Shakir Ahmed, Managing Director, Fujitec India
Awareness & Planning
A well-planned and designed vertical transportation system is the lifeline of the building. The entry of multinational companies and international architects into India is bringing a lot more awareness on the vertical transportation needs. We see most of the leading developers and construction firms associated with vertical transportation specialists/consultants to get their elevatoring systems right. Fujitec sales engineering teams also support architects and builders during the planning and design phase of the building to come up with suitable solutions for their projects.
In India, the average elevator speeds are going up with people looking to provide better solutions based on the nature and height of the buildings. Vertical transportation codes are being modified and strengthened to global standards. But there is still a need for more awareness and continuous information sharing with all stakeholders.
Enhancing User Experience
Fujitec has been at the forefront of elevator technology and provides design with features that enhance user experience. Fujitec’s ‘IONFUL’ is a clean air technology that enables clean air inside the elevator cabin. A product that is in big demand in hospitals and public buildings, and, due to the pandemic, we have been retrofitting our elevators installed with this technology.
Escalator and Autowalk handrails are high-risk surfaces for transmission of virus and other germs as they are used by general public in places such as malls, hotels and airports. Fujitec introduces UV light-based handrail sterilizers for these high touch surfaces to help control the spread of virus, thereby ensuring safety and peace of mind for the users. These Handrail Sterilizers can be retrofitted in existing Fujitec escalators and autowalks, as well.
We, at Fujitec, always ensure that our customers get products with the latest technology and advanced features. Our Smart elevator range, which is supplied to residential and low-rise commercial segments, is packed with features similar to what we provide in our premium range.
Awareness of having the right elevator system is increasing with developers working alongside international architects and consultants while planning the elevatoring in their projects
Our contact-less call registration system with APP technology and sensor type button registration system are also in demand in the vertical transportation industry. Since many users feel claustrophobic in elevator cabins, we are offering cabins with a larger volume in the same floor space with a taller cabin ceiling and door height and a bright ceiling design. We also provide elevators with glass on the doors and cabin walls so that users feel more comfortable. LCD screens inside the lift cars running live news and videos can also be provided to keep the users occupied. However, such features in our elevators will depend on the builder and the project’s budget.
Today, elevator manufacturers offer solutions with fully automated group destination dispatch system for improved performance. However, there is no cost-effective substitute to having an additional elevator to better the performance of the elevatoring system in a building.
Safety Codes
Vertical transportation codes that are being followed by the Indian Elevator & Escalator (E&E) Industry are being relooked at by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as they have been followed for decades now.
Fujitec is a part of this effort and the only Japanese manufacturer on the BIS board and the P4 committee to be a part of the change. The committee is working towards upgrading the IS codes for elevators to global standards. This will help in improving the safety standards of elevators manufactured in India and also make the manufacturing competitive, such that Indian companies can be well-equipped to supply to global markets.
Though the E&E industry has been modernizing and adapting to current demands, there are still some areas in which the regulators need to be firmer and implement strict norms. Fujitec is doing its bit by providing elevator solutions with the latest auto door technology and does not cater to manual door segment.
Reliability in Service
Fujitec elevators come with a standard feature called the ‘Health Check Operation’ which ensures that the elevator is checked and ready for the next day’s use. Each Fujitec elevator controller has a provision to add on a remote monitoring unit with which the elevator can be monitored through an AI system, which also does predictive/preventive detection of a fault and intimates the service team to take corrective measures.
Our standard maintenance process is also done using handheld devices and laptops that are provided to each service personnel to check and take preventive measures for elevators that are not connected to the remote network.
Our customers have been provided with Fujitec Connect - an App-based service facility that ensures that their teams remain connected to their elevators and track all service-related activities and reports. Fujitec Connect also facilitates immediate registration of calls by the customers, rather than calling the toll-free number.
We believe in delivering the best technology to all segments of the Indian market. The technology and service processes have matured to suit the Indian requirements due to which the call back of our equipment is less than 0.5 CPUA – this translates to less than one call back per lift per year (including all other types of calls).
Execution & Training
Builders and contractors expect faster delivery and completion schedules of their construction projects. Our site teams interact with customer while planning and in the site coordination activities. We follow a balanced approach of using outsourced manpower and in-house fitters who are trained at our training centre in India. This helps us in maintaining quality and safety, along with productivity. We have established training program for outsourced fitter teams. All our site teams are connected in real time and at various levels to ensure the project progresses to customer requirements.
The availability of technically skilled manpower (mostly for installation) is a major challenge. At Fujitec, we work on various schemes to take onboard and retain sub-contractors.
