Motion Control Engineering - Non-proprietary elevator control systems – 2019 Series

Colley Elevator experience with Motion Control Engineering - Colley has a history with MCE since their beginning.  I remember hearing the stories of my father visiting California when they first started in the 1980’s.  We have cabinets full of MCE prints of all types.  We have installed white boxes, black boxes, 1000s, 2000s, 4000s, I boxes.  While their ownership has changed a few times the guys and girls who we deal with have been solid and dependable. MCE’s product has been the independent market’s standard bearer for non-proprietary quality.

[MCE controller installed by Colley Elevator recently]

Brief history of the company - Motion Control Engineering (MCE) home office is located in Rancho Cordova, CA.  Founded in the early 1980's, MCE is the largest Independent Elevator Control System Supplier (Vendor) in N. America.  MCE's installation based worldwide includes approximately 200,000 units.  Our Parent Company is Nidec (the World's largest manufacturer of Industrial Motors).  Our Elevator Industry Sister Companies include Imperial Electric and Canton Elevator.   MCE Control Systems are installed all over the Greater Chicagoland Area (unit count of more than 1,000 units).

What is the company's philosophy on non-proprietary technology?  Non-proprietary is the foundational hallmark of MCE.  MCE leads the Industry in providing Control Systems that are serviceable and maintainable to all.  We fundamentally believe that that the term Non-proprietary is not an ambiguous term – we believe that it can be defined and measured.  We believe it is in the Building Owner's best interest to seek solutions that provide them with the lowest total cost of ownership.  Building Owners rarely (intentionally) invest in proprietary vertical transportation equipment.

Is there a litmus test that you can provide to assist Building Owner's and Property Managers in making the best possible determination in sourcing Elevator Control Systems?

MCE's Building Owner's Bill of Rights:

Equipment shall be universally maintainable.

Diagnostics shall be built in.

A proprietary tool shall not be required for adjustment or maintenance.

Parts shall be available via inventory...not just exchange.

Technical Training shall be available to all.

Engineering and technical support shall be available to all.

All Manuals and Drawings shall be provided.

The Control System manufacturer shall provide direct support to the "end user" and their designated maintenance company.    

The Moment of Truth  - "When and/or how will you know" if the product is truly Non-proprietary? 

The true essences of a Non Proprietary Control System should answer YES to every one of the following questions:

• Does the warranty transfer from service provider to service provider during the coverage period?
• Does the controller manufacturer offer free technical support for the life of the system?
• Does the controller manufacturer offer the same replacement part price to the original installer as well as any subsequent maintenance company?
• Does the controller manufacture offer warranty on parts sale to any maintenance company?
• Does the controller manufacturer offer to take back or restock parts if the part was not part of the problem?
• Does the controller manufacturer offer free factory training?
• Does the controller manufacturer offer feature upgrade and modification requests to any subsequent maintenance company?
• Does the controller manufacturer offer software upgrades to any subsequent maintenance company?
• Does the controller manufacturer provide onsite trouble shooting to any maintenance company?
• Does the controller manufacturer provide call history of the project subsequent maintenance company?
• Does the controller manufacture provide repair services to any maintenance company?

What competitive advantage/strength does your control system have versus the competition?  Beyond the basic premise of proprietary restraint, MCE provides state-of-the-art Control Systems for virtually every application in the industry, from 2 stop Hydraulic applications to High Rise Traction Control Systems for Class A Buildings.  MCE has the largest Engineering Staff of any Independent Supplier in N. America, with a proven track record of expertise, most especially in modernization applications.     

What markets do you service[low rise, mid rise, high rise, material lifts, etc]?:

As stated above, the breadth of our product line is unsurpassed (Independent Control System Manufacturers).  This provides the Building Owner and Property Manager with a strong sense of confidence based upon the proven success of MCE over 30 plus years.

  

What is your controller's primary platform[PLC, Microprocessor, etc]? Microprocessor only.

What do you like most about the Chicago market? Great question.  Chicago is an extraordinarily busy market with strong technical talent.  From an application standpoint, Chicago "has it all", from the challenge to modernizing historic buildings over 100 years old to state-of-the-art new construction skyscrapers, very exciting.         

What challenges do you have in the Chicago market? Currently, the Chicago market is extremely busy, virtually all Contractors have large backlogs which inevitably leads to challenges in meeting project deadlines, accuracy, quality, attention to detail... 

What are some marquis, challenging or fun projects you have done in the national market and more importantly the Chicago market? MCE is privileged to have provided Control Systems for the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty.  MCE Control Systems were utilized in Elevator World Magazine Project of the Year in 2013, 2014 and 2017.  In Chicago, in addition to some very large/tall buildings, MCE provided a Destination Dispatch Solution for the 111 N. Canal Project in Chicago (an exceptionally challenging modernization, 10 Car Group which is very rare in N. America).  MCE provided the Control System at the Museum of Science and Industry at the Coal Mining exhibit, which provides the riders with a sense (illusion) of traveling deep into a mine.

What is on the horizon for the company?  MCE is at the forefront of technical advances in the Elevator Industry.  We are the leading provider of a new type of Dispatching called Destination Dispatch - an optimization technique used for multi elevator installations, which groups passengers for the same destinations into the same elevators, thereby reducing waiting and travel times when compared to a traditional approach where all passengers wishing to ascend or descend enter any available elevator and then request their destination.  Using destination dispatch, passengers request travel to a particular floor using a touch screen, keypad or proximity card room key in the lobby, individuals are then immediately directed to an appropriate elevator car.

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.