Lift Report

The Elevcon got under way with a welcome cocktail in the Kone headquarters.

On June 20th, Congress Chairman Ami Lustig welcomed the 245 participants to the 16th International Elevcon Congress. Since the first Congress was staged back in 1986 in Nice, world of elevator technology has progressed at a headlong pace, and the Elevcon has accompanied the unfolding developments in the field with an impressive series of speakers over the years.

According to a study published in 2006, the worldwide market for elevators and escalators is expanding at a rate of seven per cent a year. The market’s highest growth rates are found in the developing regions of the world such as Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Over the last two decades since the formation of the IAEE, this organization has provided an outstanding service to the industry. Around 450 new scientific articles by leading experts from around the world have been published under the auspices of the Elevcon Congress.

In his welcoming address, IAEE President John Inglis reminded congress-goers of the past 20 years of the IAEE and recalled the different Elevcon Congress venues visited over the past two decades, when the international elevator community had congregated in Karlsruhe, Rome, Amsterdam, Vienna, Barcelona, Zurich, Berlin, Milan, Istanbul and now Helsinki.

Dr. Pekka Korpinen, Deputy Mayor for City Planning and Real Estate of the City of Helsinki, welcomed the presence of such an eminent Congress in Helsinki and wished the event every success. Finally KONE President Dr. Matti Alahuhta welcomed the participants to the “White City of the North” and also extended his best wishes for a successful congress.

The first paper held by P. Tahkokallio of the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) highlighted the underlying requirements for barrier-free construction. While containing elements of humour, his talk conveyed a serious message, urging the congress-goers to consider special needs in the development of new systems.

There were 30 talks delivered at this year’s congress, and for the first time the program included a poster session featuring 13 contributors. The poster authors were also available for comment from participants during the breaks. It is not possible to include a detailed outline of the individual papers here: The abstracts were published in the Lift-Report 2-2006, and selected papers will be published in full over the next few issues.

The individual sessions held over the three days dealt with the topics of control, space saving, ride comfort and operating safety, research and development, operational reliability, elevators and general themes. A workshop held under the direction of R.D. Paters looked at the definition of the term “Waiting time”.

On June 20, Kone invited congress-goers to an informal evening meal in the High- Rise Cafe Helsinki. The trip to the restaurant offered a rare opportunity to take in some of the sights of the city, the most northerly venue ever visited by the Elevcon Congress.

During the press conference, Joseph Stier and Ami Lustig explained the hotel capacity problems they had encountered in organizing the congress during the summer season. The midnight sun at this time of year draws a large volume of tourists to the Finnish capital, as it adds an other dimension to the attractions of this beautiful city. As well as being the capital, Helsinki is also Finland’s biggest city.

The city and its suburbs are home to around 1,233 million inhabitants, accounting for around one quarter of the country’s total population. The city is officially bi-lingual, with 6.2 % of its population being Swedish speaking. The White City is located in southern Finland opposite the Estonian capital Tallinn, and as well as the mainland comprises several islands. The city is 686 square kilometres in area, only 186 of which are land.

Helsinki was established in 1550 by order of the King of Sweden Gustav I. Wasa, with a view to creating a harbour to compete with Reval (now Tallin) which was under Russian control. The site of the original Helsinki is now known as Vanhakaupunki (old quarter), even though practically nothing remains of the original buildings. Helsinki has been the capital city of the independent Republic of Finland since 1918.

On June 21, congress participants were bussed to “Tytyri” in Lohja, Kone’s Research and Development Centre, a test laboratory sited in a converted limestone mine. The mine offers an ideal underground test environment. Tytyri is the world’s only shaft in which elevators can be tested at speeds of up to 17 m/s. An extensive research and development facility stretches as far as 333 metres deep below the surface.

Two test shafts permit the company’s engineers to perform detailed testing on drive/motor systems, controls, signalization, ride comfort, the influence of air pressure, installation methods and safety. Because the environment is embedded in solid rock, the facility is extremely stable, and continuous testing can be carried out without external interference.

Further-reaching elevator research work takes place in the underground centre with its network of shafts and tunnels. The entire research and development facility extends throughout the labyrinth of the former mine: There are only two buildings located at the surface. It is even possible to supply required installation components by truck into this system of tunnels.

The party was split on arrival into small groups and provided with warm jackets and protective helmets. The organization of the guided tour was excellent. Each participant was handed a slip bearing the name of their particular guide to ensure that no-one could become separated from their group. The group members quickly appreciated the need for warm jackets and stout shoes, as the temperature in the mine is a constant 8°C. At a depth of 333 metres, this was compounded by a certain degree of moisture. Some of the group were given the opportunity to travel down in the new Maxi Space. At a level of 110 metres is the Tytyri mine museum, where visitors can examine the historical machinery exhibits and an underground cavern of some 100 m in depth and height. A music and light show in one of the caves proved one of the most memorable highlights of the tour.

Once all the participants had returned to the surface, the party walked or drove to the nearby Lohja lake, where a large marquee had been set up in an idyllic location. The congress-goers were all invited to enjoy a Finnish midsummer evening by Kone’s CEO Antti Herlin.

Almost everyone first took time to enjoy the stupendous view or to stroll to the surface limestone mine.

After a wonderful dinner, the IAEE paid tribute to a number of members and those taking part in the selection committee who had been instrumental to the success of this outstanding congress through their work in preselecting the speakers. Joseph Stier offered up another vote of thanks to the Finnish contact officers Johannes de Jong and Kristian Rame for their assistance in organizing the event over the previous months.