Maspero Takes On the World
Aug 5, 2020
Family-run business has been focused on quality custom elevators for more than 50 years.
submitted by Maspero Elevatori
Maspero Elevatori has been engineering, designing and manufacturing elevators for more than 50 years. Established in 1966 by Libero Maspero in Villaguardia, Como, today the company is run by the second generation of the family, which has worked to maintain its reputation for innovative solutions. These efforts have made the Maspero name well-known globally. The company has offices in Europe, Middle Asia, the Far East, Africa, Russia, South America and the U.S.
The company pays close attention to the engineering that goes into its products, implementing strict quality control for each phase of production. Working from its Appiano Gentile factory near Como, the company says specialization, design and creative capability, flexibility, customization and customer orientation are “the main drivers” of its success.
Maspero began its move into international markets in the 1970s. The label “Made in Italy” is, for many, synonymous with style, creativity and the ability to deliver smart and innovative technological solutions, and it’s a label Maspero is happy to apply to its products. The company has five sales branches in Italy (Milan, Turin, Genoa, Cagliari and Rome), six foreign subsidiaries (Switzerland, Spain, France, the U.K., Iran and India) and numerous strategic partners across the globe.
Products
Maspero is active in four main fields: luxury, industry, infrastructure and buildings, and strives to understand the needs or problems of each client so it can provide the best solutions.
Maspero products are custom-made for every use, from private lifts to public elevators, and up to freight and electric elevators, escalators and moving walks. These bespoke units include glazed lifts for high-end architecture and specialized explosion-proof units, platforms lifts and inclined elevators.
Maspero’s customers include famous international architects (Renzo Piano, Norman Foster, Nicholas Grimshaw, Santiago Calatrava, OMA, Richard Meier, Arup and Massimiliano Fuksas); glamorous showrooms, hotels and buildings; high-end retailers (Apple, Cartier, Rolex and Tiffany); engineering, procurement and construction contractors in the oil and gas field (Tecnimont, Technicas Reunidas, ADNOC and many others); and general contractors (Dragados, Hochtief and Salini-Impregilo).
Maspero elevators can be found in the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow and the Dubai Mall in Dubai, and the company recently installed an inclined lift at the Paris underground station Gare Saint Lazare. Maspero lifts are also in use at the Convention Center Nuvola in Rome, in the Jeddah Business Park in Saudi Arabia, at the Penang Temple in Malaysia and in the public transport system of the Quezzi area in Genoa, Italy.
In the luxury segment, Maspero offers specifically focused solutions crafted to perfectly match the design of each location or environment, blending high technology with Made in Italy style and quality. In the industrial sector, Maspero elevators, with capacities up to 42,000 kg and travel up to 300 m, feature traction, hydraulic and or rack-and-pinion layout and can be easily integrated into supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and distributed control systems (DCS).
In the infrastructure sector, the group designs, manufactures and installs external and internal lifts, vertical and inclined elevators, and escalators and moving walks that comply with European and international regulations and reliably fulfill the required duties within the public infrastructure projects.
In the building-construction sector — private or residential, domestic or commercial, or even healthcare structures — Maspero Elevatori offers custom-made products designed to meet all needs: elevators and mini-lifts suitable for any installation (including those posing technical problems, such as reduced headroom or pit); vertical or inclined elevators; escalators and moving walkaways; and platform lifts.
Maspero Milestones
1966:Maspero Elevatori S.p.A. starts the design and production of lifts and goods lifts at the company’s first head office in Villaguardia, Italy.
1972:Sister company Lifta S.A. is established in Switzerland, launching Maspero’s internationalization.
1980: Maspero begins implementing the design and manufacture of inclined-lift machine-room-less with curvilinear travel.
1986: New branches open in Milan and Genoa.
1994: A new head office complex, consisting of three production buildings and a test tower, is built in Appiano Gentile, Italy; it is expanded four years later.
1996: The company gains certification according to UNI EN ISO 9001 Quality System.
Notable Projects
Inclined Lift, Forte di Bard
Forte di Bard is a fortified structure, rebuilt in the 19th century, that historically guarded the passage into Italy from France. It underwent a major renovation and was opened to the public in 2006 as a center for the arts.[1] The inclined lift at Forte di Bard, in Val d’Aosta, Italy, is among Maspero’s most interesting case studies, emphasizing the relationship between architecture and lift. Visitors’ easy access to the top of the fortress is facilitated by inclined panoramic lifts. The top landing opens to a structure called “Opera Carlo Alberto,” and there are lower structures, as well.
The inclined lift is completely external and, in some areas, is in contact with historical buildings. It covers a rise of 75.85 m and has a total length of 130.3 m, divided into three segments in lengths of 47.3, 36.9 and 46.1 m.
Other features are:
- Rated speed: 1.5 m/s; 40 s/travel
- Load (capacity): 1150 kg (16 persons)
- Inclines: 52°, 45° and 39°
The system was manufactured between 1999 and 2001. The red coloring makes the cars clearly visible from below.
30 Units for GES2 in Moscow
Maspero is providing 30 units (full-glass panoramic elevators, freight elevators and platform lifts) for the new GES2 in Moscow, the largest cultural center of contemporary art in Russia, scheduled to open in September.
Originally built in 1907, GES-2 is a disused power station in the center of the city that was bought by V-A-C Foundation in 2014 for conversion into a major cultural center and public space. The main structure is being renovated to house visual and performing arts halls connected by a civic space designed to promote social interaction.
Within its nearly 40,000 m², the building is divided into four main sections: The welcome section, the civic section, the exhibition center and the educational center. These spaces require numerous vertical connections, each with unique features. Maspero is providing 30 special VT units and maintenance.
Inclined Elevator, Acropolis, Athens
Maspero has secured a contract for the design and manufacture of an inclined lift that will carry visitors to the Athens Acropolis. The lift was commissioned by Fondazione Onassis, which is donating the unit to the Greek state. It will be a panoramic system with a 38°-78°incline and will connect Peripatos with Erechtheion on the north side of the Acropolis in less than 1 min. It will have a capacity of 1350 kg, or 18 people, including two wheelchairs, and can accommodate an ambulance stretcher in case of emergency. The glass cabin will give passengers a unique panoramic view of the Acropolis and surrounding city.
Reference
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