“Superior Thought, Superior Production”

University/industry relationship focus of Ninth International Seminar on Elevators and Escalators, held in Tehran.

Under the motto “Superior thought, Superior Production,” a gathering of esteemed academics and industry experts came together on February 21 for the Ninth International Seminar on Elevators and Escalators, which took place at the Koosha Center of Applied Science and Technology in Tehran, Iran.

The seminar, held in cooperation with the University of Applied Science and Technology of Tehran and Iran’s syndicate of elevator and escalator industries, was attended by Dr. Farahmandrad, manager of the University of Applied Science and Technology (Tehran-West Branch), and Eng. Abrishami, manager of Iran’s syndicate of elevator and escalator industries, along with many experts, professors, industrialists and foreign guests.

The seminar opened with the reading of the Quran and the playing of the Iranian national anthem. Then, deputy secretary of the seminar Eng. Boroujerdi thanked the “outstanding” industrialists, professors, foreign guests and sponsors for their presence and declared, “Once again, we utilize elevator-industry knowledge in order to achieve our goals for the ninth time and in tough economic situations. We respect our industrialists and professors.” He informed the gathering that, of the 42 articles received, 20 were presented at the convention hall and meeting room simultaneously and said the seminar aimed to elevate the industry around the world.

Mr. Abrishami, manager of the syndicate of elevators and escalators, then gave a talk on the industry and the need for precise planning.

Dr. Farahmandrad, speaking during the opening ceremony, noted the weakness of university/industry relationships, but emphasized the role universities and industry have in the country’s development. He said symposiums and seminars such as this help improve these relationships, and highlighted that we should pay more attention to our technicians.

Next, Bülent Yılmaz, managing director of ELEVATOR WORLD Turkey and EW Middle East, and a representative of Interlift, spoke about the international trade fair for elevators, components and accessories. He clarified some statistics about Interlift and mentioned its role in elevator-industry improvement.

Süleyman Özcan of LiftInstituut Solutions’ Turkey office, as the second international lecturer, then presented an article about the innovations of EN 81-20.

Murat Camgoz, managing director of Fermator Turkey, spoke next, giving a talk on fire homologations. He said that, starting in June 1995, lift landing doors became part of lift installations that must contribute to fire protection, according to Directive 95/16/EC, which states that lift doors must be resistant to fire. Also, he spoke about the classification of lift doors according to the fire-resistance standard (EN 81-58:2003). He said there are three different classifications within EN 81-58:2003: integrity, thermal insulation and radiation of tested lift doors.

Sebastian Steinert from Germany-based brake manufacturer Mayr GmbH + Co. KG gave a talk via Skype on elevator brake safety and reliability. He said safety brakes are an indispensable feature in modern elevator drives. Steinert noted that Mayr’s electromagnetic safety brakes operate according to the failsafe principle: they are closed in a deenergized state. Describing what makes an elevator brake safe and reliable, he made several points: it has a friction system made to provide constant and sufficient braking torque over its entire lifetime; it has a sufficient stroke that allows for microswitches to work properly, even when the brake heats up; and the brake maintains a low noise level and switching time compliant with the specification, even after several million switching actions. Most problems in the field, he added, can be traced back to increasing noise and switching times due to degrading and eventually failing dampers, lack of braking torque due to incorrect dimensioning, insufficient torque calculations, unfit friction systems and failing microswitches caused by insufficient stroke (less than 0.2 mm).

Next, Levent Akdemir, president of Metroplast Co. in Turkey, gave a presentation on weaknesses and strengths in commercial relations between Iran and Turkey, noting considerable improvements in recent years. He declared that Iran can inspire Turkey with its standard patterns.

After that, Fabio Cesari from Italian drive maker Gefran, introduced his company and its activities. He also told of its branches and gave company statistics.

He was followed by Soheil Ravanbakhsh of Inova Automation, an India-based manufacturer of integrated controller/drive systems. Ravanbakhsh spoke on elevator traffic and travel-time decrease. He emphasized that design improves quality.

Dr. Farashah presented his article on emergency rescue systems in elevators and discussed nickel-cadmium batteries. Rajaei Anaraki, one of the pioneers of the elevator industry, then read a poem about ethics, university/industry relations and internal production improvement.

He was followed by Mr. Moradi from ECM Co., who spoke on the CE marking and the need for a product to earn it to enter the European Union and other international markets. He noted the modules for issuing a CE certificate and the use of European Lift Directive for elevators and escalators.

Dr. Nourani presented “Legal Responsibilities of Legal Entities and Legal Assignments of a Company’s Managers” in the elevator industry, for which there is a lack of information.

Dr. Eskafi from ASCEND Co. spoke on the application of non-Newtonian fluids in industrial fenders. He said we should use non-Newtonian fluids instead of oils in fenders to control increasing and decreasing forces in car movement.

Next, Mr. Ebadi gave a talk on common mistakes made during the installation of hydraulic elevators. He emphasized the importance of paying attention to safety principles to prevent injury.

The next three presenters were Mr. Karbalaei, who discussed the motion curve of an elevator and its analysis; Qeisari Farahani, who spoke on the successes and achievements of the elevator syndicate; and Mr. Taleshian, who read a poem about morality and experience, and their value to the industry.

Mr. Arabzadeh, vice president of the elevator syndicate, presented a lecture on the relations between the elevator industry and universities and the accomplishments in this area regarding knowledge growth.

Seven articles, for which the authors gave lectures, were also presented in the meeting room.

To close the seminar, commendation letters were presented to all foreign guests and elevator companies at the seminar, elevator and escalator industry experts, the professors of Koosha College in the field of elevator technology and presenters of the best articles.

Organizers expressed appreciation for the cooperation of all industrialists and executive staff, especially Behran Lift Co. and Elco Co., as the main sponsors of the seminar. Mr. Shakeri was recognized for his support as the first sponsor of the seminar.

All participants were then invited to take part in the 10th International Seminar on Elevators and Escalators, scheduled for February 20, 2020.