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ELEVATORS & ESCALATORS
LEAD STORY

buildings, owing to high population density. Pneumatic elevators, Almost half of fatal elevator accidents involve workers engaged
on the other hand, are being highly publicized, since they use in maintenance or repairing of elevators. However, accidents
vacuum and a valve to move the elevator car upward and air involving passengers draw the maximum attention. Strict
to move it. Manufacturers in the elevator & escalator market maintenance requirements and safety standards help keep
are targeting pneumatic lifts for places where there is a limited elevators & escalators safe from these incidents. Manufacturers
passenger footfall. These lifts are being designed in wheel-chair of elevators & escalators are required to abide by safety standards
accessible mode. mandated by governments in different regions.
The restricted movement of people in public places has slowed The high cost of repair and maintenance can also pose to be a
down sales and repair business of elevators. Hence, companies major challenge for the elevator and escalator market in India.
in the elevator & escalator market are introducing people flow Although new installations of elevators and escalators have an
solutions that are being used at metro stations and in residential average shelf life of 20-30 years, there are many operational
buildings. These solutions include elevator remote calling feature challenges that require the continuous maintenance and
using WhatsApp, which omits the need to touch contaminated monitoring of elevators and escalators. Some of the major
buttons and displays. problems associated with elevators and escalators are the
The Germany-based startup UVIS is gaining attention for its machines getting stuck, the call box not working, odd noises,
coronavirus killing escalators integrated with a UV (ultraviolet) light and jumpy or bumpy rides. These issues call for the continuous
box, which helps to disinfect handrails. Hydraulic elevators are maintenance and monitoring of elevators and escalators and
gaining recognition for their self-rescue advantage in case people often require several component replacements. Hence, due to
are trapped in the elevator car. However, they are not preferred high repair, replacement, and maintenance costs, most property
in high-rise buildings, owing to their limitations in design. Hence, owners may be reluctant to modernize their lifts and escalators,
companies in the elevator & escalator market should increase the which can limit the growth of the market during the forecast
availability of traction elevators that can be used in both mid-rise period.
and high-rise buildings. Manufacturers are expanding their systems Customers expect constant support and after-sales services from
in passenger boarding bridges and ground support equipment. OEMs so as to maintain the effective performance of elevators
MRL elevators are creating revenue opportunities for companies in and escalators. With a view to counter this concern, the bigger
the elevator & escalator market, since they offer space efficiency. and well-established vendors in the market such as TK Elevator,
Schindler, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, and Fujitec provide integrated
Challenging scenario maintenance solutions to their customers. As a result, third-party
Stringent government regulations and policies governing the service providers in the market are capturing the maintenance
safety standards of elevators and escalators have compelled and repair business, especially for smaller projects, as they provide
manufacturers to adhere to strict standards and certifications, similar services.
and this is a challenge for the elevator & escalator market. Gauging Indian market potential

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