According to The Freedonia Group Inc. the demand for elevators in the Chinese market is growing at an average annual growth rate of more than 12%, and the global demand for elevators is growing at an average annual growth rate of 6.4%, and is expected to reach $90 billion by 2015.

The 2012 Korea Elevator Safety Expo, which was held at COEX Hall C in Seoul's Samseong-dong, Seoul, for four days from March 23 to 26, was said to have provided a networking venue for domestic companies to enter the overseas market, which has been on a steady rise despite the global recession.

The only exhibition in Korea that encompasses all aspects of elevators, from the principles of elevator construction to cutting-edge technologies and future developments, was held in parallel with the Korea Building Industry Exhibition, Smart Green Building Expo, International Automatic Recognition and Access Control Expo, and Public Environmental Facilities Industry Exhibition under the common theme of 'Green City Week', which increased its significance.

Hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and organized by the Korea Elevator Safety Management Institute KOSEX, the event attracted the attention of the industry by exhibiting a variety of new products and technologies, including finished elevator products such as inclined elevators, overpass elevators, dumbwaiters, and home elevators, as well as parts, accessories, communication equipment, special facilities, design fields, power supplies, inspection equipment, security equipment, and consulting. In particular, parts companies such as elevator emergency call devices, guide rails, counter weights, and car door sensors, which will be revised next year, showed a high participation rate. 

 As if reflecting the overall industry trend of elevator technology, safety, and low-carbon green growth, large companies such as Hyundai Elevator and ThyssenKrupp Elevator and small companies such as Haesung Sanjeon, Songshan Special Elevator, Samil Eltek, Jiam Meditech, Kumho Elevator, and Moon & Sun Elevator were strongly represented.

In the center of the exhibition, Yixin, Torin, Canny, SJEC, Kenfor, Henning, Hyayuan, and AFAG, the organizer of Interlift, formed an international pavilion to introduce their products to the Korean elevator market. TorinDrive, in particular, attracted the attention of industry officials by introducing the ER series and GTWGTS series of gearless hoists.

Geochang Elevator Industry Valley, which is emerging as the number one elevator industry in Korea, 78 public institutions, companies, and universities, including Gyeongnam Techno Park and Elevator University, also showcased their products and solutions to expand human networks and seize opportunities to explore new markets. The companies participating in the Geochang Elevator Valley booth included Strongplus, a specialized manufacturer of guide rails and weights, Shinhan Elevator, Yuwon EMT, Namyang ENG, Seogwang, J-End, Starlift, Geumsansanggi, Daeyoung ENG, and All Elevator. 

In one corner of the exhibition, the Korea Elevator Safety Authority and CHEST held a joint booth called 'Hope Shop for Love' and donated the sales proceeds. Other organizations and institutions that participated included the Korea Elevator Safety Management Institute, Korea Elevator Safety Technology Institute, and the Korea Elevator Association. 

Alongside the exhibition, high-level specialized seminars and workshops on elevator safety were held, providing exhibitors and industry professionals with useful information and visions through an integrated conference on overseas elevator safety technologies and trends and skyscrapers, while prospects in the elevator industry were able to see the unlimited potential of elevator technology. 

Mr. Shuichi Ohno, President of the Japan Space Elevator Association, gave a lecture on 'Today and the Future of Space Elevator Technology' for future scientific dreamers, and ▲ A briefing on the application of the revised Elevator Inspection Standard (EN) (Mr. Jang Myung-won, Team Leader, Korea Elevator Safety Management Institute) ▲ Seminar on the development of the elevator safety network ▲ Status of the European elevator industry and entry of Korean companies (Chairman of Interlift, Achim Hutter, Germany) ▲ High-rise architectural design and urban change (Professor Chanjun Park, Institute of Urban Design, Kyeowon University of the Arts) ▲ Needs and challenges of elevator consulting Needs and Challenges of Elevator Consulting ▲ Introduction and Use Cases of Ride Measurement Analysis Equipment ▲ Guide Roller of Ultra High Speed Elevator ▲ Explanation of Seismic Design of Elevator in Japan ▲ Emergence and Impact of Elevator Parts Industry in China ▲ Certification System for Elevator Parts ▲ and many other specialized conferences were held. 

On the first day of the exhibition, an overseas VIP dinner was held to build mutual cooperation and trust through meetings with leaders representing elevator companies in each country, and on the 25th, an 'Elevator Safety Song Concert' was held at the COEX Mall Event Court.

The concert, which was held to spread the culture of elevator safety for children, introduced various genres such as a cappella, rock, choral, vocal, and pop opera, and the 'KESI Band,' a music club for employees of Seung-Ang One, appeared as a special guest and received warm applause from the audience. In addition to the 'Children's Michu Hall Art Troupe', the company also encouraged the performers, including 'Notes Band', 'GigaHits', 'Arpeggio', 'Angel Pops', and 'Amika', as honorary ambassadors for elevator safety.

In addition, various side events were held, such as the Capacity Building Workshop for Elevator Safety Instructors and the Elevator Safety Business Agreement Organization Workshop, in which 10 civil society organizations participated.

In addition, the 2012 Seoul International Elevator Standardization Conference (ISO/TC 178) was held during the exhibition, and opinion leaders from more than 20 countries, including Europe and the United States, visited the expo to get a bird's eye view of Korean elevator technology and status.

Ian Todkill, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Elevator Association, ▲ Esfandiar Gharibaan, Chairman of the Elevator Committee of the European Organization for Standardization, ▲ Louis Bialy, Vice Chairman of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ▲ Achim Hutter, Chairman of Interlift Germany, ▲ David McCall, Chairman of WG4, ▲ Shin Hwang, Chairman of WG5, and others. Mr. Shinji Iwashima, President of the Japan Elevator Manufacturers Association, Mr. Zhang Russiang, Deputy Secretary General of the China Elevator Association, and others attended the opening ceremony of the Korea Elevator Safety Expo and congratulated the Korean elevator market on the opportunity to showcase their products to the world.

"The 2nd Korea Elevator Safety Expo is a unique expo with the theme of 'safety,'" said Gong Chang-seok, chairman of the Korea Elevator Safety Expo Organizing Committee, at the opening ceremony. "It is expected to raise the safety awareness of the public and create new markets and exchanges for companies."

After the opening declaration, Vice Minister Lee Sam-geol of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Ian Todkill, President of the Asia-Pacific Elevator Council, delivered commemorative remarks and congratulatory remarks, and an award ceremony was held for the winners of the Elevator Safety UCC Competition. The Minister of the Interior and Safety Award went to Kim Jeong-woo, Labor Hyuk, and Song Sa-an, while Noh Ji-hoon, Bae Young-hoon, and Choi Joon-sik were awarded the First Prize, and Kim Hyun-sil, Jeon Jeon-ah, and Jung Kyung-ah were awarded the Second Prize. A total of seven honorable mentions were awarded to Yuhwan Kim, Joseph Lee, Myungchul Jung, and Byungrok Chun.  

The elevator exhibition, which was held for the second time this year, was smaller in scale than the first one in 2010, but it is considered to be a strong exhibition.

An industry insider who visited the expo said, "It was a pleasure to the eyes and ears as the exhibited products were solid and complete, and the participating companies were prepared to welcome customers." "However, the low participation rate of large companies and the low attendance rate of industry workers are points that need to be improved for the next exhibition."

The following are some of the exhibitors who showcased standout products and technologies at the show. (in alphabetical order)

 

Elevator control panel specialist Daesung IDS recently moved its headquarters and factory to Yangju, Gyeonggi-do, and is poised to take the next leap forward. At the exhibition, the company exhibited various control panels for each elevator type, including DS-POF (cargo rope type), MR MMR model (DS-VFC), and MRL model (DS-F100). The company's control panel realizes the best ride comfort without MMR and load cells, and can control a group of eight elevators with error detection and fault recording functions.

The direct elevator call device (ICT-89), which was also showcased, is a product that allows users to make emergency calls to the security room, disaster prevention room, management office, and machine room by pressing the emergency call button in the event of an elevator trapping accident, and picking up the call device handset. When calling an emergency call, it is possible to make an interruption call even if a calling device such as a security room is on a call, and if there is no response for a certain period of time, the next entered external phone is automatically called and called.

An official from Daesung IDS emphasized, "The emergency communication device is first connected to the management room, and in case of absence, it can be sequentially connected to the repair company, service center, and 119 for quick rescue."

 

Major Tech (CEO Oh Hyun Jung), a rope brake manufacturer, recently acquired the industry's first CSA (Canadian Standards Association) certification for its M240 product, which is applicable to ultra-high speed models, and announced its entry into the overseas market in earnest. Following KC and CE, MajorTech has acquired CSA certification, which will provide a bridgehead for the company to take its first step into the export market.

 The M240 is a 24-seat model with a speed of 240m/min and a payload of 1,600KG, which is applicable to high-rise buildings that are in high demand these days. With this product, Major Tech plans to focus on sales activities in Japan, Europe, the United Kingdom, and France, including large domestic companies. To this end, MajorTech is looking for specialized overseas marketing partners as a springboard for active overseas exports.  

"It took us more than two years to get CSA certification, but we have improved our products with more reliable quality and competitive technology," said Kim Dong-buk, a technologist at the company. Majortech, which has specialized in rope brakes for the past 10 years, was the first company to move into the Geochang Elevator Valley General Industrial Complex earlier this month and is working with Gyeongnam Techno Park and Korea Elevator University to develop link-type emergency stop devices for elevators and elevator parts using composite materials.

 

Moon & Sun Elevator (CEO Bae Moon-sun), whose quality management philosophy is based on the 3 S's of quiet, smooth ride and safety, introduced solar elevators and home elevators at the exhibition. Established in 1996, the company has been exporting its products mainly to Japan, but now it is targeting Korea with a product line armed with unique new technologies, including eco-friendly elevators, eco elevators, and clean room elevators.

The solar elevator, in particular, is an elevator that is powered by electricity generated by installing solar power generation facilities on rooftops or roofs. The solar system consists of solar modules, inverters, and batteries that generate electricity, and the electricity generated is used for the elevator, and the surplus electricity is used for other home appliances. The excess electricity is transmitted back to KEPCO, reducing electricity consumption. This is a project to supply 1 million renewable energy houses by 2020, led by the Korea Energy Management Corporation and the Renewable Energy Center, and benefits from government subsidies and local government subsidies.

In addition, the company introduced a home elevator that can be installed by making a platform door on the outer wall of a house or small building without an elevator and installing an additional elevator so that it can be entered from the outside and directly accessed to the second, third, and fourth floors of the building.

 

Samhwa E&C (CEO Yoo Kwang-yeol), which has been showing strength in elevator weight parts, has recently been busy diversifying its business by selling and supplying guide rails and wire ropes. The company's sales last year were 17 billion won. This year, the company aims to achieve a total of 20 billion won, including sales of guide rails and wire ropes.

The company, which moved its main factory from Namdong Industrial Complex in Incheon to Dangjin in Chungnam Province in December 2010, is the world's largest single factory for weights, with a daily production capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 mixed weights. "There are hundreds of different types of weights for each elevator model, so we have the largest production facility to cope with this, and we supply to the Guandong and Sichuan regions of China," said Lee.

Currently, mixture weights, balance weights, and steel plate weights other than cast weights are produced at the Dangjin plant, and recently, the company has developed ultra-thin cast weights with a new process to reduce the defect rate and reduce costs. "We will continue to conduct steady research and development in preparation for the increase in demand for home elevators in the future," said Lee Kwan-beom. "We are aiming to become a listed company in 2017 with active overseas exports by increasing product items."

 

The Automatic Rescue Device for Power Failure (ARD), which Sungam Electric introduced at the exhibition, is a new technology that improves the method of rescuing people by manual operation in the machine room in the event of an elevator trapping accident and enables automatic rescue operation from the control panel. 

In particular, when the elevator stops due to a power outage, the car is powered by battery power to move to the floor where the door can be opened and rescue passengers safely, so it is indispensable in elementary schools, subways, supermarkets, department stores, etc. In overseas regions, it is being installed and operated mainly in Asia, China, the Emirates, Dubai, and the Middle East.

"The situation of a breakdown and a power outage are very different," said an official from Sungam Electric. "A breakdown is limited to a few elevators, but a power outage occurs simultaneously across the region, so the power outage emergency exit device is an indispensable product that must be installed in each building."

The device is simple to connect to the elevator, easy to install and design, and the power flow is bi-directional, so it can also be used for converter drives. It is safe because it is isolated from the power supply, and it has high reliability during operation in various parts of the world.

 

Songshan Special Elevator, which is targeting a niche market in the elevator industry with its special structure elevators, attracted attention at the exhibition by exhibiting the 'X-Vator' emergency exit elevator and the 'S-Brake' model, a brake that prevents escalator reverse rotation and speeding accidents, in full-size.

'X-Vator' is a special elevator that helps safe emergency evacuation by preventing smoke, flames, and heat from entering the elevator when a fire breaks out in a building with a jet spray barrier and airtight packing, and is considered a new technology that has opened a new chapter in saving lives using elevators for evacuation in the event of a fire in a high-rise building. 'S-Brake', a solution that prevents reversing and overspeeding by installing it on the upper staff drive shaft of escalators, has also received performance certification as a new technology leading safe operation. The device has already been installed at various sites, including subways. With its unique brand identity, the company has been recognized overseas, exporting special elevators to the Hyatt Building in the Philippines, Tianjin Railway in China, Taiwan's Presidential Office, Vladivostok Department Store in Russia, and Abu Dhabi Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE.

 

Wysol (CEO Kim Hee-yong) introduced the HK-600E Series, a video transmission system for elevator CCTV, at the exhibition. This model solves safety accidents caused by breaking coaxial cables and tangling with T-cables, and has the advantage of being relatively inexpensive when considering cable replacement costs. "No cable installation or replacement is required, so maintenance costs can be reduced, and installation and management costs can be greatly reduced with installation costs that are independent of the number of floors," said Kim Hee-yong, CEO of the company. "It is an innovative product with features such as high quality real-time video transmission and semi-permanent life."

Currently, the HK-600E series is installed in the Dong-A Ilbo office building in Gwanghwamun, the Cheil Worldwide office building in Itaewon, and Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, and recently, leading elevator manufacturers at home and abroad have also introduced this model, verifying the product's excellence and safety.

(Ltd. introduced an elevator safety sensor (OES 32/48 series) that can be applied to all elevators. Founded in 1999 and listed on the KOSDAQ in 2007, the company is a medium-sized company with 450 employees and 2011 sales of 100 billion won, specializing in optical sensors that produce and sell semiconductor chips, photonic device packages, optical sensor modules and systems.

After focusing on sensors for highway high passes and subway screen doors, Auditec entered the elevator door detection sensor industry in the middle of this year. Depending on the specification, Auditec's products can be installed with 32 optical axes (154 cross beams) or 48 optical axes (234 cross beams) and provide a protection area up to 1.8 meters high. It is simple to install and mount without the need for a separate controller and can be operated immediately after connecting power and output.

The company's strength is that it produces and sells all products in-house at its factories 1 and 2 in Wanju, Jeollabuk-do. "We are still not competitive in terms of unit price compared to Chinese products, but we are betting on quality and after-sales service because we have our own domestic production," said Moon Byung-chun, head of the domestic sales team. Currently, the company is developing 3D sensors for elevators.

 

(CEO Park Eung-gu), a consulting company specializing in elevator design, supervision, and operation, introduced consulting technologies such as 'grinding stone effect simulation' and 'elevator traffic simulation' at the 2012 Korea Elevator Safety Expo.

The company, which has grown its credibility through a technology partnership with Fortune Consulting Ltd. in the U.S., is aiming to become a global elevator consulting company by 2015, and is taking the opportunity to enter the overseas market by introducing its consulting know-how that is integrated into the entire elevator installation process.

"The demand for elevators in skyscrapers is increasing due to the skyscraper craze in Korea," said Park Eung-koo, CEO of the company. "Although there are various legal difficulties such as high costs and foreign currency outflow, it is a blue ocean for the poor domestic elevator consulting industry to sign service contracts with foreign elevator consulting companies." 

 

The Korea Elevator Safety Management Institute (CEO Gong Chang-seok), which organized this year's Elevator Safety Expo, operated a booth dedicated to consulting to attract customers from large markets such as China and India, as well as potential domestic buyers, and organized the exhibition hall to display consulting cases and demonstrate them to visitors.

In addition, the Science Theme Pavilion, which explains the hidden technologies of various unfamiliar elevator operations in a fun and interesting scientific approach, and the National Safety Pavilion, where children can experience elevator safety, were also organized in the center of the booth. The Science Theme Hall allows visitors to experience elevator safety. It also attracted attention by offering various programs such as correcting misunderstood safety myths with various scientific stories and exploring the scientific secrets of the closing button. 

The National Safety Hall was designed as an educational venue for children to learn how to deal with elevator traps, escalator falls, and pinching accidents through major elevator accident cases. In addition, exciting pantomime performances on the theme of elevator safety were held for children for four days.

 

Hyundai Elevator (CEO Han Sang-ho) introduced Hyundai Real Time Service (HRTS), an elevator remote management service system that monitors, inspects, and controls elevators in real time, through the exhibition. This is an elevator maintenance service system that not only monitors the operating status of elevators nationwide in real time 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via the Internet, but also remotely handles failures except for safety inspections and parts replacement, realizing prevention of accidents and shortening the time to handle failures.

In particular, Hyundai Elevator drew high attention from visitors to the exhibition by screening a 3D video in the state-of-the-art remote management experience center so that visitors could experience HRTS. Visitors were able to experience firsthand how the HRTS remotely manages elevators in real time in the event of an elevator breakdown or power outage in their daily lives through realistic 3D stereoscopic images.

In addition, the Green Product Pavilion was equipped with a power saving simulator to demonstrate the actual energy cost savings when using a power recovery inverter, and the High Speed Pavilion featured a 1,080mph high-speed elevator boasting the world's highest speed, a 600mph double-deck elevator model, and HELIAS, a floor reservation system, to demonstrate Hyundai Elevator's elevator technology. Hyundai Elevator installed an ultra-large multi-vision 23 meters across and 2.5 meters long at the front of the booth to introduce company introduction videos and ultra-high-speed achievements, attracting the attention of visitors to the Elevator Safety Expo.

 

Haesung Sanjeon (CEO Lee Hyun-guk), which has been in the business of manufacturing reducers for the past 21 years, is a solid company responsible for 70% of domestic elevator reducers with sales of 36.3 billion won in 2011. 

HaeSung Sanjeon, which applied for 20 booths at the expo, the largest for a single company, is responsible for 70 percent of the elevator reducers in Korea, and attracted the attention of industry officials by showcasing various world-class reducer products and technologies.

 In particular, its various models of winding machines, which are the heart of elevators, are exported to 50 countries around the world with less noise and almost no vibration compared to other companies' products, and are expected to bring new innovations to the domestic market. This year, the company was selected as one of the 'Happy Small Business Jobs' by the Small and Medium Business Corporation and won the Korea Jungkyung Culture Award. 

 

Honglim (CEO Kim Deok-young), a company that provides total services for elevator diagnostic equipment, has introduced the HLEV-01, an elevator ride comfort analysis equipment that upgrades the EVA-625 model, an international standard equipment that can measure ride comfort due to elevator vibration and noise.

The product enables real-time measurement of ride quality, vibration, and noise, saving inspectors and maintainers the trouble of traveling back and forth between the field and office to compare data. Data management and various report outputs are available via USB, and noise measurement ranges from 30 to 100 dB(A). The 4096Kb memory allows for 2,000 seconds of continuous measurement and storage. It weighs 1.3 kilograms. "The HLEV-01 product is equipped with a three-axis acceleration sensor and an A characteristic noise sensor, and the analysis software enables quick problem identification and cause determination," said Kim.

Honglim also exhibited an elevator wire rope tension tester (RTS), an elevator load measurement device (LM3D), and a safety index measurement device (IMD-1) that can measure the safety index, friction coefficient, and clearance of escalator steps and skirts. In particular, the elevator wire rope safety diagnostic device (TCK-DT20) is highly used in the inspection of elevator installations in high-rise buildings because it provides quantitative and numerical data such as LMA, LF measurement and breakage, abrasion, corrosion, and fatigue.