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PROUD TO BE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN THE UK
Freeing a stuck or seized cover is one of the hardest, most time-consuming parts of the job. It’s cold, heavy, repetitive work, and every extra minute spent on one cover slows down the entire day. Across a team or a network of crews, those minutes quickly become costly hours.
The CoverUp Key was created to solve that problem once and for all. It is the only tool in the world designed specifically to release stuck covers.
Developed and manufactured in the UK by engineers and operatives who’ve worked in the field, the CoverUp Key combines precision design with real-world insight. Its patented slide-hammer action converts manual effort into an upward impact that breaks the seal, safely, effectively and efficiently. Protecting workers while speeding up every job.
Now used by water companies, utilities, highways teams, and fire services across the UK, Europe and North America, the CoverUp Key has become the global benchmark for safe access work.
To make manual access work safer, easier, and more efficient by replacing outdated, unsafe methods with tools designed for the real conditions operatives face every day.
We believe every worker deserves equipment that respects their time, effort, and safety.
To set a worldwide standard for safe manhole and inspection cover removal, reducing injuries, lost hours, and unnecessary costs across every sector that works below ground.
From the first prototype built in a UK workshop to a tool now trusted across continents, the CoverUp Key represents a new way of thinking about manual access work, one that puts physics, safety, and people first.
A prototype is built in our founder’s shed to find a faster, safer way to free seized covers. The beginning of a new standard in access tools.
The first production batch is completed and sold into the UK drainage market, where early adopters immediately see time and safety gains.
The first international distributor is established in Australia (McBerns Ltd), with region-specific tips designed for local cover types.
Customer feedback leads to the addition of a second handle, allowing users to maintain a more upright, ergonomic posture.
The CoverUp Key expands into telecoms, pest control, electricity, fresh water, and gas sectors, each with its own tailored tip set.
That same year, we partner with the UK Fire & Rescue Service to create a hydrant version of the tool, enabling crews to lift hydrant covers and operate valves in one motion. This design reduces response time in emergencies while saving weight and space on fire appliances.
Multiple distributors are added across Europe, with new tips designed for each region and industry’s unique requirements.
Formerly known as the ManUp Key, the product is rebranded as the CoverUp Key. The name change reflects our commitment to innovation and social awareness evolving not just our engineering, but our language, to match the world we work in.
The CoverUp Key becomes the standard lifting tool for all major water authorities across the UK. A new carry case is introduced, improving storage, transport, and usability on site.
Our first US distributor, Minicam Inc., opens distribution to the American and Canadian markets, marking a major step in global accessibility.
A new global e-commerce website launches, allowing operatives anywhere in the world to order the CoverUp Key directly, even in regions without local distributors.
We are redesigning our range of tips using customer feedback and new materials for even greater strength and durability, continuing our mission to make access work Safe. Efficient. Effective.
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