Asansör İstanbul Attendance Exceeds Expectations

Panels discussing elevator standards for earthquake zones and the necessity of vocational training were on the agenda.

The 18th annual Asansör İstanbul Fair, organized by Tarsus Türkiye with the support of AYSAD, took place March 9-12. Held at the Tüyap Beylikdüzü Fair and Congress Center, the number of domestic and international visitors at this year’s fair made it the most attended in the region.

With broad participation, but a heaviness of heart due to the devastation caused by the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, 363 companies opened stands in eight halls and displayed their latest products. Although organizers worried that visitors would not be able to come from the earthquake region and abroad, 6,906 foreign visitors came from different countries including Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Kosovo and Kazakhstan, and a total of 24,314 professionals visited the four-day fair.

General Manager of Tarsus Fuarcılık Zekeriya Aytemur said: 

“This year’s motto was ‘New world, new opportunities.’ Asansör İstanbul 2023 has more than realized all the achievements promised by this message. Always making its way into the fair agendas of industry professionals, each year adds new visitors, most of whom are buyers from different countries, to Asansör İstanbul’s portfolio.”

Aytemur announced organizers received a great number of applications for Asansör İstanbul 2025 during the fair, where many multi-million-dollar commercial transactions were carried out. Although some industry-leading companies canceled their participation both before and after the earthquake (leading to last-minute changes to hall arrangements), the canceled stands were quickly reserved by other companies.

Manufacturers From Konya Left Their Mark on the Fair

Each year, Konya lift companies have become more influential at Asansör İstanbul. The city’s rapid growth in the industry has been made possible by competitive pricing and the advantage of low-cost investments in Konya Organized Industrial Zones. With impressive stands, Ah-met Asansör, Küçük Group, Akış Makina ve Kablo, Eker Makina and Butkon, along with newcomer EQ Lift, attracted attention from the visitors. 

To express respect and condolences for the major losses caused by the two large earthquakes before the fair, Konya’s export leader Ah-met Asansör did not display any products and instead placed a huge heart with the names of provinces impacted by the earthquake in its stand. Visitors appreciated this display and took many photographs.

The new integrated lift control unit HD Max, which was displayed at the fair for the first time by Hedefsan, a lift control system manufacturer from Konya, was one outstanding product on display. HD Max allows instant monitoring and response with remote access features and built-in Wi-Fi. Through the mobile app, device error logs can be observed, parameters changed and commands given to the lift. The HD Max mobile application is compatible with all Android and IOS devices. 

Product Range in Yükseliş Asansör Stand Was the Center of Attraction for Visitors

Yükseliş Asansör, which manufactures on a 27,000-m² property in Ankara and has the highest test tower in Türkiye, established a container-concept stand that became the center of attraction for visitors. The company’s inclined lift was displayed in working order, and many guests lined up to experience it. Destination control systems compatible with new gearless motors were among products that came to the forefront in the stand.

Panel: Industrial Vocational High Schools, Career Days Meeting

There wasn’t an official opening ceremony for this year’s fair, and the first event to take place was the panel “Industrial Vocational High Schools, Career Days Meeting.” Students from Samandıra, Haydarpaşa, Şişli, İMMİB Erkan Avcı, Alibeyköy and Bayrampaşa vocational and technical high schools showed great interest in the meeting. AYSAD Board Chairman Oğuzhan Bulgurluoğlu acted as moderator, and the speakers were Murat Kaya, Otis Marmara regional manager; Electrical Engineer Fevzi Yıldırım, GTS Asansör board chairman and AYSAD deputy president; and Hüseyin Çardak, GM Asansör field installation control supervisor. 

In his opening speech, Bulgurluoğlu spoke to the students, underlining the importance of occupational safety and employment issues in the industry: 

“In this meeting, we aim to familiarize you with the industry and to inform you of employment and career opportunities accurately. According to our findings, only 10% of vocational high school students engage in the industry they were trained for. There is something wrong here. We will try to resolve this situation in cooperation.” 

He also gave examples of Turkish people who graduated from vocational high schools and rose to senior management positions across the world. Murat Kaya shared his educational background at İzmir Çınarlı Industrial Vocational High School Electromechanical Carriers Branch, where he was one of the first graduates, with the audience. 

Explaining the present situation of the lift industry in Türkiye, Fevzi Yıldırım said that the whole system consists of automation — all loading, mechanical and interface procedures are unmanned and carried out with computers. He referred to inventions in the lift industry and emphasized that the youth should do jobs they love.

Hüseyin Çardak stated there were around 800,000 lifts in the country, and the number would gradually increase with renewed buildings. He stressed the importance of having a professional competence certificate and taking occupational safety measures. He also emphasized the need for trained and qualified personnel in the industry.

Panel: Lifts and Buildings Subject to Seismic Conditions

The panel titled “Lifts and Buildings Subject to Seismic Conditions” took place in the afternoon on the second day of the fair and attracted considerable interest. Turkish Machinery Federation VP Sefa Targıt acted as the moderator, and the panelists were Dr. Erdem İmrak, a member of the İTÜ mechanical engineering faculty; Esfandiar Gharibaan, chairman of CEN TC 10 Lifts Technical Committee; Dr. Ferhat Çelik, member of the European Lift Association (ELA) Component Committee; and Paolo Tattoli, CEN TC 10/WG8 coordinator and president of Italy UNI/CT 019. Movers and shakers of the global lift industry participated in the panel. 

Roberto Zappa, president of the ELA, also made a speech, underlining that he was very happy to be in Istanbul and offering a message of support for the Turkish people after the earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye. Zappa stated that 21 European countries rushed to help with search, rescue and medical aid and emphasized the importance of solidarity. 

Expressing his appreciation for such a high level of participation in the fair after the large and destructive earthquakes, Zappa said:

“It is remarkable that companies across Türkiye continue production by showing an incredible determination and endurance, although the earthquakes adversely affected the industrial and business structures in the region. The European industry will unite and do its share to help, as well as showing the solidarity of the European lift industry in Istanbul.”

Panel moderator Targıt showed pictures of a damaged lift in a completely undamaged building complex in Malatya, saying: 

“Earthquakes are the most expensive and destructive tests. We had the opportunity to examine the Kocaeli, Van and Malatya earthquakes on-site. This is our subject. This lift should continue to be used and not lead to the loss of lives. Our duty is to ensure that lifts in buildings constructed firmly on the right grounds do not harm themselves and their surroundings and that people are not stuck in them during and after the earthquake. In this panel, we will talk about the behaviors of lifts in buildings that were not demolished.”

İmrak said:

 “In consequence of our examinations in Malatya, we observed that lifts encountered problems and suffered damage in particular points. Our observations after the two earthquakes matched with lift damages in earthquakes that occurred in other countries. There are methods and standards to get rid of these damages. These standards should be fulfilled and applied to each lift in the earthquake region, and of course, relevant authorities should control whether they are applied. According to the information we have obtained so far, there were no loss of lives or people stuck in lifts after the earthquake. This is good news. Citizens should use the lifts after authorized bodies make relevant controls and say they can be used. It is hard to estimate the behavior of each lift in this large building stock during the earthquake. For this purpose, it is recommended to identify and prioritize critical buildings, and to quickly determine the measures that should be taken; it will not be possible to respond to all lifts currently.” 

Stating that the main topic of his speech would be international standardization, Gharibaan continued:

“International standardization has become important for all industries as a result of globalization, facilitation of information and experience sharing and economic interdependence. It is necessary to have full knowledge of these standards and practices, get beyond the limits and carry trade outside country boundaries. International standardization facilitates exports, and it is important not only for manufacturers, but also for all stakeholders and customers. International standardization allows us to add solutions. For instance, I cannot think of any lift solution that does not use automatic rescue technology. There are several mechanics that reformulate building interfaces, and this is very important. Evacuation standards for tall buildings, etc. The first quarter of 2025 is very close, and we need to be prepared for new regulations to be put into force.”

It is remarkable that companies across Türkiye continue production by showing an incredible determination and endurance, although the earthquakes adversely affected the industrial and business structures in the region.

— Roberto Zappa, president of the European Lift Association 

Çelik conveyed his impressions from his Malatya trip:

“It is more possible for the machine to be damaged due to oscillation if the building is tall. Low-rise buildings should be constructed in earthquake zones. There should be a combination of the right ground, right building and right lift. TOKİ houses are not damaged; new technologies, raft foundation and tunnel formwork systems were used. But there are damaged lifts because EN 81-77 was not applied. Sixteen lifts were examined. Two of them were hydraulic, eight without machine rooms and six with machine rooms. The seismically damaged lifts we saw in Malatya were the same as the ones we saw in Van. It means we couldn’t get one step further. Fifteen-floor buildings, overpasses and steel construction buildings were examined. The problem is that concrete blocks got out of their frames. Turgut Özal Hospital has earthquake isolators. Only two of 50 lifts were out of order. It means the system was successful. There is damage in cantilever welding. Production information has not been comprehended adequately. There can be problems in brackets, cantilevers, counterweight blocks, cabin guide rails and guide shoes. Counterweight blocks collide with cabins. There are no problems with the hydraulic lifts we examined. We saw 34 such lifts in Van. In lifts without machine rooms, concrete blocks fell on the cabin. As a result of these trips and scientific research, 66 of 6,176 hydraulic lifts we examined were damaged, corresponding to 1%. We examined 4,472 lifts with electric ropes and conventional machine rooms; 604 of them were damaged, corresponding to 10%. Over 10,000 lifts were examined in total. This is a statistically valuable number.”

Tattoli thanked organizers for the invitation and expressed his sorrow for the earthquakes and his warm wishes for beautiful Türkiye. In his presentation, he spoke about the past and present of work for EN 81-77 standards in seismic region lifts, and about the personnel that made great efforts in their work. 

The next Asansör İstanbul Fair will take place at the Congress and Exhibition Center on 24-27 April 2025.