Recently, Hyundai Elevator (CEO Han Sang-ho, hereinafter referred to as Hyundai) has been experiencing steep growth as it has expanded its orders for high-speed elevators.

Last year, the company ordered 18 units, including two 360m/min elevators, for Songdo I Tower in Incheon, and 11 units, including two 360m/min elevators, are being installed at the Hyatt Hotel in Busan. Earlier this year, Hyundai gradually increased its orders for ultra-high-speed elevators, signing contracts for a total of 30 elevators, including 540m/min (5 units) and 360m/min (2 units) for the Busan International Financial Center (BIFC), and is firmly entrenched in the ultra-high-speed market. 

Hyundai's progress can already be seen in the 205.2-meter-high, 52-story Hyundai Asan Tower, which was completed in April 2009. It is the world's tallest elevator test tower, and the fact that an ultra-high-speed double-deck elevator with a speed of 600m/min and an ultra-high-speed elevator with a speed of 1080m/min, the world's fastest, have been developed and are in operation shows that Hyundai's competitiveness is now focused on ultra-high-speed elevators.

In particular, the 9-phase motor control method enables continuous operation even if some abnormalities occur in the motor or control unit, reduces product weight, and is an eco-friendly green product equipped with a power recovery inverter that can reuse energy generated during operation.

In recent years, Hyundai has been recognized by global elevator consulting experts for its modern technologies, including the reservation and transfer system, 600m/min double-deck elevator, and military management system, and has since participated in technical consultation for large domestic and overseas projects.

This is the case with Hyundai's MP Sales Department (Major Project), which was formed in September last year. As the team's name suggests, it is in charge of specialized technical sales for big projects in high-rise buildings, and Park Jong-gap (pictured, third from left), who is in charge of the MP Sales Department, said, "We will lead the MP Sales Department to become a leader in the high-speed elevator market not only domestically but also globally," with a firm determination to "differentiate ourselves by providing advance technical services to customers ahead of other companies."

Although project plans for skyscrapers may change depending on the global economy and financial market environment, the trend of urbanization and densification is expected to continue to increase in the medium to long term. In response, the MP Sales Department plans to quickly respond to customer needs in order to provide services that allow building owners and users to choose good products based on efficiency, economy, safety, and quietness. "We will now lead the industry with the passion of running a long-distance marathon," said Park Jong-gap, Managing Director, adding, "We will not neglect our efforts to build trust with our customers." The company believes that close ties with customers, such as ensuring that promises and schedules are met, will not only secure trust in Hyundai but also increase sales.

The MP Sales Department, which consists of six people, including Park Jong-gap, is a team of veterans with an average of more than 20 years of industry experience. As a result, they have encyclopedic knowledge and know-how on topics such as high-rise buildings and elevator technology, which leads to increased sales through technical sales.

The department's fundamental sales approach is to pre-sell high-rise buildings and high-speed elevators. "Pre-sales are important to win orders for high-speed elevators," says Park Jong-gap. We need to have a complete understanding of high-rise buildings and learn about basic construction, such as relevant laws and regulations and safety, so that we can provide technical suggestions and support from the design stage."

The MP Sales Department has already begun full-scale sales activities to provide technical support and specialized consulting from the early stages of project planning. In this regard, it is preparing to hold regular technical promotion seminars for large domestic and foreign designers and construction companies, and in the second half of this year, it plans to collect relevant news and get closer to customers through newsletters.

According to the MP Sales Department, Hyundai's domestic market share is close to 45% based on installation completion inspections, and the company is proud to be the No. 1 elevator company in Korea, ranked No. 1 in brand power in the Korean industry this year.  This is the result of Hyundai's quality-oriented management through technological innovation, which was transformed after the Fair Trade Commission's cartel investigation into elevator manufacturers in 2005, when certain rules were broken and the system was changed to a voluntary competition system. On the contrary, it seems that the voluntary competition system has spurred Hyundai to develop cutting-edge technologies and won large orders. 

"Now, the elevator business must also create the best value for customers so that they can feel it, and we plan to do our best to become a leading global company representing Korea," said Park Jong-gap. Hyundai will focus its efforts on expanding the brand value of using only domestically produced parts in the domestic elevator industry to the high-speed market as well as overseas. Hyundai, which is aiming for the 'Global Top 5' in the ultra-high-speed field, has a long-term plan to write the history of the ultra-high-speed field in the future by experimenting with its technology through a test tower that can be tested and overhauled under optimal conditions and working with experienced technical engineers and leading academic professors. In this process, Hyundai's MP Sales Department is determined to play the role of 'behind the scenes'.