Slow Part Delivery Makes Honolulu Elevators Hard To Fix

One of the three elevators in a Honolulu high-rise condominium tower has been fixed, but experts say many of the state’s 8,000 lift units are difficult to return to operation because parts are hard to obtain, KHON2 reports. Todd Williams, president of Heide & Cook service company, said as many as 80% of the elevators across the state are old — some more than 20 years old — which makes obtaining parts difficult. “When we look back 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 30 years ago, many of the parts just simply aren’t available anymore, particularly the early versions of the computer boards,” said Williams. Many of these elevators “are well past their useful life,” he added. Ongoing global shortage of computer chips and other circuitry have added to slow repairs, he said. Many residents of the Regency Tower Condominium were trapped for about a week after all three elevators broke down because of storm damage. Otis got one of the 42-story building’s elevators back in service on December 15.