IEE Expo 2016

Successful sixth International Elevator & Escalator (IEE) Expo indicates exciting times for industry.

As an economy, India has one of the fastest growth rates (7.3%) in the world. Starting as an independent country heavily dependent on agriculture, India today boasts an industrial sector growing at 4.4% and financial, real-estate and professional services that grew at 11.5% in 2015. The elevator industry can directly benefit from this time, as it is one of the best the Indian real-estate industry has ever experienced.

There are projections that by 2018, India’s number of high-speed elevator installations will exceed 100,000 and grow at almost 15% a year. The global market for elevators is estimated at 750,000-800,000 units, of which China accounted for 65% in 2013. India remains the second-largest market in the world for elevators and escalators and is growing rapidly in vertical real-estate. The escalator market in India is estimated at approximately 1,800 units per annum.

Until about a decade ago, the industry lacked a platform that could facilitate the right connections and awareness for business growth and networking. Launched in 2006, the IEE Expo did just that. Its most recent iteration took place at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai amid great excitement and fanfare. Held on March 17-19, it was inaugurated by Shri Honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and attended by other dignitaries, including Amar Sable, Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha; Shri. Mangal Prabhat Lodha, vice president, BJP Maharashtra; and Krishna Kumar Goel, director, Cosmos Bank.

In his inaugural speech, Fadnavis was very encouraging, touting the increasing opportunities for the industry in view of the increasing number of high rises in India, particularly in Maharashtra. He also invited investments in the state from the global brands to boost manufacturing of industry equipment in Maharashtra. He promised a good support system, since this industry is set to grow like few others. Maharashtra, he said, was one of the most conducive states for elevator industry to establish itself in, given that Mumbai has the highest number of yearly installations. Fadnavis also emphasized safety, felicitating Sebi Joseph, managing director of Otis India; Uday Kulkarni, president, Schindler India and South Asia; and John K. John, chairman and managing director of Johnson Lifts Ltd. for their support of the Elevator Escalator Safety Trust. The following veterans who have given a lifetime to the growth of the industry were also honored:

• Norbert Dos Remedios
• Ronald Adrian Rodrigues
• Karnail Singh
• Kundan Lal
• Dadi F. Palkhivala
• K. Subramanian
• P. Gopalkrishnan

The expo, spread over 13,000 m2, included world-class installations and launches of cutting-edge technologies. Among them was an entire range of innovative products like high-speed elevators, home lifts, stair lifts, creative interiors, environmentally friendly and energy-saving designs, and components designed on the latest technologies. The expo also saw more than 10,000 visitors, including customers, manufacturers, builders, architects, structural engineers and even engineering students who wanted to learn more about components and technology used in the industry.

Among the new products in the Expo, global brands like Schindler launched new elevators for the premium villa segment. There was enthusiastic participation from almost all global players — more than 200 brands from 22 countries, including such key brands as Hitachi, Schindler, Otis, Esquire, Wittur/Sematic, Fermator, Creestaa, NBSL, Altenmo, MAS Industries and Avcam.

The number of visitors from China and other parts of the world market was unprecedented, adding to the brisk business that exhibitors were doing.

An exclusive Chinese pavilion saw participation from more than 40 Chinese companies. These firms offered nearly every component imaginable, as well as full elevator systems. The number of visitors from China and other parts of the world market was unprecedented, adding to the brisk business that exhibitors were doing.

The second day at the expo also saw an invigorating high-energy party attended by almost all participants and their teams. Good food, great networking opportunities and interesting entertainment made it a very successful evening.

Technical presentations held attendees’ interest throughout the event. There were 12 presentations, all well moderated by TAK Mathews of TAK Consulting. Papers that covered the latest technology like “World’s Fastest Elevator at 20 mps, A Technology Perspective,” presented by Takashi Abe of Hitachi and an insightful perspective of “The Indian Economy & Building Sector,” by G. Shanker of the Madras Consulting Group were well attended. There was also a discussion on the “Future of Hydraulic Elevators” by Dr. Ferhat Celik with input from industry players. They all attracted an enthusiastic response and avid discussions.

One of the highlights of the expo was a panel discussion organized by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) India entitled “Interdisciplinary Co-ordination in Planning and Design of Tall Buildings in India.” This is a critical topic for the elevator industry as its real-estate industry rises to meet world standards. The insightful discussion moderated by Girish Dravid and Anil Hira of CTBUH India was a unique opportunity for structural engineers; mechanical, electrical and plumbing consultants; builders; architects; and, of course, elevator manufacturers to understand the viewpoint of the industry leaders in the real-estate sector.

Kulkarni summed up the event thusly:

“I thank IEE Expo 2016 for giving Schindler a platform to launch our new product, [the] H3200 home elevators. We have been a part of this expo for quite some time. The 2016 expo [was] very, very professional. The whole event mainly focused on products and selected components for safety and, [from an] aesthetic point of view, [added] a lot of value to the elevator and escalator industry. The organizers have been doing a great job, and their ability, timeliness and managing the whole big event professionally is something remarkable.”