Abstract: A lifting column provided with a powered lifting mechanism (3, 4, 5) which moves a loading bucket (7) along the vertical axis of the column. The column comprises a linear transducer (20, 30) which directly measures the height reached by the loading bucket and continuously transmits the read values to a computer unit (33). The invention further relates to an apparatus comprising a plurality of such columns and a central unit which compares the height of the various bucket and control the power group of the columns in order to maintain the various heights at the same level.