We are in the news!
Los Angeles, CA. July 23, 2020 — MEM Doubles Factory. Modular Elevator Manufacturing (MEM) has now doubled its production facility. This is in response to a significant increase in sales growth as a result of a new nationwide marketing and sales campaign. Interest in the high-quality commercial modular elevator product is way up due to the national strategy being employed since the beginning of 2020 and the uniqueness of the product itself. MEM elevators are now scheduled to ship from the Los Angeles based company to as far away as New York City and projects are being considered at all points in between.
This dramatic growth in the modular elevator market is despite the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus for many reasons. First, modular elevators set in less than a day. Then they are started up in less than a week in most cases. That means fewer people coming and going from the construction job-site, potentially meaning less spread. This contrasts with the old way elevators have been built. That method requires a steady stream of workers showing up for months at a time and working closely together.
With conventional elevators, a hoistway is constructed first, and then all the components are shipped to the job-site and installed. This can be a painstaking and dangerous process as it all takes place in a cramped hoistway. Now with social distancing a concern, the troop of elevator mechanics, construction workers and helpers required for the conventional method may mean a higher risk for spread.
Second, the modular elevator is manufactured in a controlled environment. Safety protocols can be employed easily That is not the case at most project sites. Social distancing and sanitizing the work area can be easily managed. An additional plus of the factory controlled environment is that there is increased elevator and hoistway quality. The manufactured hoistway is a tough steel frame, sheathed in drywall. All of the elevator components are already installed in a controlled environment. They arrive at the project location, are craned into place, and then started up when power is available.
Lastly, project completion overall is much faster when modular is used. It takes the elevator off the critical path during construction. The job can be completed faster leading to a safer building environment.
All of the benefits makes the sales process more of an education than a high-pressure sales pitch. According to Vice President of Sales, Hugo Beltran “The product is perfect for the times in which we are living. They are high-quality commercial elevators set and started up faster than conventional elevators. This means fewer people at the job-site. That makes modular elevators from MEM greener, safer and smarter.”
He went on to say that education on the benefits is made easier due to the competitive pricing. “We are being selected as the elevator solution by our clients because of the investment. It is a better manufactured, higher quality product in line with general elevator pricing and the hoistway is included.”
At the newly enlarged production facility MEM produces elevators from simple ADA compliant models to freight elevators. They are routinely sold for several types of buildings including educational, hospitality, healthcare, multi-family, commercial, storage and parking structures. For more information on MEM go to at modualrelevator.com. See the article MEM Doubles Factory here.
Elevator installers and technicians need to know more than how to turn a wrench. As you all know, Modular Elevator Manufacturing (MEM) is now nationwide, so we are looking for the right kind of knowledgeable people with the desire for growth. We are lining up work across the United States and in Canada and it is opening up opportunities for businesses and individuals in the elevator industry.
There are two ways you can be a part of the ever-growing field of modular elevators:
It starts with filling out this simple questionnaire. We just need to know you are a licensed elevator technician, the jurisdictions you work in and your contact information. From there we will speak to you about any future opportunities.
As an overview, we will provide you with information you need to setup and startup an MEM product. We will also help you with knowing your time commitment to any project you bid and give you in person support as needed. Note we do not say install the elevator, but setup and start up. This is due to the traditional elevator installation takes place in the factory. The hoistway is completely wired, with doors, rails and even the cab installed when it arrives. That means there is significantly less time invested in each project. For a quick look at how fast a set can go, click the button below. Generally a fully installed elevator can be set in a couple hours.
Most importantly know that we are looking for a long-term relationship that we can build on together. We have a solid, high-quality product, unlike other modular elevator companies. The result is we are looking for solid, high-quality people to join with us.
As you understand, there can be a significant lag time between the quote and getting the job. But you will won’t have the future opportunity if you don’t get start today.
Go to this page for more information and for general expectations. If you already know of a project that might be a good fit, let us know by clicking the Fast Track Button below. We will supply you with pricing in 24 hours so you can provide it to your potential customer. Otherwise click below and fill out the simple application today.
For years Modular Elevator Manufacturing has been educating the public on elevators in general and the benefits of hydraulic elevators specifically. Hydraulic elevators are often times the absolutely best option for vertical travel, especially when it comes to low-rise applications. However, we have not spent an inordinate amount of time discussing many of the drawbacks. That is because there are very few and generally well understood. However, it has come to our attention that some of these drawback have taken on a life of their own and now live on in near mythic proportions.
So in this short article we are going to address the ups and downs of the hydraulic elevator, dispel myths and shed some light. This is not a sales pitch! After all you can buy a high-quality, commercial hydraulic elevator from any number of companies. We look at this article as a help to those that are truly curious about the best elevator for their current or future elevator project.
To keep me organized and to keep from jumping all over the place, I will address each point listed below. These are the largest complaints that many have about hydraulic elevators:
Believe it or not, there is merit to some of the claims made above, but the explanations are often ignored and this has led to more than one exaggeration. That begs the question, why would one perpetuate a misleading claim? I hate to say it, but sales and profit motives are usually big factors. If more money can be made, why sweat the small things like the truth and developing a reputation over time. After all, the elevator industry has such a stellar reputation, why damage it for a few dollars? Just kidding on the reputation crack. One of the biggest battles we face as an elevator manufacturer is the overall reputation of the industry as a whole.
Ask nearly any general contractor, building owner or architect and they will affirm they dislike the elevator business. In my experience and when doing independent research I have personally heard elevator companies described as bullies, untruthful, unreliable, unresponsive and overpriced. Do any of those descriptive terms surprise you? Unfortunately, probably not. So let’s just say that profit motives are powerful and can lead to some generalizations and exaggerations. But more than that, in the late 1990’s a new product was introduced to the American market. The MRL (machine room-less) traction elevator was rolled out with tons of fanfare and major investment from big elevator companies.
Logically, for that investment to payoff significant downward pressure was applied to sell up MRLs. Incentives were created, promises were made and poor comparisons were projected. Those sometimes false comparisons still ruminate in the minds of many. This coupled with ignoring hydraulic elevator technological improvements leads to a misunderstanding of facts and benefits. But let’s get to the list.
The first common complaint is that hydraulic elevators cost too much. Not necessarily in the upfront investment in installation, but in the Life Cycle Cost or LCC. The initial cost of a hydraulic unit runs around 35% less that a traction MRL. Not only is that true of pricing at Modular Elevator Manufacturing, but across the board, but what about maintenance and electricity? How does hydraulic stack up against MRL traction?
This question was answered by a study from of all places Thyssenkrupp. They were so interested in this question that they commissioned a report and then published its findings in a blog. The answer may surprise you. They found the following:
“We conducted Life Cycle Costing (LCC) research on low-rise elevators to help customers understand their economic and environmental impacts. LCC looks at the costs involved with a product or service over its entire lifetime. The study showed that over 25 years, the cost to maintain three-stop traction MRL is $173k compared to the same hydraulic MRL which cost $91k.”
Myths about Low-Rise Elevators Means Realistic Costs to Building Owners – Tetley-Scott 2014
Keep in mind that is the cost to maintain the elevator, not buying it and install it as well. That is a stunning admission. They are in basic terms saying that an MRL traction is, give or take, seven grand out of your pocket every year when a hydraulic is only three thousand-seven hundred. That is for the same travel distance and same number of stops. Cost wise hydraulic is the only logical choice. This is especially true when you add in the initial investment cost.
Regarding electricity, the same blog post points out, “In fact, a 2,500 lb. elevator, traveling a single floor (12 feet) at 100 fpm (feet per minute) and operates 100 runs a day, does not even use $600 worth of energy in an entire year. So assuming the hydraulic uses more energy than traction, you could have a differential of perhaps just $150 a year in energy cost.” In other words, in the whole picture, although a hydraulic elevator may use more electricity in a year, it is negligible to say the least.
It is an old canard that hydraulic elevators use significantly more energy than a traction. If it were true, we would produce counter-weighted hydraulic systems. It would be easy enough to do, but who on earth would pay so much up front and then have a more additional maintenance costs of weights and ropes? They make no sense because the electric cost is so low and going down every year as efficiency in hydraulic pumps and motors increase.
This is no old myth. When hydraulic elevator were first installed there were a couple of factors that made them less green than their traction counterparts. The hydraulic fluid used was not bio-degradable and the oil was in a jack underground where leaking could not be effectively monitored. It was a time bomb of sorts as rust and corrosion slowly wore away at the hole lining, jack and bulkhead. The seals were more prone to failure and the drips turned into steady streams of lost fluid.
There are still hundreds of these old systems in place today. And they are either, by some miracle leak free, they are not being routinely checked for oil loss or the person paying the bills would rather buy a five-gallon bucket of oil every quarter than have the jack pulled and replaced.
But things have changed. In many applications you can use above ground jacks and better materials are available when an in ground jack is needed. Generally, PVC filled with sand is in the hole and then the jack is inside the PVC. If installed properly there should be no leaking at all.
Also, the elevator code has recognized the need for improved environmental awareness. If the code is followed, environmental issues should be non-existent to rare. If there are any problems or accidents of an environmental nature it is more than likely due to unqualified installers. Current technology affords jack leak monitoring systems and all the jack components are better than in years past. This coupled with good maintenance and record keeping should significantly reduce any hydraulic fluid escaping into the ground.
But what if it does? Good question. The last line of defense are interceptors for spilled oil that separate the oil from water protecting the environment against leakage. And also you now have the choice of many bio-degradable hydraulic fluids formulated for elevators. Oil replacement and additional testing is necessary so the elevator technician needs to know of this choice. But there is no real need to worry about leaks if you don’t want to with improved rules and technology.
Okay hydraulic elevators are slower. But does that matter? I really could write an entire article on this subject…as a matter of fact I already have. You can check it out here. You can read it if you are really interested, but for everyone else let me cut the the chase. Speed is really needed if you are going over six or seven stories for sure and maybe a wanted convenience you would like going over four or five stories. But for anything below that you are not getting your money’s worth.
The reason is due to limits of the human body and how fast an elevator can get to top speed and still be a comfortable ride. If you are traveling just 30 or so feet you would just barely get to top speed before starting to slow down again for the next stop. Top speed is rarely to never hit in a typical three stop elevator. Think about it, you would be thrown to the floor or pasted to the ceiling if you traveled to top speed any faster. So yes, hydraulic elevators are slower, but for low-rise applications it is not that important at all. Yet everyday we send out Fast Track budget numbers to people that are convinced they need a jet pack for 10′ to 20′ feet of travel. The need for that much speed does not exist.
To increase speed at a lower cost a roped hydraulic is a great option if you are going over three or four stories. It combines a hydraulic system with a pulley wheel at the top of the jack. This speeds up the elevator and increases the total height of travel.
Although limited, hydraulic elevators may go higher than you thought. Two or three stops are just the beginning. I have seen hydraulic elevators installed up to six stops. That is with over 60′ of travel! The chart below shows a comparison of what MEM can provide and associated travel. Keep in mind these are only general numbers.
The important thing is to weigh all the options available and not make any snap decisions without some research. For building owners and managers, that may mean asking some hard questions of your team and comparing costs to benefits. For the architect it may mean thinking outside of the elevator cab. Look for a better technology, before you drop in the same footprint. For the GC you might need to call and ask questions about how other alternatives can make your job easier, not harder when it comes to the elevator installation.
It is important that, when looking at the elevator alternatives, you do not just listen to sales pitches. Doing so will cost you significantly more in both the short and long term. I hope this article makes clear that traction elevators are not a proper alternative for two and three stop projects accept under certain circumstances. Also, hydraulic elevators up to five stories need to be considered. Based on cost and use you may find a hydraulic as the best alternative. Just take a look at the facts, determine your needs, and choose wisely.
You will be keeping your elevator for a long time so seek independent voices. MEM can be a great resource or a qualified elevator consultant. We won’t say one is better than the rest just for a sale. Just find the proper and most applicable mode-of-conveyance for the right application.
If you have a project in mind, or questions about this article or our line of manufactured elevators feel free to contact us for Fast Track budget numbers. Our knowledgeable team will happily advise you on the most effective and beneficial mode-of-conveyance for you and your project. We can provide budgetary numbers in 24 hours.
It is a tough chore deciding on what kind of elevator conveyance you should have in your next building project. As I have said before the elevator industry is very secretive about many aspect of vertical transportation. The wrong elevator is often placed in buildings because the information is guarded so closely. Too many resources can be spent on the improper type of elevator conveyance, not to mention the ongoing cost of maintenance and other factors if a bad fit is chosen. I hope to illuminate just some aspects of that decision in this blog, but let me warn you. Elevators are complex so I can’t cover everything in just one sitting. This will be a continuing series with this being the just the first.
Let’s start with the basics. There are three types of elevator conveyance systems (ways the elevator moves). This is regardless of the cab size or capacity of a commercial quality elevator. I am purposely excluding home elevators from this discussion, however there is a lot of transferable knowledge so stick with me. Any cab or weight capacity can utilize any of the three modes of movement. Those three are traction, hydraulic and roped hydraulic.
Traction is the type of conveyance that most people imagine when they think about elevators. It is the one from the movies with the ropes that people are constantly dangling from. Though the term “ropes” can be a little misleading. Here we go again with the elevator industry using terms that can confuse. Ropes are not what cowpokes use to lasso cattle or magicians use to tie up all too willing assistants. Ropes are actually cables. Elevator professionals understand ropes as highly engineered strands of wire wrapped together. A typical cable or rope can have over 150 strands of wire designed to be strong and flexible for a long time.
Ropes fill the hoistway of a traction elevator. That is because although one rope and pulley could in theory lift an elevator car, it would be inefficient and unsafe. So, in the hoistway you will find several hoisting ropes attached to the car and the counter weights. If you were paying attention in sixth grade science class and learned about pulleys and multiplication of force, you know why. Ropes are also redundant for safety.
Then there is a governor rope used to stop the car if there is a failure. If the elevator starts traveling too fast, the governor rope’s movement tells the brakes to stop the car. Lastly there are compensating ropes. Ropes can get heavy (up to 1.85 pounds per foot). Compensating ropes are attached to the car and counterweights to make up for the weight difference. All these ropes and sheaves (really pulley wheels) raise and lower the car.
However, despite appearing with Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves and Spiderman (see the link at the end for a fun video on elevators in movies) traction elevators may be a star but, is not the the most common type of elevator conveyance. This is due to the attributes that make this type of elevator more conducive to taller buildings. As there are more low-rise or short buildings than high-rise buildings, hydraulic is much more common.
Hydraulic elevators are simply one or two hydraulic jacks pushing the elevator car up in the hoistway and then releasing hydraulic fluid to allow it to move down.
The jacks can either be in-ground or above-ground, depending on how high you need the elevator to go. But think about what a hydraulic jack is. In simplest terms it is a cylinder with a piston inside. As you push hydraulic fluid in, the piston goes up. So if you want to move something up ten feet you have to have a piston at least that tall. This means the whole jack must be at least that tall as well. Hence the in-ground jack.
An in-ground jack configuration is a single jack usually attached directly to the bottom of the elevator car. So to increase the height the car can travel, a taller jack must be used and must then be placed in a hole. The travel distance of the elevator dictates the depth of the hole.
Above-ground jacks (as you can tell by the name) are not in a hole. They are usually two jacks at the bottom of the elevator pit (the area at the bottom of the shaft) and attached above the car on either side, or more properly attached to the car’s sling several feet above the car itself on stiles. Logically, the higher the travel distance – the taller the jacks – the higher above the car the jacks must be attached – the taller the hoistway must be to accommodate the system. You may want to re-read that again. I wrote it and had to peruse it several times to make sure it was right.
In any case, to reduce the need of a real deep hole or a real tall hoistway, jacks can be and often are telescopic. Elevators can typically have up to four-stage telescopic jacks. This ultimately increases the useful range of hydraulic elevators overall.
Lastly, roped hydraulic elevators borrow from both systems. Again keeping it simple, this system of elevator conveyance uses hydraulic jacks, not to push the elevator car up directly, but to push an elevator sheave or pulley up that then with ropes raises the car.
How does it work? It has a pulley wheel or sheave mounted at the top of the piston or pistons and instead of it being directly connected to the bottom of the car or above the car on the sling. The sheave goes up or down as the jack is raised or lowered. A rope goes over the sheave and then is anchored to the hoistway below the lowest level of the piston and to the car.
There are clear benefits to this type of elevator, the most important being the 2:1 ratio of car to jack movement created by the use of sheaves and ropes. This provides a greater range of travel and allows for a shorter jack. Because shorter jacks are used greater travel distances can be achieved without an in-ground jack with its associated drilling costs. Also the travel speed is faster than hydraulic elevator at 200+ feet per minute, but the travel distance can easily be over 80 feet as the ropes and sheaves double the effective length of the jacks.
Your head maybe spinning a bit, especially if you generally view elevators as an annoyance that should be avoided at all costs. But, the above can help you start getting a picture of what type of elevator conveyance should be used in a project based on total travel. And let’s face it, cost and travel are the primary factors. Other factors may include speed, design flexibility and even building codes, but nothing can disqualify an elevator type faster than the practical inability for the elevator to travel the needed distance.
Regarding the cost briefly there are several factors to consider. The initial investment, work space interruption, the value of taking the elevator off the critical path, maintenance contracts and even operating costs. We will explore each of these in future posts, but again to keep it simple. Traction elevators are far and away the most expensive to buy and maintain. Roped hydraulic is next and finally the workhorse of the industry hydraulic is the least expensive. You must however, consider overall travel capabilities when deciding on your elevator. Take a look at the chart below.
The chart is for general guidelines. But as you can see the right elevator conveyance choice starts to take shape. For instance, for a two or three stop elevator, traction can be used but is highly impractical. There is simply no valid benefit for a traction elevator at that height. Likewise, an above-ground or holeless hydraulic elevator maybe less expensive, but impractical terms the limit is less than 30 feet. Also keep in mind that just because you can, does not mean you should. There are massive in-ground single stage hydraulic jacks. But, at the upper end it can get expensive, not only for the jack, but for drilling to nearly China.
So with all that said, hopefully you have a better understanding of the various ways an elevator moves and can start making clearer decisions on which should be employed in your next project whether you use Modular Elevator Manufacturing or not. If you would like a deeper conversation about what would be the best for your project, give us a call or get a fast track number by clicking the button below. We are looking forward to speaking with you.
By the way here is that fun video about the movies and elevators I promised click here.
There is an old adage especially used in politics to not punch down, especially when it comes to an adversary. You end up making yourself look as small as the competition. I generally stick to that piece of advice. But, then you run into a problem. If the purpose of this blog is to truly educate the public then comparing modular elevators, one company to the others must be done.
Especially when there is such a disparity between the various manufacturers conclusions must be drawn. So I am going to stick with facts as best I can as they are and let you, the consumer draw the conclusions. By the end we will answer the question, who has the best solution for low and mid-rise vertical transportation.
When comparing modular elevators we should have a reasonable and largely unbiased way to make the examination. As stated in a previous post, it really can’t be about the elevator components themselves as they are generally the same in all elevators. We however can compare items manufactured by the companies, the experience that each brings to the table and overall quality.
Let’s begin with items that are not bought from another source but manufactured by the modular elevator companies themselves. Those are in general terms the hoistway and the elevator cab. Often the platform and sling are also manufactured and a few ancillary parts such as hydraulic tanks can be produced as well, but for this article’s purposes let’s stick with the two most crucial and identifiable items the hoistway and cab.
At first blush one would think there is little to compare after all modular hoistways are very similar. In most cases tough 4X4 steel tubing is used for the structure and it is wrapped in drywall. Either one layer is used inside and out or to increase the overall fire rating a second layer can be added. But, when you dig deeper a different picture emerges. First, the sheetrock or drywall used is much different company to company. As modular elevators are by design intended to be put in at anytime during the construction process, it is not unusual for the hoistway produced to sit while other construction is going on around the shaft.
That means that in some locations and with no power for climate control, mold and mildew can pop up inside the shaft especially in more humid areas of North America. One company, Modular Elevator Manufacturing (MEM) provides mold resistant drywall inside and out standard. That mitigates this issue. There is no up charge or hidden cost. The pricing and what is provided is clear and part of any cost estimate. Other companies do not provide mold resistant drywall standard inside and out and that can lead to ecological problems you don’t want to face.
Secondarily, the layout of the hoistway steel is dramatically different one company to the next. Experience has taught the engineers that work with MEM, elevator technicians and high-skilled production workers the value of making improvements to the design. They have been making them methodically over a longer period of time than the competitors as a company. There is no jerry-rigging job to job, but consistent, studied, planned and approved improvements. With MEM your project will never be an experiment in problem solving, but a finished product that has been consistently improved over time.
Due to MEM experience, improvement to the stability and longevity have been built in.
If you thought there is a difference in the hoistway, the real difference shows up in the elevator cab construction. That is because MEM is the only modular elevator company that produces their own Galvaneal cab. Galvaneal is the preferred material for professional construction and commercial quality elevator cabs in most cases. It is tough, durable, sustainable and the industry standard.
However, if cheap and potentially flimsy are your goals you can find companies that make their cabs out of particle board; but watch out! If you have ever owned cheap particle board furniture you know what happens when it gets wet. It tends to mold, swell or crumble (or sometimes all three). You will never have that problem with an MEM cab. Also, if the specs call for a metal cab, MEM is the solution that can meet your needs best. A word of warning, sometimes a bid from a company can contain a wooden cab despite a metal one being called out in the specs. This can be a common deception. Always be clear about what you are getting before you buy.
If the company does not make Galvaneal cabs, they often have to buy a cab from another company and then shoehorn it into the hoistway. This obviously drives up the cost. A secondary issue is that if they are buying a cab from an outside company the cab in question may have trouble fitting properly on the rails creating a poorly moving or loud elevator ride.
See, modular is by design produced in a factory setting with specific jigs and templates. Buying a major component like a cab can be problematic if produced outside of the factory. This is due to the outside cab company not use the same jigs and templates as the modular company. This can create a sometimes sloppy and unacceptable fit.
The need for experience can never be overstated and having neophytes making or selling you an elevator is potentially an enormous mistake. Elevators, need I remind people, are serious. They are costly, have thousands of parts and if they are improperly built they can be dangerous to the riding public. They are the largest and most complex moving object in a building. Knowing next to nothing about elevators, but then selling them anyway is not cute or adorable. It can be a hazard that can cost time, money and potentially cause injuries. But, that is exactly what you can get if you choose to call the wrong modular elevator company for a bid or project.
Feel free to check out MEM. It is more that encouraged because MEM has decades of actual experience from top to bottom in the organization. There are many experienced and licensed professionals that will help you through the buying process to setting and installing.
If you are doing your homework you know that some modular companies have limited experience in the area of sales and manufacturing elevators. Factually, one modular company routinely touts 20 years of experience, even on their website. Just a little research shows this to not be completely true. The company in question is reported to have produced its first elevator in 2011. That is a far cry from decades of experience, but is representative of the candor you may find when looking for quality you can trust.
But, besides possibly telling tales out of school, what difference does it all that make anyway? In truth a big difference. Over the years, experience has taught MEM to make an easy to use template and supply anchor bolts as part of the package. This makes installing the elevator much easier, faster and within the engineering requirements. Experience:
Quality is sometimes hard to define and long-term in nature regarding elevators, but again experience is the guide. An elevator is a long-term investment in any building project so it only makes sense to use a company and product that has the longest track record of success. As MEM has been around longer and with a real commitment to quality. As a result, it makes sense to consider them first when comparing modular elevators.
One company has such low production values that elevators have shipped with significant quality issues even before they are installed. Hydraulic tank failure, poor attention to detail, wiring issues have all been reported numerous times from independent elevator technicians. And that is the tip of the iceberg, it is completely true that an elevator jack weighing several hundred pounds literally fell out of one of their hoistways when suspended above a building. Crazy, dangerous, true.
Some companies just don’t have the commitment to quality that MEM has. This can been seen regarding missing parts, poorly assembled components, damaged items in production and promises made but not kept.
We fight that kind of inconsistency and complacency in production and delivery so the whole modular industry won’t get a black eye. MEM has developed a check list to track issues before they show up on the job site not after. This way we know we are providing a great product to you before it ships. Truth, not punching down.
First, we all know that modular elevators are the future because they are the best choice for any low or mid-rise project new or retrofit. They have many advantages over conventional elevators and if you would like a fast review of those you can read more here. But you must be careful and smart when researching which modular company you should deal with. So keep in mind the following and look for a company that:
In other words look for Modular Elevator Manufacturing (MEM) the overwhelming choice for any low or mid-rise building project. If you want a no obligation assessment and quote just click the link below. It will ask a few questions so we can get started and you can start your path to a true quality commercial elevator.
I usually spend hours, if not days, uncovering research about elevators and looking for interesting and useful facts and figures to post in my blog. I research, work and write several times a month hoping to enlighten the reader and maybe make you think or at least smile. I really like doing that because I know elevators are a very interesting subject; so simple yet complex and full of fun details that fascinate.
Also, those in the elevator industry love to gather information and pass it on so I have a great, knowledgeable audience. This combination of smart people and facts can lead to new perspectives or different ways of thinking about the largest moving object in a building.
I also love uncovering the history of elevators, the modular business, construction and manufacturing as subject matter or as a springboard into the elevator industry. But, every once in a while someone does it a little bit better than I do. So rather than trying to copy what was done, it would be better to just post it as is. Below is one such example of a short, concise history that is better than I could have cobbled together.
You can quibble with some of the details if you are in an argumentative mood or choose to believe the romanticized version of the Otis legend, but on the whole this video, although abbreviated, is well researched and correct. The History Guy does a great job in all the videos he produces and I would recommend you poke around a bit on his YouTube page after you watch the video about your favorite mode of vertical transportation. You will find something that interests you for sure.
The video is informative and the format is designed for a broad audience so it is kept short, and as a result the History Guy did not have the time to get in depth about the future of vertical transportation. And as we all know for any low or mid-rise building modular elevators are the future.
If you want more information on that or would like to see one placed you can watch our YouTube video too. Really a fully installed elevator in a couple of hours???? Absolutely true and astounding to see.
Of course for more info you can click the button below and get a Fast Track quote on how much a modular unit would be for your next project. You can also contact us any time for information about MEM or modular elevators.
We have a pretty interesting history too…”A history that deserves to be remembered!”
Apples and Oranges Comparing Elevator Solutions – Modular Versus Traditional. In the construction industry there is a great desire to save time and money while simultaneously providing a high-quality, finished product for the client. This task is complicated immensely when multi-story projects are slated and an elevator is involved. It seems that no one in the elevator business wants to make it easy for general contractors, architects, project managers or building owners to make a clear decision about what elevator company or vertical transportation option would be the best solution.
To combat this problem specs have been developed over time for various elevator footprints, capacities and travel, based on the needs or use of the building. But this does not work! Being in the elevator business, I can tell you most of the time specs are routinely ignored by large elevator companies. At least until after the pricing has been submitted and the decision has been made.
The usual process involves the salesperson picking the closest standard product and then filling the proposal with “if, ands and wherefores” that will be addressed at a later date once a choice is made. Only then the specs are examined and leverage is brought to bear to force time sensitive decisions about the product selected.
This all too familiar dance is the reason the elevator industry is so despised in many quarters. One might draw the conclusion that the elevator industry does not want an apples to apples comparison to be made. Preferring, instead, to keep customers in the dark.
At MEM, we do not shy away from an accurate comparison and we will even help with your assessment, whether we are right for your project or not. Another option is to find a reputable elevator consultant that can help with the decision making process.
However, keep reading if you need a broad overview to help you in your assessment and decision making process.
Generally speaking when it comes to quality commercial elevators there are two very broad categories of solutions. Traditional elevators where the hoistway is built on-site and then the various components are pieced together inside once power is on or available. And modular elevators where the whole elevator is produced in a factory setting.
The first thing to know about either category of elevator is that the components are all very similar. After all, if comparing the types of elevators is the goal, there has to be a clear understanding of the quality of the components that make up the elevator.
Believe it or not most elevators contain, relatively, the same components. There are only a handful of companies that actually manufacture all the stuff inside a hoistway. Secondly, elevator components are highly regulated. The bottom line is that elevator to elevator most of the parts (regardless of name plate) are either the exact same or they meet the exact same standards.
Keep that in mind when a sales rep from a traditional elevator company starts talking about components. There is nothing magical or special about them.
The bigger question regarding parts and components is if they are proprietary or not. Avoid elevators with proprietary parts at all costs. Proprietary means that the elevator manufacturer has control over the functioning of the elevator through access to parts and tools. Service is restricted to just that company. This may mean a lower priced elevator up front, but over time you will be at their mercy. Never get an elevator with proprietary parts or for that matter, buy a building with an elevator with proprietary parts inside. You will regret it.
So if parts are not really different, what is the difference between conventional and modular? It is all about the packaging. The traditional elevator comes in crates or on skids and is assembled on-site once the power is turned on. So when you choose a conventional elevator, you really aren’t buying an elevator at all. You are buying boxes of elevator parts that are hammered, screwed and bolted together on-site in a cramped hoistway.
Think of the last car you purchased. Imagine if the dealership dropped off crates filled with parts, boxes full of hardware and most of the necessary tools to assemble your car in your driveway. Then the dealership sent over a couple of technicians to assemble the whole mess. You would see this as you look out of your window on to the now worksite and would think, “surely this would be easier in the factory!”
Thank goodness, that is not how the automotive industry works. They deliver a fully functioning, turnkey product that was assembled efficiently and safely in their quality (and climate) controlled facility.
Elevator companies for years have told the little white lie that they are manufacturing elevators. Not true! What they really do is manufacture some elevator parts and buy the rest of the components from different companies. They then ship them all in boxes to hopefully be assembled properly on-site. Good luck.
The major difference between conventional and modular is with modular you are buying an elevator…not boxes of stuff. Modular is manufactured as a finished product in a quality (and climate) controlled environment, not bolted together in a dark shaft at a technicians leisure. It is difficult to quantify, but if you ever rode in an elevator that rattled as it went up…it was more than likely haphazardly assembled in a cramped elevator hoistway and not in a factory.
Also, because modular elevators are engineered to be free standing, you get to decide when it arrives and when it is set in place. There are no elevator contractors taking over your site, no storage problems, no additional trades tripping over each other and the timeline becomes your’s not an elevator installer’s.
So when comparing traditional and modular remember the following:
By looking at the short list above it is an easy call to make. The overall better choice for any low or mid-rise building project is the unconventional modular elevator manufactured by MEM. This is especially true when the pricing is generally in the same ballpark, but even when the initial investment is higher for modular the scale is still tipped in favor of the modular solution. The plumb and straight hoistway is always in the price of modular so there is that difference when comparing, but beyond that think of the shortened timeline that a modular elevator creates.
As an anecdotal example of the reasoning, while working with a building owner that decided to go modular for the first time in a hotel project, he thanked me for the extra million dollars he was going to make on the project due to the faster elevator placement. He felt the whole timeline was trimmed by six months by using a modular unit meaning faster occupancy. He went on and said that the million did not take into account the reduced general building costs of maintaining a job site over a longer period of time.
Even if initial cost of the modular elevator were higher, the overall cost for the whole project would always be more than made up for. This is especially true in colder climates.
But thinking bigger, there is a huge value to the comfort level with knowing it is a high-quality product due to the tight manufacturing standards and easily inspected process. For instance:
To be clear, there are sometimes when modular is not the solution. As and example they are shipped on the back of a truck. So even though we have produced freight elevators and elevators for medical facilities big enough for hospital beds, there are some special circumstances where we can’t get under a bridge.
Another example is overall tower height. When you get over ten to twelve stories, cost wise conventional is usually the better option, but on balance for most building projects the best solution is always modular and MEM is the place to start.
We are knowledgeable, experienced, helpful and ready to discuss elevators…not sell them. Honestly, they sell themselves our goal is just to educate the construction industry that there is a better alternative when comparing apples to apples or modular versus traditional.
If this blog post has intrigued you at all the process starts with clicking the button below. You will be asked a few general questions and then we will contact you so we can provide a thumbnail price for your next project.
Depending on the application an elevator cab may need to be extremely durable in the way it is made. It may also need to be outfitted with fixtures and a design that will impede or reduce possibilities of vandalism. Lastly, surveillance of the elevator cab is often a necessity as a warning against inappropriate behavior and as a way to visually see what is going down while the elevator is going up. MEM has a solution for all three circumstances.
First, regarding durability MEM cabs are made of strong 14g Galvaneal walls and the platform is 12g. Galvaneal is the preferred material for professional construction and commercial quality elevators for good reason. Its strength to weight ratio is vastly better than other materials including particle board. You may not think that the material used for the cab matters much because they can appear to be the same…until you have a mold problem or a broken pipe that leads to a waterfall into the elevator hoistway. One real life example of how going cheap on the cab can hurt your building project was demonstrated when a construction worker left the elevator door open and exposed one night on a competitor’s cheap wood core model and it rained.
The simple accident led to delays and hundreds of dollar of repairs. Even the interior panels swelled and warped beyond use. This is because particle board (no matter what acronym they use to describe it) is a wood substitute made from sawdust or wood chips and glue. When particleboard gets wet, it can swell or even disintegrate. That is not what you want to hear about your elevator cab.
Also, if sustainable construction is your goal, steel is a much better alternative. During the construction of your cab if particle board is used there is scrap and lots of it. That scrap contains certain chemicals that can be hazardous if not handled properly. This makes recycling difficult and some jurisdiction do not accept it at all as a recyclable material because it can contaminate other wood products. The problem is the use of urea formaldehyde in the glue, a primary component of particle board. It is a toxic substance that can be released during sanding or cutting. Good to know if you have to replace sections that get wet in your cab. Formaldehyde can cause eye and lung irritation, so respirators and safety goggles are required equipment when cutting or sanding.
If a particle board cab is the offer from another company, lookout! It may not be a true commercial-quality product. This warning is especially true in humid areas of the country or when the product is not in a climate controlled situation.
Second, MEM elevators can be equipped with fixtures and buttons that are tough, but still meet all required standards. They can also be produced with an interior finish that reduces the impact of vandalism. Elevator buttons get a lot of abuse, but some high-traffic areas get more than others. Parking garages, some schools and apartment complexes and more remote locations often face an onslaught of abuse. So, depending on your needs and location we can provide solutions to help.
This does not mean that the fixtures are not stylish or don’t meet the design requirements for any job you have in mind. They can be in square or round buttons in the cab or hall call and be in a multitude of colors and finishes.
Depending on traffic and use, diamond plate flooring may be needed and a random grind pattern design will help hide minor scratches and make cleaning up vandalism easier and faster. It is important to remember that vandalism is excluded in elevator maintenance contracts, so a little prevention can go a long way to reducing operating costs.
Lastly, We are not a security camera company, however we work with them all of the time. That means MEM elevators can be produced in the factory that can accommodate video surveillance equipment and systems. This helps you avoid the cost and headache of additional construction surrounding surveillance equipment. Cameras are a deterrent according to a leading elevator publication, Elevator World so if vandalism is a concern, it would be a good idea to work with an elevator company that has experience in security, integrity and a factory setting to help accommodate placement.
Ultimately this all means that MEM can meet your needs for true, high-quality elevators designed well with your needs in mind and fantastic looking elevator interiors that are extremely durable and will help deter vandalism. If you have a parking garage project or elevator in a high traffic area that may need a tough alternative just click the button below and let us walk you through our process and get you started today. You will soon see why MEM is the best elevator for any job between two and seven stories. Quality elevators taking you to a higher level.
Parking Structures – Modular Elevators Meet Demand – Getting ahead of the curve is important in any construction development or building project. Depending on the particular area and whether you are talking about urban or suburban parking, current trends are moving toward slowing the creation of new parking spaces overall.
Some developers, seeing the possibility of lessening demand, have engineered the possibility of future alternative uses into their parking garage design. Incorporating elements like increased headroom and eliminating the slopped floors, in an effort to create a “flexible use” structure.
They attribute the burgeoning drift to many factors. It is anticipated that the Millennial generation’s reduced desire to own personal vehicles, expanding ride sharing opportunities, increasing focus on public transportation and the promise of self-driving cars will reduce the need for the overall amount of dedicated parking space.
With the current climate, are we on the cusp of urgently needing more parking despite the apparent trends listed above?
With the current outbreak of Covid-19 and its ability to be transmitted in many urban settings and dealing with abuse of public transit by the homeless population, some are re-examining personal transportation as a growing alternative. Public transportation being a germ factory is not new despite this particular strain of the Corona Virus. In the 2008/2009 flu season in London a study was conducted by BMC Infectious Diseases seeking to answer the question, “Is public transport a risk factor for acute respiratory infection?” The answer from the report is, “Recent bus or tram use within five days of symptom onset was associated with an almost six-fold increased risk of consulting for acute respiratory infections.” In a nutshell public transportation seems to increase transmission of viruses.
Really? They needed a study for that? So if reduced public transportation occurs the need for efficient, fast, multi-level parking development in both the urban and suburban areas is or will shortly be needed. Personal car use may rise and parking needs increase.
Keep in mind that with parking, it is not about the overall spaces. It is about where the spaces are. We have plenty of parking spaces in the United States. About 500 million parking spaces (an estimated 3,590 square miles) serve this nation of nearly 326 million people, according to Andy Cohen, co-chief executive of the architecture firm Gensler. He predicts car ownership will peak around 2020 and then start to decline, with more Americans relying on some form of ride-sharing rather than owning their own vehicles by the year 2025.
That was before the Corona Virus stole headlines and people’s lives. Before comfort levels with ride sharing and public transportation began changing. Ride sharing, when analyzing the data, may not be the panacea some had predicted to alleviate long-term parking woes.
Just prior to the virus’ big splashy headlines and justified concerns Bruce Schaller, New York City transportation consultant, saw parking trends differently from others by examining actual car ownership. In his report The New Automobility he concluded that ride sharing has had the opposite effect intended and promised by many. He said, “vehicle ownership has increased in cities where Uber and Lyft are most heavily used…Moreover, the rate of vehicle growth substantially exceeded population growth in five of the eight cities (Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago).”
Then we get to the virus and it is not just paranoia. Consumer Reports as of May 8th, 2020 acknowledges problems with public transportation, ride sharing and taxi cabs regarding possible transmission. The list of suggested ways to avoid the virus when traveling includes renting a car and then cleaning it yourself, always wearing a mask when driving or riding, requesting only vehicles with glass separating the passengers from drivers or even just packing sneakers and walking. Not very practical. Besides, how do you clean your rented car before driving it?
So with car ownership on the rise despite other alternatives, and virus fears in the forefront of people’s minds, it seems that the need for multi-level parking will not stay flat or decrease but only increase in years to come. Not the predicted result many futurists had hoped for. Now to be clear there is nothing wrong with designing parking space that can be more easily repurposed or adapted in the future. That makes perfect sense especially when considering self-driving cars that can park themselves inches apart requiring less space. Although not a reality today, it may be within the life span of a building project. Forward thinking is important.
However, there will be a new normal when it comes to transportation and thereby parking space. The solution will eventually evolve, but parking will not diminish in the near future. One thing is for sure, the data reveals that car ownership is not subsiding due to ride sharing options and with “social distancing” becoming a standard phrase in our lexicon the mentality of individual travel or traveling as a family unit may become more of the norm, not less as anticipated. You may need more parking solutions faster.
So why is the modular elevator part of the parking solution for projects today and the possible increased projects soon to come? Because they are high-quality, commercial elevators that are durable and have elements specifically designed for parking structures. They also have pre-engineered drawings that can be inserted into plans, manufactured and trucked to the job site and installed.
Modular Elevator Manufacturing removes elevators from the critical path and reduces the headaches of coordination between trades. They are a solution for any low or mid-rise parking structure. If you have a current project for a parking structure or any other building between two and seven stories just click the button below to get a Fast Track budget number.
Stadium Chooses Modular Elevator – Elevators are a crucial part of any stadium and part of any good stadium design. Depending on the size, layout and capacity of the venue, anywhere from one to ten elevators or more may be needed. The purpose of the stadium elevator is to provide everyone unencumbered access, assist with foot traffic concerns and to meet American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. For instance the renovation to the venerable Dodger Stadium this past year added five new elevators to the existing two, significantly increasing accessibility.
To ensure access, elevators continue to be the best solution for vertical transportation needs. However, that solution comes with a myriad of problems when a project is in the construction phase if traditional or conventional elevators are utilized.
To alleviate problems with the elevator hoistway construction, component installation and then start up and adjustment the better alternative is a modular elevator. It is a conventional elevator built and installed in an unconventional way and it is the best alternative for any mid or low rise project. Instead of a cumbersome three-phase process where the shaft is built first, elevator is assembled inside second, and then it is turned on and adjusted, the first two steps are done completely in a factory. The elevator arrives as a finished product ready to be placed by a crane.
Most stadium elevators fall into the low and mid rise category, modular (like the one pictured) is the perfect solution.
The unique manufacturing process makes modular a better alternative for the following reasons:
In the stadium project shown, the modular elevator demonstrates its flexibility by being placed in an open area left specifically for the elevator. That was the best choice in this situation, however the modular elevator can be placed at anytime in the building process. Sometimes it get placed first and then built around. Other times it is the last piece of the building puzzle. We will help you decide what is best for your particular project.
Modular elevators can also be placed next to an existing structure or stadium grandstands or inside a building depending on the need. One of the most popular uses regarding stadiums is to retrofit our elevator to gain access to a press box or higher level of seating. However, as pictured modular is perfect for new stadium construction as well.
Practically there is no other alternative for stadiums other than to have elevators installed for access and compliance. So why not use a proven system that alleviates so many of the headaches associated with elevators in construction projects.
If you have a stadium or other building that needs a quality, commercial elevator just click the button below for a Fast Track budget number and find out like our other partners that we are quality elevators taking you to a higher level.