My Condolences to the Whole World

Millions of years after the existence of the world and the universe, nature and the living things came to into existence, and then God created the human being, who has never been in harmony with nature as have the other living things. The humans damaged nature — living and nonliving things — in order to take possession of everything he could with an egoistic ambition, as if he will live forever.  Mother Nature did not keep silent to these injustices. Do you know what she did? As the human being disturbed the natural balance for his own ambitions, she brought pandemics, diseases, natural disasters, landslides, floods, etc., as a gift. If the ecological life on Earth is not protected, Mother Nature will continue making surprises, inevitably.

Let’s talk about the 21st century and its advanced technology:

In this article, as an industry stakeholder who has been active in the elevator industry for more than 25 years, I would like to briefly mention the elevators supplied to the market by the manufacturers and the installers.

First of all, I would like to tell you about a case I personally experienced: Upon the invitation of the Ministry, a meeting was held at ASO years ago, and white-shoe companies were invited. I attended the meeting to represent my company. The meeting was about AGGREGATION. The speaker entitled by the Ministry said that we need to create a world brand in the elevator industry and the companies should come together and combine their capital and power. When the course, purpose and content of the meeting became clear, audience members started whispering, talking with each other and giggling in the meeting room. Let me explain why I spoke about all this.

The manufacturers who work and invest for improving quality by making R&D studies and designs in order to reach European norms and standards, and the installers who try to survive without sacrificing quality under the current circumstances of the country, deserve respect. However, due to insufficient and incomplete experience in our country, it is an undeniable fact that quality certificates can be easily obtained for all kinds of products. There is unfair competition, and new companies are established without any control. 

This vital vertical-transportation sector, which works for 24 hours a day and which is an inseparable part of our lives, has deepening problems.

Although the speaker from the Ministry talked about aggregation, he did not mention why they did not take immediate action to solve these problems and have a healthy inspection mechanism. Why did they not organize a team of experienced engineers? Since he did not promise that the inspections would be carried out, the company representatives started giggling and gossiping.

Any ordinary problem and failure of an elevator is related to poor quality of the material range; a lack of quality due to the use of fraudulent, defective and faulty products; and system and synchronization incompatibility. Additionally, when a novice person installs the elevator, the elevator is worse and breaks down continuously.

As the doors are the most operative parts of an elevator, they break down often. Poor quality-but-certified elevator doors that are currently sold are like a killing machine. For example: On October 9, 2019, pushed by her boyfriend, a woman in Konya crashed into the landing door and felt down the elevator shaft after the door got out of its guide shoes. On August 1, 2021, a 40-day-old baby died in Tekirdağ when the elevator started operating while the landing door was still open.

Why would an elevator operate when its door is open? When the doors break down often, novice technicians who are poorly trained and who are not aware of the importance of the issue cancel the safety circuit (plug contact circuit) of the malfunctioning door.  As a result, bridges are short-circuited and the door becomes a killing machine, like a guillotine waiting for its victim.

Interviewing about how such inexperienced people and companies are certified while responsible for human life, and why hundreds of injuries and deaths are seen and experienced every year, and why sanctions are not imposed, industry shareholders complain that the relevant ministries do not take any action other than imposing a fine upon the complaint. Imposing a fine can be a deterrent, but these companies that are still active will continue to kill people with their poor-quality elevators.

Elevator components are, under all circumstances, approved by the inspection body, and then the inspection mechanism gets in charge as the certificate is renewed once a year. During the certification process, the product undergoes endurance tests and, if it passes the tests, is then presented to the market. Unfortunately, there is no similarity criterion in terms of quality between the product in the test phase and the product put on the market for sale.

Considering that the elevator product range, which has vital importance, is monopolized by accredited certification and inspection companies, trash seems to create a source of income against human life throughout the country.

Our domestic companies always complain about the presence of foreign companies in our country. When they complain, they ignore that the foreign companies are preferred for specific and elite projects in our country because they prioritize the right to live, their product quality and its longevity.

If domestic companies prioritize labor and use first-quality products, I am sure that they will gain competitive power among world brands, and we will then be nationalized.

In today’s conditions, there are numerous domestic companies whose construction work is inadequate and of poor quality. As a result, there is unfair competition, and the companies that ignore conscientious production and installation have an unfair edge.

Creating a world brand is in the Ministry’s power. There is a phrase, “believe in what you say.” In order to improve the quality in domestic and national production, the number of elevator installers should be reduced through the carrying out of professional inspections. If the number is reduced sufficiently, manufacturing quality will improve and unfair competition will end.

The Ministry should employ professional engineers and experienced personnel who have worked in elevator industry, especially in the well.

As a result of the increasing number of elevator companies that take advantage of legal gaps, and who fight to the finish in order to survive, brings poor-quality installation, poor-quality infrastructure, defective production and poor-quality maintenance services.

Consequently, these elevators are like a ticking time bomb that invites accidents involving death. In our country, although the inspection mechanism seems to be working after the accidents involving death, unfortunately does not and, even worse, nothing is done for improvement. A short time after such cases, the country’s agenda changes as usual and the bad guys in the market continue manufacturing poor-quality and defective products, knowing that people will be exposed to dangerous accidents involving injury and death.

Each year, new regulations and laws are enacted in the environment in which manufacturers’ ambitions to make more money by producing cheaper and lower-quality goods come at the expense of market disruption. However, due to the weak inspection mechanism in the country, the whole industry is aware of the fact that the manufacturers put their products on the market as they fulfill their legal responsibilities by somehow getting easily certified.

Since the inspection mechanism is not adequate in our country, the professional experience of a company’s managers is qualified with the certificates received from technical courses, for a fee.

Cabin and Landing Doors

According to the lift directive, a 300-N impact pendulum test is applied for elevator landing and cabin doors. 

Professional door manufacturers state that they produce cabin door frames with a width of 120 mm, which complies with the standards and directives, while the plate width is 1.50 mm and the door wing plate width is 1.20 mm, and say that they pass security tests referred in the directive.  Additionally, two different safety systems, including a male system at the moving mechanism of the door and a female system at the door closing limit, should be used.

However, some manufacturers produce door frames with a width of 70 mm and door frame and wing plates with a width of 0.80 mm, and state that they pass conformity tests. They also use a mechanical switch at the door-closing limit, receive a certificate of conformity and place their doors on the market.

This conflicting situation became messy and manufacturing poor-quality doors became uncontrollable. It is known that product compliance tests are carried out at factories of manufacturers who take advantage of legal gaps and deficiencies in the codes to be certified, thanks to their relations with the authorities.

Additionally, such companies receive compliance certificates for the doors with a mechanical switch at the door-closing limit, while two safety systems are required at the closing limit, including one male system at the moving mechanism of the door and a female system at the closing limit of the door. Such doors bring great safety hazards.

The mechanical switch will be stuck due to dust, corrosion, etc., and, as a result, the elevator can operate when its door is open, which is very risky. The Ministry should immediately impose sanctions on the manufacturers who take advantage of legal gaps in order to earn more money. 

While the professional manufacturers of the industry improve themselves with R&D studies in order to make products in accordance with European standards, sanctions should be applied to opportunistic manufacturers who produce defective and faulty products through unfair competition practices and put them on the market, endangering life to make more money. For this reason, extra control mechanisms should be put into operation.

Due to the sensitivity of this issue in terms of life safety, the Ministry’s ALO 130 Product Safety and Complaint Line can be called and sanctions can be imposed on the relevant manufacturers. However, although there are numerous complaint calls and emails, no action is taken against these manufacturers.

I tried to do my best to tell you about the problematic issues of the industry. I hope it will be a message to relevant authorities.

I would like to convey my regards to all shareholders who contribute to the industry and give professional service, even in an unfair competition environment.  I also wish good health to the whole humanity.

I would like to thank ELEVATOR WORLD Turkey for giving me the opportunity to publish an article. 

Kind regards.