saves time and makes audits significantly less stressful.

What’s Next for AMG and CheckedOK?

Michael sees more potential ahead. AMG’s vans are loaded with lifting equipment so they can repair or replace failed items on the spot. Customers stay compliance, sites keep moving, and no one’s left with unsafe gear.

CoreRFID are collaborating with AMG and LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association) to see how that workflow might integrate more seamlessly with installation regulations. The goal is a simple tick-box certification that streamlines on-site replacements and keeps everything compliant under both LOLER and GA1 requirements.

Beyond that, AMG plans to roll out custom test templates for proof load testing and calibration work, along with pre-use check functionality that will give their customers another layer of compliance tracking.

“There’s more room for improvement and adoption,” Michael shares. “We’ve only partially touched on certain aspects of the system. In the coming months, we’ll tap into different areas.”

Would AMG Recommend CheckedOK for LOLER compliance?

“I’d have no problem recommending CheckedOK,” says Michael. “I’d recommend it based on how simple it is to use.”

The responsive support stands out too. When AMG has run into issues – certificates not showing up in the system right away, for example – CoreRFID has been quick to respond, find the problem, and work with AMG to prevent it happening again.

“Software isn’t always perfect,” Michael says. “There are bugs, updates needed from time to time. The reactive support is what is most important, and it’s been a big positive.”

For inspection companies still wrestling with slow, outdated LOLER inspection software, or trying to manage GA compliance across Ireland without the right tools, AMG’s experience is worth paying attention to.

Faster site visits, 533 inspections in a day, happier customers and support that responds when you need it. Those aren’t small wins. They’re the things that let you take on more work, reduce admin headaches, and run a tighter operation.

If your engineers are spending too long on site or your customers are asking why compliance feels like pulling teeth, maybe it’s time to stop making do with your old system.