My Monday morning observation when deep cleaning points to modular and modular elevators. When going through my desk in what should be an annual ritual, but too often neglected, I ran across an interesting item. Buried amongst the broke watches, a plethora of wires that go to who knows what devises and batteries (none of which still held a charge), I found a true vestige of the past; the old business card folder.
I remember wanting one when I first graduated from college as it was considered a true and genuine indicator that you were in business, much like the now rare, rigid leather briefcase. The folder was unique as it was a single place to put all of your valuable leads and contacts. It was one step above the old Rolodex as it was leather bound and portable.
I paged through the clear plastic sleeves of cards chuckling over the graphic design style of the various rectangles of 100% rag, 16 point stock that populated the folder. Each was a prized bundle of information I had collected over time and was once held dear, like a Stan Musial baseball card, but now I noticed how few were even still relevant. Businesses had closed or changed names, people had long since moved on or the information was out of date with AOL email addresses and FAX numbers prominently displayed.
But the cards, yellowed with time, were not the funniest part of what I discovered from my perspective. It is the very notion of keeping a catalog of cards categorized based on business type and then alphabetized all in a literal folder. The time for that kind of system has declined to the point of uselessness, worth little more than short lived amusement. That is why, despite a couple decades of usefulness, it found itself shoved to the rear of an over-packed desk drawer.
A better system for keeping track of people and business connections has emerged and in honesty leaves the old folder in the dust and ultimately in the circular file.
I have seen that change too in the elevator industry. There was a time not so long ago that the big elevator companies held a universal monopoly and if you were going to construct a low or mid-rise building you had to pay homage, live within their timelines and buy what they were selling. Thank goodness the old stick-built alternative is due for the dustbin of history just like my old business card folder.
Now if you want a high-quality commercial elevator you simply have to call MEM or email them for FastTrack numbers. Once you place your order you can break away from the control of the elevator industry for good. They no longer can dictate what you can do on your job site, building project or pocketbook. You will be free to schedule elevator work when you want it done, not the other way around. Free to choose who you want the elevator maintenance company to be with a fair contract, not one laced with automatic increases and non-proprietary parts. Deep cleaning indeed.
The barnacle encrusted elevator industry is and will fight back, but the march of time is lined up against them and ultimately modular will be the first and best choice for everyone. Not because it is new (it has been around for a couple decades now), but because it is a better solution. Faster, smarter, greener and can be less expensive.
That can all be said because building a hoistway in a factory, out of the elements and off site means higher quality, truer construction and no delays. Then putting all of the elevator components in the the hoistway while it is horizontal means no safety concerns of lifting heavy parts. The wiring goes faster and the cab is built to more exacting specifications. Just better.
So engage in a little deep cleaning and clean out your desk of all those old drawings, plans and specifications and get ready for the future with modular elevators.
Elevator Speeds – Everyone wants faster. Many especially are obsessed with a faster car, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Faster cars. Faster computers. Faster internet. But it really doesn’t work that way with elevators. For most low to mid-rise applications only 100 (for low) to 200 (for mid-rise) feet per minute (fpm) is desirable and for good reason. Any speed above 200 fpm would most likely never be hit in most applications due to stops and starts. So wanting more speed would be just a waste.
To explain further, higher elevator speeds in most hydraulic elevators are never obtained because elevators do not launch like rockets and have to stop in relatively short distances. The rate the elevator takes off at is called the jerk rate (please insert joke here) and how fast it reaches top speed is called acceleration. Acceleration and Jerk (rate of change of acceleration) are human comfort considerations that must be taken into account when looking at elevator speed. The practical limits (for math geeks) are 4 ft/sec^2 acceleration and 8 ft/sec^3 for jerk. If you are a math nerd, or you’re wanting to test out your math skills, this is a good place to start. But take it from me, fastest speeds in most elevators are never reached.
Even at the regular rate of travel between 100 to 200 fpm if the elevator took off too fast the occupants would be thrown to the floor like a character in a Loonie Tunes cartoon. Well…maybe the cartoon is a bit of an exaggeration.
So then if this is pretty common knowledge in the elevator world, why are elevator companies like MEM (Modular Elevator Manufacturing) asked to quote unbelievable rates of travel for even two-story buildings, sometimes five-times the proper speed? Two reasons. One is an honest oversight and the other seemingly more insidious.
Let’s look at honest reasons first. Completed project specifications or spec sheets are filled with tons of information. Like the Dictionary of Architecture & Construction says a specification sheet is, “a written document describing in detail the scope of work, materials to be used, methods of installation, and quality of workmanship for a parcel of work to be placed under contract; usually utilized in conjunction with working (contract) drawings in building construction.” That is a lot of information that has to be captured, updated and controlled.
So when it comes to any building project it is a mammoth effort and elevators are often held separately with elevator providers pulling the info together to be inserted. That means that there is sometimes a lack of direct oversight early in the process regarding the elevator. Also, the desired specs out of need and convenience have been largely copied and pasted from another source.
The other honest mistake is when a company has had several projects of similar height or elevator travel. They feel the specifications can simply be copied and reused. Changes and updates are always meant to be completed, but sometimes the elevator speeds are missed and one or two floors of travel can mean significant changes. These kinds of “whoops” can happen, but the mistake is usually caught somewhere in the process. Countless times we have had to get clarification when the overall speed does not align with the project. We call and the correction is made.
Now for the more insidious reason aspects of specifications are way out of whack regarding elevator speeds. Sometimes when asked for information on pricing, big elevator companies use the opportunity to push certain products and features; right now they are currently promoting traction rather than hydraulic elevators.
A more cynical perspective is that over the long-haul the maintenance of a traction unit is twice to three times more costly and therefore more profitable for them. This can lead to big elevator companies suggesting products that absolutely make no sense. I have personally had conversations with multiple building owners and project managers of two and three-story building projects that were sold on the idea they needed a traction unit for more speed. In reality they needed no more than a simple hydraulic elevator with 200 fpm travel speed. The initial investment of going hydraulic is less and so are the legacy costs of maintenance.
Keep in mind at MEM we produce all types of elevators, so we are not pushing one over another, we just want to make sure that the elevator matches the project. So I guess my old Latin teacher was right “Caveat emptor” ~ Buyer beware. It is as true today as when it was first uttered.
If speed is still a concern, but you are thinking more about the speed of the overall construction process there is only one real choice in elevator that can move your along faster and that is a modular elevator from MEM. Contact Hugo Beltran at hbeltran@tlshield.com or call him at 800-755-9359. He would be glad to talk to you about the speed of elevators. For more research on modular elevators click here for our website.
When the calendar flips to a new year and after the smell of gunpowder laced with sulfur has dissipated into the heavens, almost everyone takes time for a little introspection. The question, “How can I improve?” crosses the lips of all as the past year must be assessed before it evaporates from our memory. If we neglect analysis we will be relegated to the role of fulfilling the time tested ode, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana-1905).
So despite the frenzy of streamers, poppers and champagne glasses clinking we must begin this exercise so easily left till later in the year. We must not fall into the trap of forgetting the past and becoming the fulfillment of the cliche. So let’s begin anew today and dive a bit deeper into the top five complaints general contractors and building owners have when it comes to elevators for their building projects.
What lessons were learned from 2019 or are we doomed to wash – rinse – repeat? Here are few common observations from the people that know best:
1. Elevators are always over budget. I am getting change-ordered to death.
2. The elevator industry forces me to surrender my job site when they want, work when they want and leave when they want.
3. I am held captive by proprietary parts, nebulous contractual clauses and auto-increases in fees.
4. Elevators are a part of the critical path so I have no leverage and no alternative.
5. My general building costs are through the roof because of elevator delays.
Do the above concerns sound familiar? They should. When polling our friends in the construction industry from general contractors to design build teams, these ranked at the top of the list for 2019 when it comes to elevator issues and always do. Somethings rarely change and this list of complaints is one of them.
So we have identified the problems; now what do we do about it? We can’t continue to walk in the same circle, over the same issues and the same concerns…or can we?
Fortunately, there is a solution that gets us off the merry-go-round, but it involves a little intestinal fortitude. It takes honest out of the box thinking and acting. That step is considering a modular elevator instead of the same old-same old? Modular elevators are commercial quality, use the same components as conventional elevators, are safe and come with benefits that you as an owner, developer or GC can only fantasize about.
First, you are buying a product in a complete form. It is an elevator hoistway made of tough steel, with all of the components already installed. This greatly reduces the possibility of change orders because when the elevator arrives it is a complete unit. The doors, the wiring, the hall calls, the rails and the car are already installed.
Second, the elevator literally is craned into place in a couple hours. No one is gumming up your job site for days at a time. Also we work with you to schedule the setting of the unit so you are not inconvenienced. Once it is place the actual start up only takes a handful of days.
Third, we never use proprietary parts and because of that you can use any elevator company you want for future maintenance. The power is placed back in your hands regarding legacy costs. Because we don’t use proprietary components the legacy costs are lower.
Fourth, the MEM process takes the elevator out of the critical path. Now the whole project is free to be managed to your needs, not the other way around. You don’t have to wait around for the elevator.
Fifth, with proper management the timeline for delivery, set up and start up can significantly reduce the normal general construction costs. The site is closed quicker leading to less cost.
The key to success is recognizing problems of the past and addressing them quickly, leaving them behind you instead as an obstacle that needs to be dodged or moved. With every multi-story project you are a part of in 2020 the elevator pain can be removed. Modular elevators can help you overcome the ingrained exercise of frustration and futility normally associated with elevators in construction.
So in 2020 when the smoke from the fireworks clears, the ball drops and the fog of the New Years celebration has lifted, assess the past and remove elevators from the list of irritation you face. Now it is time to try a better way. Give us a call, get some pricing on a future project and get information about how we can make your projects go smoother in the new year.
Ghosts of Christmas Elevators – With this Thanksgiving being one of the weirdest in holiday history, I felt moving right into Christmas was a great idea. By the way, be patient I will get to elevators.
One of my favorite collections of holiday movies comes from the time tested Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Whether it is Bill Murray in Scrooged, George C. Scott, Reginald Owen or Scrooge McDuck it is a great story of the bitter, greedy and disillusioned Ebenezer Scrooge and the four apparitions that visit him.
They are charged with the last ditch effort to reclaim Ebenezer’s soul from an eternal, tortuous walk in chains around the earth as penance. It is a story of hope and reclamation. “I am here to-night to warn you that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate.” Marley said. But would Scrooge heed the words of the mercurial spirits that came to sway his life decisions?
We all would like to think that we have the ability to change our minds or reform our thinking, but part of the appeal of Scrooge is it hits closer to home that we would like to acknowledge. Ultimately, we all tend towards intransigence in our lives like the lead character of the book. We walk the same paths, making the same decisions over and over. In other words, we start doing something a certain way and there we are, stuck in the mud just like good ol’ Ebenezer. Change? Bah-humbug!
In my shortened version of the “movie” in this blog, I get to play the part of Marley, wandering about with an over-sized ring of elevator keys jangling from my waist as I materialize in your presence. “You will be visited by elevator consultants of the past, present and future at the stroke of one, two and three.” I moan with my mouth agape. Unlike in the classic you get to decide whether you will change your mind or perspective on the past, present and future of the elevator industry, and thank goodness not the fate of your potentially wandering soul.
As the clock strikes one, you feel a nervous sweat drenching your brow. What will the early morning hold for you and your visitors or was the first visit all a dream brought on by a bit of “undigested beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese or a fragment of an underdone potato”? Could it all be true? But then with great fanfare enters the Ghost of Elevator Consultants Past. This jovial spirit reminds you of the elevators of years ago and how you were once filled with joy at the prospect of considering new and exciting technology in the industry. Thinking outside of the box was a delight.
Now it seems the business is the same old, same old, cut and paste and you are part of it. The life of exploring a better technology and improved methods was not something to hide from just a few years ago; it was something to embrace leading to newer and better. You are then shown through the spirit, that the old-fashioned conventional elevator model is a broken down relic of times past and a new faster, safer, greener and less expensive alternative, off the building project’s critical path is available if you are willing and able.
At the strike of two the Ghost of Elevator Consultant Present takes you by the hand and whisks you away to elevator projects in the midst of the building process where unsafe conditions of heavy lifting, scaffolding in hoistways and open shaft entrances make for unnecessary injuries. On that conventional job-site the sounds of drama and argument fills the air as bickering constantly exists between various trades. They squabble over pit ladders, electrical runs and limited site storage. But, then in a flash, you see with your own eyes a complete elevator set in place (hoistway and all the components installed inside) in a couple hours, up and running in a couple of days. No arguing, no waste and no unsafe conditions. You can’t help but shed a tear over the waste of time, materials, general costs and resources when you compare one with the other.
Finally, at the strike of three the third ghost appears. He quietly points a bony finger to the factory where modular elevators are manufactured. You effortlessly glide overhead to see there is less waste and more efficiency. The team on the factory floor work together in harmony on the production line with jigs and quality control measures that ensures a plumb and square hoistway every time and easy installation of components. The only heavy-lifting is done by overhead cranes and forklifts making everything safe and easy. Time then passes forward in a blur revealing the elevator being trucked to a job site and swung into place. The process is done in a flash; safer, faster, greener and less expensive. Is this future just a dream?
As you and the apparition drift weightlessly over the job site and back towards the factory, you see smiling faces of the elevator technicians, the building owner, the architect and GC. They have seen all the benefits of the high-quality commercial elevator made in a most unconventional way. Modular elevators have changed their lives for the better. It is a reality.
You release the robe of the last phantom and realize it is again the present day and now you recognize where he has placed you, at the door of MEM the most experienced and best modular elevator manufacturer in the world. Now the choice is yours, do you reject the past and embrace the future of building today? It is not too late! You still have time!
And if you choose modular as it says in the Christmas Carol (with my changes), “some people may laugh to see the alteration in your thinking, but let them laugh, and heed them little; for you were wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset.” But in the long run they and others as well will come to know that for any low or mid-rise building a modular elevator is the absolute best choice.
If you are curious, but don’t want me to show up in your bedroom with three ghosts or if you are ready for a change feel free to contact us for more information. And for a Fast Track budget number click the button below. Hope you liked the story! – Happy Holidays from your MEM – Quality elevators taking you to a higher level.