TKE Launches MAX Link Communications in North America

­TK Elevator (TKE) has launched MAX Link Voice and Multimedia digital emergency communication services, providing two-way voice, video and text messaging between passengers and emergency personnel, the company announces. Available in the U.S. and Canada, MAX Link routes passenger calls to a 24/7 dedicated elevator emergency call center or to a customer’s answering service. TKE says the system helps comply with ASME A17.1 elevator code in North America. ASME 17.1 provides requirements applying to the design, construction, installation, operation, testing, inspection, maintenance, alteration and repair of elevators, escalators and moving walks. Updated code dictates that new elevators (2019 or later) include phone, text and video emergency communication services. MAX Link connectivity works with existing Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant emergency phone systems with video observation as a key element of the upgraded code. The camera allows emergency personnel to visually verify the situation inside an elevator car, helping prevent false dispatching. Video can also be accessed locally from a communications panel and accessed remotely via the provided cloud services when emergency services are in use. Meanwhile, battery backup provides 4 h of system power in an unexpected power loss. MAX Link is an extension of TKE’s cloud-based monitoring and predictive maintenance platform, MAX.