Colombia. Modernizing elevators in Colombia more than an aesthetic issue has become a necessity, because it makes them safer, more reliable and with a high energy efficiency. Estilo Ingeniería, a leading company in vertical transport, carries out an analysis of how the country is doing in this aspect and the benefits that buildings can have.
"The technology installed a few years ago has been updated. On the other hand, there are already systems that have fulfilled their useful life of between 15 and 25 years, so the pertinent renovations are required," said Ricardo González, commercial manager of services of Estilo Ingeniería
The executive adds that "another factor to carry out the modernization is that with current technology there is less energy consumption, which allows to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability. In addition, more comfortable cabins are used and the equipment is safer."
When the upgrade of the vertical transport equipment is carried out, the change of the cabin may or may not be involved, but the truth is that modernizing the "brain" of this type of mobilization systems implies a saving in energy consumption that can range from 20% to 60%.
A clear example was presented in one of the more than 300 modernization interventions executed by Estilo Ingeniería; in a building of 15 elevators in the north of Bogotá, the savings in the year of the electricity receipt was 150 million pesos thanks to the change in equipment.
As for the law, rule 5126, approved by the Council of Bogotá, established several criteria of responsibilities: such as carrying the technical sheet of the equipment, knowing how long ago it was installed and having the details of its maintenance and failures. With that historical information, the right decisions are made to increase the security of users.
"With that information we know if it is necessary to change the engine or not, it is also detected if there is saturation or fatigue of the materials; or if the cattle are about to fail, there what we do is promote the change of the machine and the engine, "says González who also assures, "today the technology offers permanent magnetism machines that, thanks to the fact that they do not use gears, reduce consumption and their maintenance is easier because energy is reused".
If you think you need a vertical transportation review in a building, shopping center or any type of facility, the expert highlights the importance of reviewing the background of the company with which the modernization is going to be contracted, since there are companies that offer these services without carrying out the necessary studies.
"Cheap is expensive, we have found that there are failures in bad faith, so when people come back to us, after having tried with other companies without support, we see errors and advise them. It is recommended to know the facilities of the supplier company, its stock of spare parts, the place where they keep the materials, and the infrastructure and financial strength of this. In addition, it must be verified that it has a civil liability policy, which must be more than one billion pesos, "said the commercial manager.
