Finding the right elevator maintenance contractor & modernization planning – Chicago

I was at a Condo building on Friday to visit with a Condominium who had a ESCO Elevator from 1968.  The building had been having some issues with the elevator not opening the doors at the floor during the first few runs in the day. The information I got when I met with the building was sparse but they told me what the person who was fixing the elevator was doing to remedy the calls, something didn’t line up.  One of the issues was by the time the elevator technician got to the building the elevator was working properly. So I asked more questions.

They had been working with an independent company since 1968 which had been purchased by an intergalactic elevator company/OEM.  When the transition of the company integration took place they had the same maintenance technician that would come and talk with them before and after working on the elevator system. 

Recently they have a new technician who does not communicate with the building and they have on going issues, which means more call backs.  The person does not call before he gets there or let anyone know he is leaving. There are no maintenance records in the elevator room so the building has no idea what is going on. There is no communication so the building ends up leaving everyone at this intergalactic company many messages which may add to the confusion.

After asking a few more questions it seems that the person going to the building may not be familiar with the elevator equipment in their building and the elevator equipment is in need of replacement.  

We have discussed this topic in the past, it is very important for buildings to find a contractor that will meet their expectations.  If a building wants someone to the building once a month, find a contractor that will come once a month.  If a building wants to have maintenance records in the elevator machine room find a contractor that will provide records in the machine room.  Many companies have moved away from leaving any evidence they had been at the building, when they go to the building, what they did at the building.  The elevator code indicates that this information is required to be available to elevator personnel[elevator inspectors, mechanics & competitors] when they are in the elevator machine room. 

I recently audited four elevators for a larger organization and the maintenance service provider had been to the building for maintenance 2-4 times for the year.  The building was getting billed $20,000 to $30,000 a month for service calls.  Some buildings might be fine with this; the question is what is right for your building?  And what are you paying for?  And what do you want from your elevator maintenance company?  The building I assisted in the audit for was not very happy about only having 2-4 visits which they thought they were paying for monthly visits.  This particular building should have someone there twice a month because the building is rough on their elevators and the maintenance contractor can correct small issues before they become large issues.  The building will still get bills but with preventative maintenance we can help curb the large expenses.

Elevator modernization planning - Back to the Condo, we also spoke about the building replacing their elevator equipment.  Hiring a new company to take care of an older elevator may or may not resolve all of the issues but the reality is that the elevator equipment is almost 50 years old and the building should have a plan for replacement.  No one likes spending money but I got the building decision makers to understand that they need to address their elevator equipment and we will have a meeting very soon so I can show them what needs to be completed.  

Our trade is very important and can get expensive, we need to be able to communicate with decision makers and owners who may not fully understand elevators so they know what they are paying for and why they need to have elevator maintenance and plan for equipment replacement.  

  

Elevator radio show – www.elevatorradioshow.com

Chicago Elevator Association – Next meeting – 3/3/16 @ Tuscano’s – Schillder Park – Presenter – Vertitron Midwest

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.