International Sourcing Exposition for Elevators & Escalators Debuts

VT industry players congregate in Mumbai, India, and discuss the post-pandemic era’s transformed scenario amid new launches.

by Vijay Pandya and Sheetal S. Patil

The beginning of December usually heralds lower temperatures in India’s financial capital, with the winter season reaching its peak. This fact became evident to exhibitors as they disembarked from their vehicles outside the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, in Mumbai on the opening day of the International Sourcing Exposition for Elevators & Escalators (ISEE). 

However, after stepping indoors, even the efficient air conditioning could not stifle the long-standing camaraderie among the vertical-transportation (VT) industry players congregating at the venue. The chilled faces quickly thawed as the freedom to interact face-to-face once again after a long gap brought forth smiles that became warmer and wider as the minutes ticked by.

Inauguration 

The inauguration of the three-day event, held on December 1-3, 2022, commenced with the National Anthem of India, after which silence was observed as those gathered remained standing as a compilation comprising the names of VT industry members who had passed away in recent years appeared in alphabetical order under the caption “Remembering Our Colleagues.”  

The dignitaries were then invited on stage: Chief Guest Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, vice chairman, National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and co-founder and managing director (MD), Hiranandani Group, and the delegates: Amit Gossain, MD, KONE Elevators India, and president, Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) Elevator Division; Suraj Thodimarath, MD – APAC, Wittur and president, Elevator & Escalator Component Manufacturers’ Association of India (EECMAI); Girish Dravid, chairman, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) India; Ajit Raghavan, president, Fire & Security Association of India (FSAI); Ravi Shanker Thandavan, general secretary, Forum of Critical Utility Services (FOCUS); Sheila Swett, executive director, International Association of Elevator Consultants (IAEC); Massimo Bezzi, president, European Federation for Elevator Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (EFESME); Andrea Codebò, president, Associazione Nazionale Imprese Di Costruzione E Manutenzione Ascensori (ANACAM) and Md Hafizur Rahman, director, Bangladesh Elevator Escalators & Lift Importers Association (BEELIA).

To get the event off to an auspicious start, two parallel lamp lightings were conducted while invoking the remover of obstacles, Vighnaharta Lord Ganesha. Thodimarath then welcomed the dignitaries, guests, participants and visitors on behalf of EECMAI and gave a brief introduction to the association’s genesis, describing its endeavors. 

Gossain provided insights on IEEMA, as well as an overview of the present industry scenario, mentioning that real estate in India is doing quite well and growing fast. The residential segment picked up and prices have shot up because the demand and supply were already there. The commercial segment is also improving. People are going back into offices; things are moving in India. The Elevator and Escalator (E&E) industry is also growing fast, he pointed out, and then outlined three factors that are extremely important: to make products that are extremely safe and test these products for safety, to have a centralized lift act from an E&E perspective and to make our elevators and escalator more “green” as sustainability plays a key role.

Pravin M Tipnis, founder consultant, Tipnis Consultancy, and convener of the Expert Panel of ETD 25 by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), was then felicitated by Meghna Mudgal, Scientist C, Electrotechnical Department, BIS. The next item on the agenda was the launch of a book titled “Trouble Report — A Story of a Lifetime” by VT industry veteran Trevor Rodericks. 

In his keynote address, Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani urged the E&E industry to focus on the “4 S” — Safety, Sustainability, Speed and Service — to be globally competitive and successful. While encouraging industry members to push for the “Make in India” campaign launched by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, he said: 

“Safety is paramount for the elevators. Sustainability is important for the future and the industry must focus on it. The industry must also match the demand of the fast-growing real estate development in the country. The speed of product delivery is crucial. The industry must ensure great service to the customers. Ongoing maintenance of your products will make all the difference.” 

ISEE was then declared open. The chief guest and delegates visited the stalls and witnessed product launches by several brands. 

Launches

Apson Motor (India) Pvt. Ltd. unveiled Chetak in two different variants: Having static load of 50 T, Chetak — The Heavyweight Champion can lift up to a 28-T load (8:1 roping), whereas Chetak — The Sky is capable of traveling at a speed of 12 m/s with load carrying capacity of 2200 kg.  

Arkel India launched three concepts with much fanfare: two products — Arboxx and Armaxx — along with Arcare, a new service experience with a centralized, single number for all of India, while also announcing a certified training course. 

Wittur launched Stellar, an entry-level modular door, which can be used in a variety of applications, from residential to medium commercial buildings, and OL20, a speed governor and tension weight targeted at the low- to mid-rise segment. 

Otis introduced its new generation of Gen3™ digitally native elevators. Otis India President Sebi Joseph said: 

“The new, digitally native Gen3 elevator platform is designed to meet the current needs and future expectations of an increasingly connected world. It reimagines what elevators can be for passengers and for customers — from architects and developers to building owners and facility managers.” 

Bharat Bijlee showcased its wide range of gearless elevator machines highlighting its GreenStar® range of permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM) and introducing the newest innovation: the GreenStar 18-pole machine, a unique offering that can be used in freight or cargo lifts. It attracted considerable interest from visitors. The booth also showcased the GreenStar machine for villas and bungalows; GreenStarMAX® for heavy goods lifts; and GreenStarBELT® and accessories for passenger and commercial elevators, as well as SynchroTorq®, the company’s direct-drive high torque machine for passenger elevators. 

Monarch BST, an Inovance company, showcased new features on the NICE Elevator Integrated Solution portfolio, as well as the new IoT (internet of things) smart elevator solution developed specifically for the Indian market. The IoT elevator solution delivers three core capabilities: predictive maintenance data collection; real-time elevator status monitoring; and basic control and remote elevator test, diagnosis and commissioning capabilities. Predictive maintenance is a relatively new trend, but it will become vital to the elevator industry. 

Johnson Lifts’ stall’s cynosure was a display featuring one of India’s tallest testing towers, soaring to a height of 155 ft at Chennai’s Poonamallee Lift factory. A digital kiosk also displayed the latest technology machining process. The stall exhibited premium projects of government and residential installations overseas and Pan-India, major metro projects, new technological advancements and its elaborate clientele.  

Tectronics Engineers displayed its vast portfolio of gearless elevator machines, the 24-pole machine series with three years of on-site warranty as per company policy and a big span of variants, having weight-lifting capacity from 200 kg to 2500 kg.

Takeaways

Held over a 2 lakh square feet area, ISEE witnessed more than 14,000 visitors with 150 international and domestic exhibitors participating. Knowledge–imparting sessions and seminars were organized throughout the three days at the conference hall, which addressed various issues related to elevators and its industry. 

During the concluding seminar, in his presentation providing an overview of the Indian elevator market, Gopalkrishnan Shanker, CEO, Madras Consultancy Group, highlighted that there is a lot of activity in the 1.5 m/s and 2 m/s segments. While speaking on the home elevator market, he pointed out that it is getting quite exciting in India: 15-20 years back it was purely hydraulic; now traction lifts are being used as home elevators.

Commenting on the exhibition, TAK Mathews, principal consultant of TAK Consulting and the organizer of ISEE, said, 

“ISEE has been conceptualized to bring together OEMs and component manufacturers in the elevator industry, as well as to showcase India as a sourcing hub. India has the manufacturing capability and prowess to compete at an international scale. India has the potential to become an alternative to China. So, we got everyone on this platform to move forward together. In addition to domestic companies, we had participation from Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Japan. This exhibition was an opportunity to witness the latest technology in E&E. It has also proved to be a platform for the industry players to share best practices.” 

The next edition of ISEE is scheduled for December 4-6, 2024.