A new powerhouse has emerged in the domestic elevator market. ThyssenKrupp Elevator Korea (CEO Yangchun Park, hereinafter referred to as ThyssenKrupp) launched Synergy, an MRL elevator customized for small and medium-sized buildings of 10 floors or less, early last month, and launched a special market preemption program.

According to statistics from the Korea Elevator Safety Management Agency, the total number of elevators installed in buildings with 10 floors or less as of Dec. 31, 2012, was 98,171, with an average of 4,236 elevators installed over the past five years, including 2008 (4,383), 2009 (3,405), 2010 (3,771), 2011 (4,574), and 2012 (5,046). "Considering that 25,000 new elevators are installed every year, our own research shows that about 12,000 of them are in the short-term market, and more than half of them, about 6,000, are in the MRL market," said a ThyssenKrupp representative. "With the synergistic products we have launched, we expect to achieve more than 1,000 contracts per year."

Of the 471,403 elevators currently installed in Korea, 37,627 are MRL elevators for passengers on floors 10 and below (28,536 for floors 5 and below and 9,091 for floors 6-10), with a steady increase.

ThyssenKrupp's ambitious synergy product is an innovative product that realizes the world's smallest hoistway, overhead, and footprint, and is characterized by four package designs for each building type, including Milano (for neighborhood commercial), Firenze (for hotel/motel), Manhattan (for office), and Bellagio (for urban living). This is the first time in the domestic elevator market that customized designs for each use are applied as standard, much like package specifications for automobiles.

ThyssenKrupp, which exhibited its synergy products at the 32nd Building Expo held at KINTEX in Ilsan, Korea, from the 25th to the 28th of last month, also succeeded in attracting the attention of construction companies, architects, and industry officials by unveiling four mock-ups of package designs organized by building use.

"Previously, customers had to select a product from a 'buffet' with various categories of parts and products, but the Synergy product eliminates these unnecessary steps and allows customers to select only the model that suits their building application," said Kim Sung-min, senior vice president of marketing at ThyssenKrupp, emphasizing that it is a fresh attempt to break the stereotypes of the current sales method in the domestic elevator market.

In fact, the Synergy product is very attractive to customers who want a quick delivery because they only need to choose whether or not they want the control panel and multibeam sensor as options. This is a testament to the company's confidence in the new product. "We are confident that we will not reduce the number of steps for customers to choose a product, but rather give them more satisfaction," said Mr. Yangchun Park, CEO of ThyssenKrupp.

 

Another feature of the product is its groundbreaking design. By interpreting and approaching the interior design of the car in a completely different way, it is clearly differentiated by applying high-end design specifications and new materials that can be found in high-end offices and residential buildings as standard.

Considering that the four models seat 8 to 9 passengers, the interior of the car is designed to look spacious by adopting a horizontal division design with a combination of the golden ratio of horizontal division (side panel) and vertical division (rear panel), and stainless mirrors are applied to the rear panel in accordance with the optical design concept to provide a panoramic view. In addition, it emphasizes luxury by adding vibration pattern processing, which was previously applied only to high-end products, and realizes eco-friendliness by processing laser graphics rather than chemical etching patterns on stainless steel panels.

The control panel (COP) also enhanced the luxury value of the elevator by applying state-of-the-art touch buttons to the LCD display and tempered glass as standard, and the anodized aluminum frame and laser graphic surface treatment were applied to realize a more complete and luxurious elevator control panel design. In addition, the subtle indirect lighting effect of the side LED mood lights enhanced the value of the car interior space. The upper part of the COP is black backlit with a white-blue font color to convey clear information, while the lower part visually expresses that the air purification, negative ion, and antibacterial functions are in operation.

The hole button also has a thin and slim housing structure with a crystal white LED color, and it has a luxurious shape of transparent crystal clear. The indicator also has an original design that gives a transparent and clean feeling, allowing for an elegant and luxurious floor display.

In addition, air purifiers, eco-friendly LED ceilings, and LED halogens were applied as standard equipment to create a healing space. In particular, the eco-friendly crystal white LED lights have 10 times the lifespan of fluorescent bulbs, reducing bulb replacement costs and eye fatigue, and the innovative design creates a cutting-edge image.

Considering that ThyssenKrupp's synergistic products are 2 to 3 million won cheaper than other MRL products, customers can experience maximum luxury at the lowest possible cost, said Sungmin Kim, managing director of ThyssenKrupp.

 

Another differentiator of ThyssenKrupp's synergy products is the world's smallest hoistway, overhead, and footprint.  This is one of the six synergies we claim for our synergy products. The Synergy hoistway (2,200×1,700) size for a 15-seater is 100mm and 200mm smaller in width and depth, respectively, and 350mm smaller in overhead (3,450mm) and footprint (1,150mm) than competing products, saving 0.62 square meters (0.19 square feet) of space.

This provides design freedom by minimizing the roof overhang height and enables the building's rooftop to be utilized for various purposes. It is also expected to be well received by building owners, who can expect to reduce construction costs and increase rental income.

"According to our calculated estimates based on a 5-story, 15-seater building, it is possible to reduce the construction cost of elevator, overhead, and pit space by KRW 3,150,000 by reducing the construction cost of elevator and overhead, and it is also possible to increase the annual rental revenue (about KRW 85,000) compared to other companies by utilizing the reduced elevator space as a rental area," analyzed Kim Sung-min, managing director of ThyssenKrupp.

In addition, the tangible and intangible effects of reducing air and material storage space will save about KRW 1,000,000. Since the floor and car frame are installed immediately after construction, the material storage area and storage period can be reduced, which can free up additional material space for other processes. In addition, installation work can be started even before the main power supply (380V) for the elevator is installed, allowing flexibility in response to delivery dates, and the construction period can be shortened by about 20%, reducing the period for opening the entrance and exit to prevent possible safety accidents.

The door machine uses a high-performance PM motor to realize powerful power with a small motor. While conventional induction motors require a reducer, PM motors can control low speeds on their own, reducing noise and extending component life. Low power consumption can reduce electricity bills, and smooth and stable door opening and closing can prevent passenger safety accidents. 

Another feature is that it does not require a machine beam sleeve at the top, which simplifies construction. In addition to avoiding the difficulty of finishing the exterior wall when the elevator shaft is in contact with the exterior wall, there is no need for backfilling after completing the elevator shaft construction, and there is no risk of interference with the ceiling beams, making steel structure construction very easy. 

Currently, MRL's competitors in the market are Hyundai's Space Saver, Otis' Gentoo and Mitsubishi's Elenesa. ThyssenKrupp has announced a full-scale market offensive with four package products divided into building applications, which no one else has tried in Korea.