IEE Expo 2012

The International Elevator and Escalator (IEE) Expo included many events in Goregaon, Mumbai.

The International Elevator and Escalator (IEE) Expo 2012 kicked off on an unusually chilly morning of February 16 at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Goregaon, Mumbai. The inauguration team, consisting of M.V. Deshmukh, director of Fire Services – Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD); S.M. Bhasme, chief lift inspector, Maharashtra; Reza Kabul, architect; S. T. Valekar, chief engineer (electrical), Maharashtra PWD; and D. Goswami, director, Bureau of Indian Standards, lit the traditional lamp and formally declared the expo open for business. Anitha Raghunath of Virgo Communications and Exhibitions, the event organizer, welcomed everyone to IEE Expo 2012 and thanked the exhibitors for their participation.

The expo was a special moment for ELEVATOR WORLD India, as the magazine was entering its fifth year of existence. Speaking at the launch, T.Bruce MacKinnon, vice president and chief operating officer of Elevator World, Inc., stated EW’s commitment to India, thanking the industry players for their support in making the magazine possible.

At the inauguration, Neeta Deole briefed the audience about the activities of the Elevator and Escalator Safety Trust (EEST) and its work toward educating schoolchildren on the safe use of elevators and escalators. She announced the program has educated 30,000 children across the country to date. Deole also informed the program has become available in four different languages. She thanked the various companies who had donated funds and the volunteers who had made the initiative possible. She also cautioned there was still a long way to go.

A joint initiative between Elevatori and EEST, with support from the Maharashtra PWD, the book How It Works – A Practical Guide to Lift, published in Hindi and English, was also launched at the expo. Speaking at the launch, Fabio Liberali, editorial manager of Elevatori, said it was a matter of pride for Elevatori to successfully translate the guide to Hindi and make it available to the Indian elevator industry. Liberali thanked the various organizations and people who had made this possible. This guide was distributed free to all visitors.

In his inaugural speech, Reza Kabul expressed his views on his association with the industry since the 1990s and the growth of the industry since then. Kabul spoke about the evolution in the Indian elevator industry from slow elevators to fast elevators, new suppliers and the latest technological improvements. He expressed his concern for the safety and maintenance of elevators, and complimented EEST on its activities.

M.V. Deshmukh spoke briefly about his involvement with the industry since 2006. He introduced the firefighters present, who accompanied him and expressed concern for their safety during firefighting in a building. Deshmukh, referring to recent elevator and escalator accidents in Mumbai, urged the architects, builders and suppliers present to be more careful in designing structures and not compromise on quality. He also said end users need to be educated on the use of elevators and escalators, and congratulated EEST.

Debdas Goswami called the Expo a great platform for people across the globe to interact and see new technologies. As a director of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), he urged visitors and industry experts to send feedback to BIS, so it can incorporate the valid points into new amendments to its standards. TAK Mathews, an honorary advisor to the organizers, introduced the various technical sessions held parallel to the event.

The seminar sessions on the first day started with a panel discussion titled “Fire Fighting and Evacuation Using Lifts – Prerequisites.” Deshmukh chaired the panel discussion. The other panel members were Sandeep Goel (Spectral), Christopher Gomes (DB Realty), Goswami, M. Balasubramanian (Johnson Lifts), Ronnie Dante (Schindler) and Abhijit Dandekar (Otis). Those from the fire services also attended the session, talking about their field experiences and the need to focus on the practical aspect of firefighting. Many relevant points were discussed by the panel members, which would be taken forward in subsequent BIS meetings.

The first session in the afternoon was an introduction to EN 81 and EN 115 conducted by Abhijit Dandekar and P.M. Tipnis. EN 81 and EN 115 are the European standards for the elevators and escalators, respectively, followed in many places around the world. Their major sections and pertinent issues were discussed during the session. This was followed by “Indian Standards & Codes Update” by Balasubramanian and Nimish Deshpande. This session focused on the updates to the Indian Standards (IS). The new amendments were made to IS 14665 Part I to V. Both those already published and under approvals were discussed.

The second day’s morning session was dedicated to the global elevator and escalator markets, with presentations from seven major markets (China, Gulf Cooperation Council, Germany, Italy, Japan, U.S. and India). The session was moderated by Shanker Gopalkrishnan (E-Research & Publications India, Pvt. Ltd.), who also covered the Indian elevator and escalator market.

The first session in the afternoon in the Technology Stream was by Yuji Sekiya (Hitachi, Ltd.), who presented “Earthquake Resistant Techniques of Elevators.” Sekiya spoke on the major earthquakes across the world and the need to have earthquake-resistant elevators and buildings, the features of which he explained. The Technology Stream continued with “The World’s Fastest Elevator” by Yukio Ishii (Toshiba Elevator). This session focused on the elevator installed in Taipei 101 in 2004, which runs at 16.8 mps. The important technological features of and research studies on the unit were discussed.

A session on destination control systems (DCSes) was conducted by Ranjeet Sharma (Schindler India Pvt. Ltd.). The session intended to introduce DCSes for elevators and provide a brief on their technological advantages over traditional control systems. Sharma also highlighted the advancements on DCS technology.

The last session of the day was by Milind Harshe (Johnson Lifts), entitled “Escalators – An Overview.” He explained planning and design details of an escalator. The main part of this presentation was focused on the safety issues and precautions required for escalators.

The first session of the last day was on the Indian elevator industry. Mathews, as the host of the session, said:

“The Indian elevator and escalator industry is over 100 years old. Undoubtedly, through the 100 years, this industry has been a slow starter, yet it has proved to be the proverbial tortoise. It has now become one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. It is, therefore, not surprising that the country can now boast of hosting one of the world’s largest elevator and escalator exhibitions. As we celebrate the awesome position that the Indian elevator industry has come to, it is the time to pause and acknowledge the contribution and sacrifices of the many veterans who built the industry brick by brick.”

Mathews invited Trevor Rodericks, Arvind Herwadkar and S.M. Hajela to take the stage as representatives of the many veterans in the industry, detailing their contributions and their continuance to contribute even after 50 years of work in the industry. Deepak Parekh (HDFC Bank) and Ram Daryanani (Indo Saigon Group) honored the three for their valuable and unconditional contribution to the industry. The respect these gentlemen commanded was on display when many from the industry jostled to be photographed with them.

After the felicitation, Deepak Parekh spoke about his long association with the Indian elevator and escalator industry. He estimated the sector’s growth in the next decade would be three times that in the last decade, referring to it as a “sunrise industry.” He also stressed the need for the industry to develop affordable solutions. Parekh expects rapid urbanization in the coming years providing an opportunity for the industry to grow. Parekh urged the industry to improve its customer service and safety. He also urged it to explore tier-II cities’ opportunities, which could be uncovered as a huge market.

The Technology Stream then continued with “Fundamentals of Elevator Fastenings” presented by Manek Arora (Hilti). Different types of anchors and fixing mechanisms were discussed. New products by Hilti, such as its Hoist Anchoring Kit, Elevator Top Door Fixing and Anchor Channels, were explained. “The Rope Brake Solution for Ascending Car Overspeed and Unintentional Car Movement” was then presented by Doug Witham (GAL Manufacturing Co.). The last of these sessions was by Chris Gage from Halfen on “Uplifting Connections.” Gage explained the technical details of the different types of anchor channels, and their structural requirements and methodology of connections in the elevator hoistway.

All the sessions were well attended, with the audience getting actively involved in the discussions after each presentation. The parallel technical sessions had indeed become a knowledge-sharing platform. The expo also witnessed a number of new initiatives, including the presence of the Bureau of Indian Standards, which set up a stall at the expo to enable people to obtain copies of the latest standards. The standards committee, chaired by Sanjay Bhasme, was also available to address queries related to the Indian standards and codes. The working panel for the elevator and escalator standards met on the sidelines of the event.

Another initiative was a competition called “Dream a Design,” providing architects with an opportunity to showcase their design talent. The challenge was to design an elevator car, the need for which being derived from Ar. Vijay Dahiya’s speech at Tech Forum 2011 stressing the important of interiors. Thirteen teams competed for the total prize money of INR300,000 (US$5,898). Abhay Pradeep Bhonsale, Pankaj Nande and Salman Khalil from Hafeez Contractor’s team won first prize. Ankit Shah, Kulsum Shahiwalla and Akshay Sangle from the J.J. School of Architecture won second prize.

Later, a live band played and helped many a tired visitor relax. Hydraulic elevator companies and component suppliers also used the event to discuss various issues related to the hydraulic-elevator business. Stalls were well organized and eye catching. Enthusiastic staff members at the stalls attended to the large number of visitors.

More than 150 exhibitors from over 15 countries participated in this edition of the expo to showcase their modern products. The exhibitors were very satisfied with the exhibition (see sidebar). At the end of the second day, the organizers hosted dinner for the exhibitors. The entertainment during the dinner included Bollywood dance performances that had the crowd stomping their feet. Attendees were able to use the time to interact in an informal setting.

More than 10,000 visited the expo over the three days. While about 60% of the visitors were from the industry, the rest were comprised of developers, architects, consultants, project managers, etc. Some developers visiting the expo included senior officials from India Bulls, Hiranandani Group, Omkar, Godrej Properties, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra Realty, CCI Projects, Sriram Housing, Wadhwa Group, Raheja Group, Ajmera Group, Divya Shree Builders, Tata Housing and HCC. Infrastructure companies that sent representatives included Bengaluru International Airport, Reliance Infrastructure, Maharashtra Railway, Mazgaon Docks and Mumbai Port Trust. Visitors from the hospitality sector included officials from Radisson Hotels, Chalet Hotels, Holiday Inn and Lemon Tree. Visitors came from all over India, as well as 28 different countries.

The expo was approved by the India Trade Promotion Organization and supported by the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry and Interlift. Official media partners were EW and EW India. TAK Consulting served as an honorary advisor. From the first expo held on a small scale, with fewer than 60 exhibitors, in 2007, the IEE Expo has become one of the world’s largest elevator and escalator exhibitions. As one exhibitor put it, “As always, being at the IEE Expo is simply great.”