The elevator shaft of the first Twin installed in Germany.
Elevator major aims high
01 July 2005
In pursuit of its global expansion plan to become the technology leader across the continents, ThyssenKrupp Elevator is aggressively targeting the Middle East market, to capitalise on the opportunities available in the booming construction sector.
The company – considered to be world’s third-largest elevator company - is aiming at doubling its sales by the end of 2006 and becoming the market leader in the region within the next five years, according to Dr Rembert Horstmann, senior vice president corporate communication and marketing.
ThyssenKrupp is also a leading supplier of passenger transport systems in airport terminals (see page 92).
Among the recent innovations from the company is the revolutionary Twin elevator system.
Twin is an innovative system with two cabs arranged one above the other in a single shaft. Both elevators are equipped with their own traction drive and travel above one another on the same rails. The two cabs are not connected and can move independently to different floors using the same guideway. This boosts transport capacities by up to 40 per cent or saves building space by cutting down the number of shafts required, freeing up additional leasable space, says Dr Horstmann. “This system is unique and will revolutionise the whole concept of passenger movement in high-rises. Its extraordinary engineering work coupled with an imaginative approach, state-of-the-art controlling system and exemplary safety system has enabled us to offer a system in which two separate cars operate in a single shaft.”
He continues: “The intelligent ThyssenKrupp destination selection control (DSC) is the central and indispensable component of the Twin and provides perfect coordination of the elevator group. The passenger target landing is recorded in addition to the travel direction during the call prior to entering the car, which prompts the control to assign the most suitable elevator to the call location.
“In a system equipped with the DSC, the passengers enter their destinations by means of the special touch-screen even before stepping into the elevator. The controller assigns the call to the elevator, which will be the quickest for the passenger. DSC is the brains behind the operation and is responsible for smooth operation of this revolutionary system.”
Figuring high among the countless benefits the system offers are the savings offered to developers who can save on the construction costs of erecting additional shafts while gaining more leasable space. It also offers increased handling capacity with the same number of shafts.
Citing other advantages, he says: “In traditional systems, the shaft has to be vacated for installing or upgrading the air-conditioning or electrical systems. However, thanks to the Twin, the handling capacity remains intact even with a reduced number of shafts”
“The new system is ideal for building heights of more than 50 m (more than 10 floors) and provides flexibility in building designs and layout of elevators groups which makes it a completely new traffic concept in the modern buildings,” he points out.
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The touch-screen control of the |
After the pilot project at the University of Stuttgart/Germany and the installation of two Twin in the Düsseldorf headquarters of ThyssenKrupp, the first commercial orders were received for the Oceanic Center in Valencia (Spain), a total of four Twins in the Munich headquarters of the BMW Group, two panorama Twins will feature Frankfurt´s Main Triangle and 10 Twin elevators will be installed in the new Federation Tower in Moscow.
To ensure that the cars maintain clearance from each other during any operational conditions, the system adopts a four level safety concept:
The target calls are always distributed so that the cars will not hinder each other and maintain a safe distance;
When the cars approach each other, the speed is reduced so that an operational stop is possible at any time without exceeding the minimum safe distance;
The system has an emergency stop system when the safety clearance is exceeded. The drives are stopped and the operating brakes are activated to avert any accidents; and
In the unlikely event where none of these three safety levels slow down the cars, the safety gears on both cars are activated by force.
“Twin has a safety standard which meets even the highest of demands,” he maintains.
ThyssenKrupp has introduced its latest innovation at the recent Airport Build & Supply Exhibition in Dubai.
ThyssenKrupp has a presence in more than 60 countries at over 800 locations. With operations in Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and a production plant in Jordan, the ThyssenKrupp Elevator group is a key Middle East supplier.
“We are the technology leaders in the elevator business as we have achieved some of the most challenging tasks such as the Europe’s fastest elevator in the DaimlerChrysler building in Berlin, the elevators in Europe’s tallest office building – the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, as well as Europe’s longest escalator in the Prague Metro, and the contract for the Shanghai World Financial Center, which is among the world’s tallest buildings. The contract includes 42 units for the 101-storey building,” he adds.
