Going Above and Beyond
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” the saying goes. While nothing was inherently “broken” about the elevator industry prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was among the first to rise to the challenge by developing products aimed at protecting the public. New solutions for elevators, escalators and moving walks implement touchless technology, AI and disinfection through various methods such as UV-C light, to name a few. But the pandemic isn’t the only innovation driver. Companies, particularly OEMs, continue to roll out an impressive array of products that enhance convenience, speed, sustainability, versatility and efficiency, regardless of the global situation. Bringing out such products to market is no small task. It involves carefully coordinating vast teams that include engineers, scientists and tech experts who draw inspiration from such places as the aerospace and automotive industries.
With innovation at the core of the elevator industry, ELEVATOR WORLD’s new Product of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of manufacturers whose products, brought to the vertical-transportation market between January 2020 and June 2021, are considered particularly noteworthy or innovative. The products represent advances in technology or application, innovative or improved design, price/performance improvements and potential for further development.
This special section contains detailed listings of the various products up for consideration. In the award’s inaugural year, we received 15 outstanding products to showcase to our readers. You have the opportunity to help choose this year’s winner by voting online from September 27-October 1 at elevatorworld.com/contests/product-of-the-year. An impartial panel of experienced industry experts/professionals will assist in judging the nominations. Their input and feedback will be combined with the online voting results to help determine a winner and two finalists, which will be featured in the Elevator World 2022 SOURCE Directory. The winner will receive a personalized trophy, and both the winner and two finalists will also receive framed certificates and digital decals to use in marketing.
CabSafe System – the most comprehensive entrance area monitoring solution in the market
The CEDES CabSafe system is the answer to the persisting problem of accidents that involve elevator doors, helping to prevent injuries and damage to objects. It provides effective detection of persons and objects approaching the elevator entrance and between the elevator doors, in compliance with all the requirements for the 2019 Elevator Safety Code. CabSafe significantly improves passenger comfort and safety, while reducing maintenance costs of the elevator doors and building owner liability.
The system consists of a light curtain that checks for objects between elevator doors and of a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor that checks for objects approaching the elevator entrance. A wide-ranging power supply monitors both sensors and provides a single output that represents the system. A single CabSafe solution supports left-, right-, and center-open-ing applications, regardless of door panel thickness or gap between the doors, or when the landing door leads the cab door during the closing cycle.
The CabSafe system offers significant advantages over conventional radar-based systems. The detection area is clearly defined and stable. The sensors are capable of detecting both stationary and moving objects, and are not disturbed by met-al objects in the field. Moreover, the system does not generate close-proximity microwave radiation.
The CabSafe system provides the most comprehensive elevator entrance area monitoring solution in the market. Thanks to a wide range of available variants and transom mounting options (flush and with a back-of-transom stainless steel bracket), it is suitable for both new elevators and modernization projects.
Sterilyft
Sterilyft is a complete elevator interior air-quality device intended specifically for the removal, filtering, germicidal treatment and to provide fresh, clean air to the interior. Being that Sterilyft provides this filtering and sterilization service without the use of dangerous additives, or by using shaftway air, Sterilyft is the ONLY system safe enough for the acceptance of the New York City Department of Buildings for elevator air sanitization. When considering how to clean elevators during this pandemic and beyond, those looking to take elevator interior air quality to the healthiest and safest levels will find we provide nothing but clean air. Dangerous systems may provide ozone, hydrogen peroxide, radicals or other chemicals, gases or byproducts that will cause illness, injury or worse to those exposed. Sterilyft assures and promises to only work to remove elevator impurities and provide nothing but the cleanest and healthiest air possible.
iDiscovery revolutionizes safety in the elevator shaft
The iDiscovery is a powerful SIL3 and EN 81-20/50 compliant position supervisor unit. In conjunction with CEDES APS (Abolute Positioning System), it takes over the safety-relevant functions of an elevator, including enhanced inspection functions for elevators with reduced headroom or pit (EN 81-21). This highly integrated system eliminates the need for many individual systems and components currently required by a conventional elevator.
The iDiscovery safely controls many functions within the elevator shaft, including leveling and re-leveling, pre-opening of doors, door contact bypass for maintenance, door zone speed monitoring, unintended car movement, overspeed detection, retardation control, detection of bridged door contacts, final limit switches monitoring and electronic safety gear monitoring.
The iDiscovery comes with an interface module that triggers an electronically activated safety gear. Using this combination offers great advantages. The mechanical overspeed governor, its rope and the rope tension device become completely obsolete. When it comes to safety spaces for reduced headroom or pit, further mechanical components become redundant — movable stops or pre-triggered stopping systems, as well as the switches necessary to monitor them. The installation time and material costs are drastically reduced.
The iDiscovery has revolutionized safety in the elevator shaft. Its modular design offers unmatched flexibility and covers a wide range of customer needs. True SIL3 safety control of the shaft is now available for nearly any elevator, making systems safer and less expensive, with far less components, reduced maintenance need and increased reliability.
Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Elevator and Escalator Division
PureRide™ Touchless Control helps customers improve the usability and convenience of elevators as society moves toward creating a more comfortable, resilient and user-friendly trans-portation environment. PureRide™ Touchless Control is a simple, no-touch display that allows users to call an elevator from the lobby and designate a destination floor in the car by simply placing their hand or finger over a sensor. The panels feature an LED “halo” that centralizes the sensor’s target and provides users feedback regarding their hand position. The halo illuminates to indicate to the passenger that the call has been registered.
IMEM
We provide user experiences never seen before, something completely revolutionary in the lift industry.
A world first, the Silens Pro Revolution® range is available from 100–1000 kg, accomplishing industry-changing features with the introduction of PESSRAL features as standard.
The Silens Pro Revolution® range is the first MRL lift that operates with the new ALEC system (Automatic Learning Elevator Control). ALEC is a new technological-concept based around the machine-learning concept, which gives the lift a new level of intelligence never seen before.
With these state-of-the-art features, the entire product range boasts the following:
Varispeed: the lift travels faster than its nominal speed without the need to increase engineer refuge zones. 1.2 m/s is achieved as standard while also reducing energy consumption. Without passing the nominal power rating of the gearless machine, the Revolution range increases its speed constantly by 20%.
SIRES (Shaft Intelligent Revolutionary Elevator System): Our Altamira II control system manages the Revolution ecosystem in real-time, including absolute positioning, electromechanical safety gears and electronic overspeed governors while also providing automatic lift shaft learning to drastically reduce commissioning costs.
Direct Approach System: DTF technology guaranteeing excellent ride quality and optimum energy efficiency.
Smartech 7” indicators: Real-time and precise information is provided to users inside and outside the lift car. The lifts interact with the users in a way that no other lift does.
Quick spin: The Altamira II controller, VF drive and gearless machine are automatically configured, so no site programming required.
MosaicONE Video & Messaging System by MAD Elevator
The Video & Messaging System by MAD is an end-to-end encrypted, non-proprietary, A17.1/B44 2019 and IBC 2018 code-compliant system that enables emergency and monitoring personnel to communicate with passengers via voice, two-way text messaging and video.
The VMS box for the machine room and elevator car come prewired; all that’s needed is for the mechanic to mount the panel and connect to internet and power. Programming is done on-site by entering a code on MosaicONE and naming the elevator and building – the system is up and running in 4 min.
VMS can be accessed via web browser under login credentials and permissions, which is great for organizations such as universities, hospitals, large monitoring centers and corporate campuses. Flexibility is at the core of VMS; multiple parties can access the same building in MosaicONE. The contractor can monitor hardware remotely, while the off-site monitoring center can answer the VMS calls. At the same time, the building’s property management can set up digital signage with building announcements on the same PI screen where the VMS text messages are displayed.
With MosaicONE VMS, any phone, any controller, any contractor and any monitoring center can be chosen – giving the customer flexibility to integrate the VMS with their existing system.
With several features at a competitive rate, the MosaicONE VMS goes beyond code compliance to offer the best system available. Get in touch to learn more:
Doppler
DOPPLER introduces ReNaissance®, a revolutionary solution to transform your old hydraulic lift into a modern Traction MRL.
ReNaissance®is the most efficient solution available in the market to deal with the ever-increasing problems, maintenance needs and operating costs of an aged hydraulic lift. With ReNaissance®, your old lift will be modernized, restoring safe riding comfort for all users.
ReNaissance® delivers supreme value utilizing minimum resources in terms of components, labor and time.
An international patent demonstrates ReNaissance®’s innovative approach, clearly distinguishing it from all other available solutions. The traditional modernization process requires full dismantling of the old lift and the use of a scaffold to install the new one. When applying ReNaissance®, we retain the key components of the lift and remove only specific, old mechanical and electrical components. The whole process of dismantling the old and installing the new lift is totally performed from the top of the elevator cabin without using a scaffold, achieving a super-fast completion time and eliminating all safety risks.
ReNaissance® is applicable to all lifts, no matter age or brand. DOPPLER’s fine engineering and state-of-the-art technology handles every lift’s specific technical requirements and guarantees the anticipated results in terms of performance and energy efficiency.
Among ReNaissance® various benefits, for both the users and the vertical transportation market, we chiefly distinguish the quick installation time (less than a week), the adaptability to every existing lift, the reduction of the building’s carbon footprint and the upgraded riding comfort.
PHANTOM Touchless Sensor by MAD Elevator
Over the last year and a half, the COVID pan-demic has changed so many things in both our personal and professional lives. As an industry, we are challenged with the elevator, an essential part of urban life, being a small confined public place and a source for transmitting germs. As a manufacturer of the very elevator buttons so many people fear touching, we knew we had to develop a solution, and we did.
The PHANTOM Touchless Sensor, an easy ret-rofit product that mounts to the face of the COP, allows the passenger to touch the air over a button to select their floor destination without having to physically touch the button. Our development team created advanced software to reject “touches” from anything other than fingers or objects of similar shape to eliminate accidental touches from backpacks, purses or jackets. PHANTOM can turn almost any elevator into a touchless experience.
Throughout the fight against this virus, and now more than ever as people return to the office, this product is so important for the passenger and our industry. It solves a universal problem while not requiring a new panel or any major renos. This product also directly addresses elevator anxiety, comforting people by the fact that they can ride the elevator without having to touch the buttons, reducing germ transmission in a way that is visible, modern and effective. A solution achieved by the MAD PHANTOM Touchless Sensor.
To learn more, please visit or contact us.
customerservice@madelevator.com
OMNIvSILL
The OmnivSill by Nationwide Architectural Metals (NAM) is a new line of sill products for the elevator industry. Our patent-pending design is simple and yet allows us to exceed standard elevator sill products in every metric. While functionally the same, NAM OmnivSills are more affordable, available and visually appealing than extruded alternatives.
OmnivSills are produced using a patent-pending modular design. This allows us to assemble sills as needed from stock components, which eliminates long mill-run times on larger orders, as well as mini-mums on smaller orders.
OmnivSills are essentially a custom standard product. Because of the modular design and our manufacturing process, we can produce non-standard sizes as easily as standard ones. In fact, our design was developed over years of working with existing customers with unusual sill requirements. Not quite enough sills for a mill run, but enough to need a new type of solution.
OmnivSills are produced by NAM. NAM is a polishing house, fabricator, and distributor of architectural metal products based out of Hickory, North Carolina. Over the course of 40 years in architectural metalwork, we have worked with customers in the elevator industry to develop new capabilities and industry specific solutions. This includes processes and equipment to produce jambs, handrails, and custom cladding for interiors and entrances, all manufactured in-house under one roof with our usual high standard. And we are now proud to add the OmnivSill to that range.
Franz
Franz is a digital elevator servicing solution that works across brands and models through retrofittable sensor-based hard-ware. It harnesses the power of data to help you deliver extra services to your customers and secure the efficiency of their elevator fleets.
What are its winning features? Franz combines an easy-to-install sensors kit integrated with software for elevator maintenance and service process optimization. Your customers can access relevant data in a white-labeled portal tailored to their needs. The customer portal makes it easier to monitor the fleet, track broken elevators, and trace maintenance activities.
How to install it? It’s as simple as that — the industrial gateway with LTE and serial interfaces can be placed anywhere on the cabin roof, the sensor unit A is installed on the cabin door gearbox, while sensor unit B is installed on the door drive. The whole installation process takes only 30 minutes — no drilling, no trouble.
Franz stands on the shoulders of relayr’s well-established expertise. relayr, A winner of the 2019 Growth Excellence Frost Ra-dar Award, relayr is an Industrial IoT (IIoT) powerhouse delivering complete solutions for risk-free digital transformations in the ver-tical-transportation industry. Franz was born out of relayr’s effort to guarantee its customers’ ambitious business goals are met and exceeded.
Franz is exclusively available for sale in North America.
For more information about Franz, please visit us online at hellofranz.com.
Gen 360
The Gen360 elevator is a new, digitally native elevator platform that is built around an all-new electronic architecture that sets new standards for a proactive digital elevator experience. Its state-of-the-art technologies provide enhanced design, safety, service, experience and support. It combines the proven design of the best-selling Gen2 elevator with the connectivity of the Otis ONE IoT digital platform.
With the Gen360 elevator, architects are free to design buildings with more attractive and easy-to-build flat roofs since there is no longer a need for refuge space at the top or a roof extension to house the top of the hoistway. This is thanks to a foldable, in-ceiling platform that allows most maintenance operations to be performed safely from within the car rather than on top of it.
Many mechanical safety components have been replaced by “drive by wire” electronic technology, inspired by the automotive and aerospace industries, allowing 24/7 remote monitoring, increasing overall reliability and freeing hoistway space to accommodate larger cabins. The new electronic architecture also significantly reduces the potential for entrapments. If the elevator stops unintentionally, in many cases our new electronic safety system can deliver the car smoothly to the closest floor.
https://www.otis.com/en/uk/products-services/products/gen360
Smartrise
Smartrise Engineering is now including a five-year warranty for every C4 and Hydro: Evolved controller sold, once again changing the way business is done in the elevator industry. This also applies to customers who have previously purchased a C4 or Hydro: Evolved controller. It is Smartrise’s commitment to quality and our absolute faith in our controllers that allow us to offer such a long-term warranty.
“Smartrise controllers are the most reliable in the industry and are built to last, so extending the warranties on C4 and Hydro: Evolved is an easy choice,” said Smartrise CEO Gilbert Zogbi. “We hope that with this warranty, building owners, contractors and consultants that choose C4 and Hydro: Evolved controllers will have peace of mind knowing that Smartrise will have their back longer than anyone else in the field.”
This five-year warranty is now added to the numerous benefits of choosing a Smartrise controller. C4 traction controllers make the ideal choice for any type of building, with speeds up to 2000 ft/min and up to 128 openings. Hydro: Evolved brings Adaptive Slowdown to hydraulic controllers, reducing wear and tear on cars and increasing the overall lifetime of the elevator.
These next-generation capabilities of C4 and Hydro: Evolved are in addition to the core tenets of all Smartrise controllers, including a simple, quick installation with fewer wires used compared to other controllers, being an open market product with a universal configu-ration and spare parts available via third-party vendors, and our industry-leading customer service and technical support team, which is available even during off hours.
To learn more about Smartrise and our controllers, email our sales team at sales@smartrise.us or call us at 469-678-8000.
Gen2 Prime
The Gen2® Prime elevator has been designed and manufactured for India, Southeast Asian countries, as well as developing parts of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The product is targeted at value-oriented customers who would like to migrate from manual-door elevators to automatic-door elevators, and those who prefer global brands. The Gen2® Prime is now offered in the machine room-less configuration with capacities of up to 630 kg and speed of 1 m/s.
The elevator provides a safer and more sustainable option to markets currently served by manual-door elevators. As a part of Otis’ global product strategy, we offer an excellent solution to value-oriented customers to experience a world-class product from a global leader.
Using the company’s online portal, customers can customize their order, get a live quote and make a down payment online. The portal uses the Otis Create® platform and input from the company’s sales experts. The portal also uses simplified elevator configurations, a straightforward booking process and a redesigned back end to offer customers a seamless digital experience.
Otis is the first major original equipment manufacturer in the vertical-transportation industry to release this innovative digital capability, currently offered in the Indian market.
https://www.otis.com/en/in/products-services/products/gen2-prime
THE 24/7 GUARDIAN ANGEL
VIEW has made elevator emergency calls intelligent. Using sensors and artificial intelligence, emergencies, vandalism and unaccompanied objects are detected and reported autonomously to the emergency call center. This theoretically makes the emergency button superfluous because the guardian angel always goes with you.
AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY CALL
The system detects and classifies emergencies with the help of artificial intelligence and automatically notifies the emergency call center. Unconsciousness, assaults and disorientation are recognized, as well as unaccompanied objects. An artificially intelligent guardian angel turns the safest means of transport into a place of active safety, 24/7.
MULTI-SENSE/MULTILINGUAL COMMUNICATION HUB
A multi-sensory emergency call system with a visual, multi-lingual dialogue mode and video transmission, which is used in regular operation as digital tenant information or advertising space, increases security, convenience and helps minimize operating costs.
Sign language assistance and visual multilingual emergency protocols surpass the requirements of 2019 ASME elevator code updates.
SMARTING UP ANY ELEVATOR
Easy installation and a perfect fit for any new and existing elevator, connecting to any emergency call center.
VIEW SENSETM enhances the functionality of the VIEW emergency call system by using image recognition and “AI” for the early detection of suspicious or critical situations. The system pays attention to defined movement patterns and informs about suspicious and critical processes.
Maintenance functions for lift operators and maintenance companies can also be activated to check and monitor technical conditions.
eCall Plus
Otis eCall Plus is a smartphone app that provides a convenient and touchless passenger experience with two-button elevators. It allows passengers to place a destination call for an elevator from their phone to avoid any physical interaction with elevator fixtures. The app communicates with Bluetooth beacons installed near the hall buttons and inside the elevator near the car operating panel.
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