"With the designation ‘energy efficient lift’, the lift manufacturer indicates that it has done everything possible to minimize energy consumption. However, how energy efficient the lift really is depends on the location and other factors.” The person speaking is Hessel Kramer, product specialist Certification at Liftinstituut. Every year he performs dozens of energy performance measurements on site.
The European Lifts Directive is clear: safety components and new technologies that deviate from the standard must in any case be certified by a Notified Body. Third party certification, however, is not always mandatory for other systems and installations developed and marketed by manufacturers within the standard. According to Liftinstituut managing director John van Vliet, it is precisely those products that should also be reviewed by an external certifying body. According to him, the knife cuts both ways.
As we continue to monitor COVID-19 developments closely, we are taking the necessary actions to protect your health and that of our people. Therefore, virtually all international travel is stopped. Physical contact is minimized and work at home is now the standard.
A lot is happening with standards, both nationally and internationally. Liftinstituut is represented in various standards committees, so we hear about the latest developments in an early stage. What is going on with global standards? And when will these replace European standards? Let us fill you in.
BST has merged with Monarch, Inovance’s elevator business unit, to form an elevator business platform in China that is a leading hub of manufacturing and innovative R&D.
The largest international lift exhibition Interlift will be held from 15 to 18 October in Augsburg in Germany. Liftinstituut is also this year present on the fair. Liftinstituut can be found in hall 3, stand 3187, next to the passage to halls 4 to 7.
A new elevator inspection organization entered de Finnish market on October 4th, 2019. On this date, Liftinstituut Nordic will begin offering elevator inspections according to local and EU laws and regulations. The office in Helsinki will be under Finnish management and will be part of the international Liftinstituut network. Ever since 1933, inspectors and certifying experts from this organization have worked tirelessly every day to ensure that everyone in the world can use elevators safely with complete peace of mind.
Dennis Lindeboom, our International account manager, gave the presentation “Role of European regulations and standards in promoting innovation” on the World Elevator Congress which has been held on April 24th and 25th in Langfang, China.
From 21 until the 24th of March Liftinstituut was present at the Asansör Elevator and escalator fair in Istanbul. Our team of experts met up with a many local and international partners. But this is not the only fair we will be present this year.
In Europe and in many other countries outside Europe the EN 81-20 standard is applicable. Many existing standards related to EN 81-20 still refer to the EN 81-1 and the EN 81-2. Those existing standards must be aligned with the new EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 and also need the Annex ZA update. Part of that job is ready. Six aligned standards are published today.
Together with Elevator World Inc., Liftinstituut Solutions B.V. organized the International Elevator & Escalator Symposium (IEES) 2018 in Istanbul on November 15 and 16, 2018. Professionals from the elevator and escalator industry, architects, developers, and owners followed a program covering all topics of safety and new technologies in vertical transportation.
The first revision of the EN 81-20 will be the incorporation of a new Annex ZA. This is in the final stages of preparation for publication. Annex ZA will be reviewed further, along with comments from three countries regarding Annex ZA at the next full revision of EN 81-20.
On December 6 2018, Amsterdam-based Liftinstituut hosted a delegation of the Chinese test laboratory Shenzhen Institute of Special Equipment Inspection and Test. Liftinstituut has a cooperation agreement with SISE.
On November 7, more than 400 Dutch building owners, advisers, health care professionals, and firefighters came together at the National Congress organized by Liftinstituut to discuss the use of elevators in a fire. One of the conclusions was: "The statement ‘in case of fire, do not use the elevator’ merits reconsideration."
Many types of products may only be marketed within the European Economic Area (EEA) if they are provided with a CE mark. What are the consequences of Brexit for manufacturers of CE marked products?
Today EN 81-20 / EN 81-50 is used more and more which leads to questions and interpretation requests. As it is not possible to update the standard at short notice but useful to have these interpretations available, working group 1 (CEN TC10 WG1) formulated answers in a Q&A document.
The EU guidelines for implementation of directives based on the New Approach and the Global Approach (the ‘Blue Guide’) were updated in 2016. The update covers new developments and aims to ensure the broadest possible understanding about implementation of the New Legislative Framework (NLF) for marketing products.
Interlift 2017 in Augsburg (Germany) was the most successful Interlift in its history, which began in 1991. The trade fair set new records again, with 574 exhibitors and 21,260 visitors. In addition, the trade fair has become more of an international event, with participants from 48 countries and visitors from 97 countries. 92% of the exhibitors rated the fair as ‘satisfactory’ to ‘very good’. It met the expectations of 98% of the visitors.
Elevators that comply with NEN-EN 81-70 guarantee accessibility for everyone. Also for people with disabilities. The standard determines the cabin dimensions and interior accessories that facilitate access for people with disabilities. Now that there is a compromise on the contrast indications on the operating panel, publication is expected in the spring of 2018.
It wasn’t just the trade fair, but also the VFA Forum that attracted more visitors during Interlift 2017. Liftinstituut was represented on the exhibition floor and also gave a talk during the VFA Forum. Tijmen Molema gave a talk about developments in the field of programmable electronic safety, as well as the advantages and pitfalls. Read the summary of the talk by Tijmen Molema.
