Feats of Strength: Hissmekano Celebrates 75 Years

Swedish wholesaler Hissmekano’s Nordic Elevator Championships mark 75th anniversary with a very special party.

Active in the elevator industry since 1938, Swedish wholesaler Hissmekano celebrated its 75th anniversary on November 21, 2013, with its inaugural Nordic Elevator Championships, which could best be described as a unique competition/party. Drawing more than 200 guests from Denmark, Finland, Norway and beyond to its headquarters in the Stockholm suburb of Täby, the event was such a success that Hissmekano plans to hold it annually, expanding it to include all of Europe at Interlift 2015 in Augsburg, Germany. Part of the event’s purpose was to demonstrate that a career in elevators can be fun and rewarding. Indeed, participants in the championships were psyched to compete, and festivities continued long after awards had been handed out. “This was the best fun ever,” stated Jesper Näslund, a technician from Hissen AB who became the Overall Elevator Champion for getting the best overall score in four competitions. “I am really happy to have won, and I will now start training to be able to defend my title next year.” For his efforts, Näslund received SEK10,000 (US$1,541) in cash.

The idea for the championships was born during a brainstorming session when someone brought up the international truck competition, Scania Top Team, held by Swedish truck company Scania. Management at Hissmekano believed that a similar, elevator-related event would be the perfect way to mark such a significant company milestone – its 75th birthday – as well as generate enthusiasm for the industry. They arranged the championships in the form of a tetrathlon (comprising four competitions) that measured speed and skill in:

• Lock changing
• Button pushing in a 1-min. timeframe
• Stripping and mounting a cable
• Hand winding an elevator in a 1-min. timeframe

There were two competitions with clear winners. One was stripping a cable and attaching it to a mounting socket. The sole person able to perform the task in less than 2 min. was Patrik Fröberg, a project manager at Hissen of Stockholm. The other was the hand winding of the elevator, in which the average technician performed the task in approximately 1,000 cycles. Winner Marcus Nyman, however, won with 1,900 cycles. No stranger to strength and agility training, Nyman also plans to compete in Taekwondo in the next Olympics. Second place went to JP Sandstrom, 30 years Nyman’s senior, who achieved 1,500 cycles.

The team award went to St. Eriks Hiss, also from the Stockholm area. St. Eriks sent its best fitters to compete, and had a team focused on winning the company competition. The average score for the team was the best, making St. Eriks the overall company winner. Nyman and his colleagues were proud of their effort, and the team was rewarded with Hissmekano parts of their choice valued at SEK20,000 (US$3,082) for their firm. Such a good time was had by all who attended that Hissmekano has decided to hold the competition again in fall 2014 with tryouts during its Rolling Exhibition in the spring, which makes hundreds of stops throughout Scandinavia in a three-month timeframe to give customers an up-close look at Hissmekano products.