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.
Covid Update – The corona-virus is changing the way we are looking at things in the United States and many businesses are struggling to keep their doors open and producing. Local restaurants, and small businesses are especially hard hit.
Thankful at Modular Elevator Manufacturing (MEM) we have not had any issues related to the virus and we are still shipping nationwide, but we feel we should let you know exactly what is going on at this time.
Hopefully this covid update virus will be over soon and things will get back to normal. Keep in mind we truly appreciate all of our friends in the construction business, suppliers and future customers and we are committed to help you in anyway we can. By keeping an open line of communication we can address any issues quickly and without much inconvenience or pain. Remember we are here to help. Stay safe and germ free!
Modular Building Perception – The modular building industry continues to grow and that trend will continue unless…
First, let me say that I am huge proponent of the modular industry and modular building. I have presented the concept at conferences. And I have even served in an advisory capacity in the industry’s leading advocate and educational group. It is not just a slogan that modular building is greener, faster and smarter it is! As a result I am excited to be a part of that construction movement. Also, I have written tons of articles on the benefits and need for more modular in the future. However there is a perception problem that could derail the industry despite our best efforts.
For me I saw this “modular building perception” problem rear its ugly head in a casual conversation. It was at an impromptu reunion of old friends. We grew up in the wonder years of cul-de-sacs and bicycles. Forty or so kids had summers to roam free in the backyards and empty lots of the Westwood Hills subdivision. As we discussed old-times we started naming the families and the various homes they lived in.
The Sullivans lived in the spit-level, white house with black shutters. The Jones’ house next door was the all brick ranch with the old Corvette in the drive under a tarp. We named the family and described the house all the way around the block and then we came to the Elmer’s Glue house. Everyone at the table knew exactly which house we were talking about. It was a modular home that arrived on the back of trucks in two pieces. With children watching it got craned into place. We, being just kids, made the leap that obviously the two halves had to be stuck together. Elmer’s Glue was the solution. The popular sticky, white, school supply stuck as well and so did the name.
Keep in mind that this is in the 1970’s. In our small town a modular building was an experiment more than a solution and unheard of at the time. When finished the house appeared very modest, plain and simple in comparison to the others in the neighborhood. Also, despite being put together in an afternoon it sat empty for months gathering dust and rumors.
The unfortunate result was a perception in the developing minds of the neighborhood youth. We started believing our imaginations that the modular units are held together with nothing more than the rendered bones of farm yard animals beyond their useful state and lack quality.
John Locke addressed this as he pondered what made mankind tick or think. He adopted the “tabla rasa” (blank slate) philosophy of Aristotle. He said, “Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; How comes it to be furnished?” He would argue that is it furnished with experience and perception. That experience and perception becomes our reality and everything going forward is compared to that ever-filling slate throughout life.
I am sure that Locke is rolling over in his grave at my simplistic understanding and application, but you get the general picture. Our reality becomes what we experience not facts. So when that seemingly low-quality house was being placed in our neighborhood, a group of young people filled the paper of their minds with a negative perception of modular. This does not mean that modular is low quality – far from it. It just means the perception is there and can persist.
Actual facts about modular construction have taken hammer and tongs at the perception for years and have been making serious inroads as modular becomes more and more popular, not just in the United States, but around the world. It is greener, faster, safer and more cost effective.
But, with the reality and facts comes dangers especially when a self, proclaimed modular manufacturer puts on the market an unsafe product. It confirms the unfair perception and will give the entire modular movement a black-eye hurting the modular building perception. The now filled blank slate will be reaffirmed and the chore of telling others about the benefits of the modular movement will become more difficult not less.
We have seen this with modular elevators. Modular Elevator Manufacturing (MEM) is working hard to promote the modular concept and part of that hard work and promotion is to make sure that the elevators we provide are actually high-quality and what we say about the product matches up with reality. When rumors abound that with another company parts fall out during installation it makes our job tougher. We have engineered quality into each product we manufacture and we have a ten-point inspection check list to verify our quality before the hoistway with the pre-installed elevator is readied for shipping.
Quality is extremely important not just for MEM but for the modular market as a whole. If pioneers of the industry such as MEM The pioneers of the industry like those at MEM continue to provide quality the future is bright. However, if also rans with low standards and low quality becomes what is sold, it will indeed be a difficult slog forward.
We love the modular industry and know most of our readers do too. So to preserve the reputation of the industry consider MEM not the others. We produce quality and our track record proves it and we are proud of it!
If quality and the modular build perception is important to you and you see a modular elevator as a solution click the button below. We will provide a Fast Track number in a day. You will find that MEM elevators are always quality elevators taking you to a higher level.
Elevator Babies – It was hard to resist putting a photo of my 6 month-old granddaughter in this article, but I didn’t because that would be way too much bragging and she is too young to be internet famous…at least among our 20,000 readers. But while holding her in my arms I got to thinking about how wonderful being a newborn is. No responsibilities; cry you get food; cry you get changed. Babies get to enjoy a short period in their life when knowing nothing is part of the job description and it is adorable. Sleep, eat, and be held is pretty much the day in a nutshell.
When it comes to the elevator business however, being a neophyte is far from wonderful or adorable. 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 component of a building. Knowing nothing about elevators or being elevator babies, but then selling them anyway is not cute or adorable; it is 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 elevator company for a bid or project.
Modular elevators are just the same as stick-built in that regard, especially when you are talking about time and money. We all know that modular building is a wave that has already crashed the old-fashioned way of doing business’ party. It is the best option for any mid-rise building needing vertical transportation and will continue to be in the future. They are simply faster and better. But, if you are not careful, there might be an amateur on the other end of the phone line, selling you up and guessing at rules and regulations. After all when you call a modular elevator company you expect they are the experts in not only modular buildings, but elevators as well, but that is simply not the case if you call the wrong one.
One of the modular companies in particular out there that sells a cheap variety of modular elevator purports to be elevator experts. They are far from it and when you know the facts it can be a bit scary trusting a sales team that has no real experience. When I say no, I mean no. Three out of four of the sales team has a combined total of elevator or modular experience of less than a year. Yes, I said combined. My granddaughter has more experience being a baby than they do individually when it comes to elevators or modular units.
But it doesn’t stop there. The Quality Control Manager and Production Manager had no experience in modular building or elevators before coming to that company. Think about that for a second. The person that is supposed to be checking on quality has never checked for quality in the elevator business. In other words, watch out! Beware! Someone selling you an expensive piece of equipment and checks for quality and production that has a direct impact on your construction timeline has little knowledge beyond pushing the up or down button.
The person you are speaking to on the phone is not who you think it is when it comes to real world experience. They maybe elevator babies!
The good news is that there is an alternative to going to the nursery for elevator and modular advice and information. This is important to know as modular elevators are the future of construction.
MEM (Modular Elevator Manufacturing) is that knowledgeable alternative that has been producing elevators longer than any current modular elevator company and measures their experience in decades, not months. They have been there, done that time and time again when it comes to construction, modular building and elevators.
If you have gotten a quote from another company…give them a call before it is too late or if you have any questions about the benefits of modular elevators or how modular can make your life easier, I would recommend that you contact Hugo Beltran hbeltran@tlshield.com at MEM. You can also get started on your project by clicking Fast Track Quote. They are a company with experience that can give an honest, fair assessment of your needs.
Babies, especially my granddaughter, should be in the arms of someone that loves them, not on the phone dolling out sage advice about elevators like they are all wise through experience that does not exist.