NAEC strategic planning session

Last week I was able to attend the NAEC’s strategic planning session in Asheville, NC. 

  [Sunday dinner before the meeting started and a toast by our current president]

Every 3 to 5 years the Association gets previous, present and future board members together to map out the strategic direction of the association.  A survey went out to membership a few months before our meeting to find out what needs the membership has currently and what needs they believe they will have in the future. The next step is at the meeting and includes reviewing survey results of member ship and throwing up ideas to meet the present and future need.

 [Day one of the two day planning session.]

While I have been on the board for 2 years, I am the youngest board member.  While I have been involved in the elevator industry for around 20 years, there are many people with much more experience and knowledge than I have.  I understood that when you get a group of motivated and competitive people who run and managed their own businesses or business units it may get crowded. The gravity of the knowledge and experience of my counterparts hit me Monday morning when we got down to business.  During the first breakout session, I was in a group with a few people that had twice the amount of contractor experience, 2 to 4 times NAEC experience and had a big presence during discussions.  I learned a lot from my interactions with these individuals and was very impressed with my counter parts.

During the next two days we took 50+ pages of data and 22 people’s contributions on how to serve the immediate needs as well as future needs of NAEC membership and boiled it down to something tangible.  The implementation time lines for these big ideas ranged from now to 10 years from now.  While I had been a part of a similar process it is amazing how the ideas shake out from data to ideas to implementation strategies.   

The brilliance of the process was taking all of our big, motivated personalities and capturing the strengths and knowledge that comes from different parts of the elevator business[Contractors & suppliers from California to Florida to New York and everywhere inbetween] and focusing it to transform a massive amount data into actionable items.  One of the keys of this successful exercise was that we had a great facilitator who could keep us on track and harness our energy.

During the last few hours on the 2^nd day everyone was running out of steam as this process is challenging.  What we came up with during these two days was 10 big ideas and the back end strategies how to accomplish these big ideas.  As I reflect on the experience on my 2^nd flight of the day to get back to Chicago I am very satisfied with our results and believe it is a good path for the association for many years to come. 

Frequently, I get asked what do I get out of being a part of the NAEC Board of Directors. This last few days was a reminder that every time I am involved in these activities, I learn from the process but I learn more from the people.   The NAEC is fortunate to have such great contributors and I am fortunate to have been asked to be one of them.

As always feel free to contact us at www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Buildings flood and elevator damage

This last two weeks in the Chicago area saw a lot of rain, and consequently a lot of building’s flooded.  What to do when you building floods?

If possible shut your elevator off before water gets into the machine room – Do not shut the elevator off or go in the machine room if there is water in the machine room.

What to do after a building floods

           

            Get the water pumped out of the areas that are accessible and have water

            Put ventilation/fans in the area that flooded to move air around

            Have your elevator contractor assess the equipment

            Have elevator contractor assist in hoistway access to pump out water in elevator pit

            Make required equipment replacements

Hydraulic elevators – Hydraulic elevators may have damage to rails, cylinder, piston, packing, hydraulic line, switches, pit equipment & buffers, victolics, etc.

 [one of the pictures of a building we walked in on last week]

[The elevator pit after the water was pumped out of the basement]

[A photo of a building down the streets elevator pit]

Traction elevators – Traction elevators may have damage to rails, switches, pit equipment & buffers, compensation chain, tension sheave, governor cable, etc.

Each water damage situation is different in the affects to the elevator system so you should follow the lead of the elevator contractor to remedy.  Be aware that once a piece of elevator equipment gets wet it will not function the same, it may work but there will be lingering affects. Cables will begin to rust, contacts get corroded, pipes will get rusty, rubber will deteriorate and/or get hard and not perform the way they are intended.  All items should be addressed sooner than later or the lingering issues will become larger and create larger problems.

Take away – Consult your elevator contractor and follow their direction on how to properly repair the elevator correctly and complete the work quickly.

As always feel free to contact us at www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

When is it time to modernize a elevator?

Frequently we get the question from buildings, “when should we modernize our elevator?”.  The answer will always be different depending on the traffic, environment, maintenance that has been performed on the elevator system and what a building’s expectations of the elevator system are.   I believe after 20 years a building should be looking into what their elevator company believes is the life expectancy of all the components of the elevator system.

Building traffic – A sleepy 16 unit building’s elevator will last longer than 48 unit building.  In the commercial environment if you have a stairwell in the front of the building it will save the elevator a lot of wear on tear then if everyone uses the elevator.  Every building will be different with their traffic flow.

Environment – If a building’s environment is good, no water or moisture, heated and cooled in winter and summer, treated well by the riders, etc the elevator will last longer.

Performed preventative maintenance – If the company or mechanic who is doing the maintenance is doing their job, the elevator will last a lot longer than if no one is going to the building or people are going to the building and not doing proper maintenance.  If you catch small problems before they turn into large problems you will be in a good position.

Expectations of elevator service – We service buildings that have a 50+ year old elevator and are ok with shut downs.  We service buildings with a 10 year old elevator that are not ok with any shut downs.  If a building’s expectations are to have reliable elevator service 100% of the time, they need to keep an eye on the elevator’s age and have an open dialog with their elevator contractor.

What made me think of this topic was a building we had been maintaining for a very long time choose to modernize their equipment, we had been keeping them in the loop with pricing and equipment conditions for at least 10 years.  Their equipment was 30 years old, well maintained and was reliable but they wanted to make sure their equipment was reliable for years to come.  We also ran into a building where their 15 year old elevator sprung a cylinder leak and they called all hands on deck to get their elevator back to service.  This was very expensive.  One building was prepared and one building was not prepared.  For the building that wasn’t prepared, who would think your elevator cylinder would go out when it is fairly young, but it happened.  The take away is to be prepared and have a dialog with your current elevator contractor, or call us and we can give you our recommendation.

 [This is a modernization we are doing for a building that has been on top of their elevator's life cycle and their expectations for elevator reliability.]

[If you can name the manufacturer of this car station I will be impressed, with that said when we start seeing an elevator's equipment turn obscure[due to age and other similar elevators being replaced] a building needs to be aware that it will be more difficult to work on and they need to plan to modernize]

As always feel free to contact us at www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Modernization of an elevator traction machine

In Chicago we have some very old buildings and aging elevator equipment.  When working on a traction modernization we always take a look at the traction machine and figure out if the machine needs to be changed.  There are several items you in consideration replacing the machine.  I am by far not an expert on elevator traction machines but here are a few things I have learned.

Machine wear – This is a very important item to look at.  Is the existing machine in good condition?

Internal machine wear – You need to look at the machine to see if has wear on the gears.  Wear or uneven wear is typically indicative of lack of maintenance, bad installation or high usage.  I recently ran into a building that the gears had to be changed because the OEM had this machine on an “as needed” maintenance visit, which meant not very often, they ended up having to pull the gears out to have them replaced because the gear oil was very low.

Sheave wear – Most sheaves can be recreated by a machine shop.  We have used Titan Machine in New York for fabricating some sheaves that are out of production and they have done a great job.  There is a point where the cost for repair/recreation of sheaves exceeds the cost of new machine.  Once your drive sheave wears you begin to wear your cables and your lifespan on each cable typically is cut down by 50% each recable.  Again, if you are not watching this on maintenance you will have early wear and you will be chasing your tail to change cables to not wear your sheave more and to change your sheave not to wear your cables.

Logistics of changing an existing machine – 90% of elevator machines are located in a penthouse on top of the building.  This creates a challenge how to get a new machine into the machine room.  Some machine rooms have scuttle holes, some do not.  Some machine rooms have room to hoist, some do not.  One item you have to look at is how bad in the machine versus the cost to remove a building wall, ceiling, floor to get a new machine in.  We had a building that required a 3600lb machine to match the drops of the existing machine.  The issue was there was no pick points and 2 flights of stairs, no easy way to get the new machine up and the old machine down.  We ended up using a smaller machine with blocking[to get the correct rope drop].  This is not a high traffic or high-speed elevator so it wasn’t a huge concern about using a smaller sheave.  We recently had a building the should have had the machine replaced but since it was mounted in the attic of a historic building with slanted roofs we opted to retain the machine and change seals. Again this elevator was not a high traffic or high-speed elevator so it will hold up for a long period of time.

[This machine was on a 4' platform and has a slanted 100 year old roof making the replacement difficult, the building opted to keep the machine]

[A new machine going up to replace a 1960's Otis]

Future reaction points – This is the most important part of the equation.  Buildings are built with machine beams for the elevator that is originally installed.  At times, a new machine has different reactions which will require larger machine beams or a different layout.  This can create a significant problem if it isn’t paid attention to.  The problem being the structural integrity of the building.  If you are not knowledgeable of structural support I would recommend having a structural engineer complete the calculations prior to installation or recommending replacement.

Accessibility of parts – You need to understand if someone can supply, fix or fabricate parts if the machine needs component parts replaced.

Motors – Most motors can be replaced or rewound.  Some motors are obscure so an old Montgomery flange mount motor may not be fabricated by a 3^rd party as an AC motor so the machine may need to be replaced if the controller is modernized.

Gears – There are still some machine shops out there that can fabricate gears, but at what cost?

Brakes – There are a few elevator brake providers that can work with any machine.  Again, there are obscure machines that make it nearly impossible to retrofit a new brake.  This is where a machine shop comes in to repair the old brake.

Speed & efficiency/Gearless machines – The “gearless” product is becoming very popular.  Gearless motors are smaller and can give you better electrical efficiency and can go faster than a geared machine.  Gearless motors also can have a shorter life than a typical geared traction motor.  The precious metals used for most gearless motors are created in China and also create a large amount of undesirable waste with their creation.

What I did not touch on is the cost of replacing a machine during an elevator modernization which often is the largest driver of if it is replaced or not.  The machine replacement is often the largest expense of the elevator modernization project.

As always feel free to contact us at www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.

Elevator ladder safety - 3 point rule

Working in the elevator trade, the threat of falling while mounting, dismounting or climbing a ladder is a sure way to get seriously hurt. An insurance industry study showed that falls from ladders were almost 25 percent worse than other types of fall injuries. Whether you are working in an elevator pit or in the machine room safety should always be the number one priority.

Even an ankle sprain can play havoc with your ability to perform everyday tasks and can cost you big in terms of lost income and downtime. The biggest single cause of falls from a ladder is user error and failure to follow the three-point rule.

What Can You Do To Avoid Falls

No matter if it is an elevator pit ladder or an extension ladder, always use the three-point system to significantly reduce the chance of a slip or fall. The three-point system means three of your four limbs are in contact with the ladder at all times – two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand.

The three-point system allows a person to have maximum stability, support and control, thereby reducing the likelihood of slipping and falling. Be a winner; use the three-point system.

DOs

• Always inspect the ladder before use.
• Secure the base and top of ladder to prevent accidental movement.
• Set the ladder on a firm level surface.
• Look for and remove obstacles from the base and top of ladder.
• Ensure that ladder rails extend at least three feet above the landing.
• Always face the ladder when climbing up or down and while working from it.
• Set straight or extension ladders one foot out for every three to four feet up.
• Stand no higher than the third rung from the top. Maintain knee contact for balance.
• Wear shoes with good support and check to be sure they are clean of mud, grease, or any slippery materials that could cause loss of footing.
• Slow down and use extra caution before proceeding. Get a firm grip on the
  rails.

This is a repost from our ECA friends at Bay State Elevator http://baystateelevator.us/

As always feel free to contact us at www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.