Utilizar los datos para modernizar su programa de mantenimiento.

Transición del mantenimiento reactivo al proactivo

by Eric Powell and Kevin Brinkman

In today's elevator industry, maintenance providers are expected to do more than keep equipment running. Building owners and facility managers increasingly expect proactive service, fewer disruptions, improved tenant satisfaction and documented performance. For years, maintenance programs largely relied on reactive service models. A customer would report a problem, a mechanic would respond, repairs would be made and the cycle would repeat itself. While preventive maintenance schedules improved reliability, many companies still struggle with recurring service calls, intermittent shutdowns and repeat customer complaints.

Improvements in technology allow service companies to change this model. For example, older controllers relied on relay logic and had hundreds of potential failure points. Modern controllers use solid state designs that significantly reduce the number of failure points and also allow companies to collect data on the operation of the equipment. The strategic collection and use of elevator data is one of the most effective ways to achieve the goals and expectations outlined above. The difference between reactive maintenance and truly proactive maintenance often comes down to how effectively data is collected, analyzed and acted upon.

Today's maintenance environments generate significant amounts of valuable information. Controller fault histories, door cycle counts, callback trends, entrapment incidents, technician observations, inspections and component replacement records all provide insight into equipment performance. When this data is organized and reviewed consistently, it becomes a powerful tool for identifying patterns before they become service interruptions. The best callback is the one that never happens because the issue was identified before the customer experienced a disruption.

Door Systems: The Leading Source of Callbacks

One of the most common sources of callbacks in the elevator industry is door-related issues. Door faults account for a large percentage of service calls across both traction and hydraulic equipment. By analyzing maintenance data, companies can identify recurring door zone errors, slow door operation, reopening faults or excessive cycle counts.

Instead of repeatedly resetting faults or making temporary adjustments, maintenance teams can proactively replace worn rollers, adjust operators or address underlying alignment issues before failures occur.

Data allows mechanics to identify degradation trends early and correct them before a shutdown or entrapment occurs. This proactive approach, along with regular cleaning of the sills, improves elevator reliability and user experience.

Tendencia de la industria: Many service providers report that door-related issues represent the single largest category of elevator callbacks, often accounting for more than 50% of routine service interruptions.

Using Portfolio-Wide Data To Identify Risk

Another major advantage of maintenance safety data is the ability to identify high-risk equipment trends across an entire portfolio. For example, if a service provider notices increased shutdowns tied to a specific relay type, door operator model or aging controller component, that information can be shared across multiple properties.

Standardized reporting helps companies move from isolated troubleshooting to enterprise-wide risk reduction. Instead of waiting for failures to occur property by property, maintenance teams can proactively address known vulnerabilities before they create additional downtime.

In many cases, callbacks are not caused by catastrophic failures but by recurring nuisance issues that gradually erode customer confidence. A single elevator that intermittently levels poorly or experiences occasional slow starts may technically remain operational, but repeated tenant complaints can quickly damage a provider's reputation.

Maintenance data helps identify these recurring patterns early, allowing companies to address small issues before customers perceive them as ongoing reliability problems.

Examples of Trackable Maintenance Data

• Door cycle counts
• Fault code frequency
• Ride quality complaints
• Entrapment incidents
• Precisión de nivelación
• Rendimiento de frenado
• Callback frequency by unit
• Tiempo medio entre fallas (MTBF)

Improving Technician Efficiency in the Field

Modern maintenance management systems also provide an opportunity to improve technician efficiency and consistency. Digital maintenance logs, mobile inspection forms and predictive analytics help ensure that critical findings are documented and communicated clearly. This reduces the likelihood of missed safety concerns or incomplete repairs between service visits.

For mechanics in the field, data-driven maintenance creates a more informed service environment. Instead of arriving on-site with only limited historical information, technicians can review prior shutdowns, recurring faults, parts replacement history and recent adjustments before beginning work.

This reduces troubleshooting time and increases the likelihood of resolving the root cause during the first visit. In some cases, the management systems can alert a technician to an issue or shutdown, and he can be on site before the building occupants even know there is a problem.

Customer Expectations Continue To Rise

From the customer's perspective, proactive maintenance creates measurable value. Building owners want fewer complaints, less downtime and predictable operating costs. When service providers can demonstrate that they are using maintenance data to reduce callbacks and improve reliability, it strengthens customer trust and supports long-term relationships.

Documentation also plays an increasingly important role in regulatory compliance and liability reduction. Detailed maintenance records help demonstrate that equipment is being monitored properly and that known issues are addressed in a timely manner.

Customer Priorities in Elevator Service

1. Confiabilidad
2. Response time
3. Seguridad
4. Comunicación
5. Reducción del tiempo de inactividad

The Future of Predictive Elevator Maintenance

The industry's continued adoption of connected technologies is further accelerating this shift toward predictive maintenance. Remote monitoring systems can now alert service providers to abnormal conditions before building occupants are even aware of an issue. Changes in motor temperature, ride quality, brake performance or door timing can trigger alerts that allow maintenance teams to intervene early.

However, technology alone does not solve maintenance challenges. The real value comes from how companies interpret and apply the information available to them. Successful maintenance programs combine digital tools with experienced field personnel who understand equipment behavior and recognize the operational significance behind the data.

Training also remains essential. Mechanics and supervisors must understand how to identify meaningful trends, document findings accurately and communicate issues effectively. Data is only valuable when it leads to informed decisions and corrective action.

As the elevator industry continues evolving, proactive maintenance strategies will likely become the standard expectation rather than a competitive advantage. Customers increasingly expect transparency, reliability and measurable performance outcomes from their service providers.

Companies that effectively leverage maintenance data will be better positioned to reduce callbacks, improve performance and strengthen customer relationships.

Ultimately, the goal of maintenance is not simply to respond when equipment fails. The goal is to prevent failures from occurring in the first place. Maintenance data provides the visibility needed to move from reactive service toward predictive, reliability-focused operations. In doing so, it helps create more reliable elevators, more efficient maintenance programs and better experiences for customers and passengers alike.

Eric Powell is director of Codes at NEII, bringing more than 25 years’ experience in the elevator industry with a focus on design and development. He has worked at two major elevator companies, KONE and Mitsubishi Electric. At Mitsubishi Electric, Powell served as a senior manager of Engineering in the R&D group, developing new product applications and product lines. At KONE, he served in roles ranging from project engineering to system level design. Powell has been a participating member of the NEII Central Code Committee since 2019. He is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology (mechanical engineering) and Rice University (economics), as well as a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Texas.