IoT and the Future of Elevator Maintenance Business

Abstract

The modern era of high-speed and safe vertical transportation began with the installation of the first traction elevators in 1913 in the Woolworth building in New York. Since that time there has been continuous development in elevator technologies and a remarkable growth in the global elevator industry. IoT (Internet of Things) is said to be one of the most disruptive technologies today. What started as a development in communication technology has spread to many other industrial and business applications.The goal of this thesis is to investigate the application of IoT in the elevator industry. In doing so, the thesis aims to study the impact on keystakeholders: the elevator companies, customers, and elevator personnel.A traction elevator is an engineering system consisting of sub-systems and electro-mechanical components. Once the elevator is installed, it is necessary to continuously maintain and inspect it for safe operation.Countries have regulations and standards governing these activities.Elevator maintenance business is a profitable but labour-intensive. It covers such works as servicing, safety inspection, and call backs. A maintenance contract can add substantially to the building operating costs.In the absence of IoT, the maintenance and safety inspections are carried out at fixed intervals, irrespective of actual usage. Without precise metrics regarding the real use since the last maintenance or inspection, customers and maintenance companies act on assumptions and periodic reports.This thesis comes to the conclusion that IoT is transforming the servicing and inspection process, changing it from a periodic basis to an adaptive/predictive one. The locus of know-how is shifting from elevator technicians to artificial intelligence (AI). Elevator companies as well as customers are able to see the condition and performance of their elevatorsin real time and are able to make agile decisions. Overall, the IoT ofelevators is leading to the development of new businesses for the companies, bringing additional benefits to the elevator owners, and facilitating the work of maintenance technicians and elevator inspectors.