Fujitec Company Limited (Japanese: フジテック株式会社Fujitekku kabushikigaisha), formerly Fuji Transportation Industry Co., Ltd. (Japanese: 富士輸送機工業株式会社 Fuji Yusōkikōgyō kabushikigaisha) is a Japanese elevator and escalator manufacturer based in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
History[]
Fujitec was founded by Honorary Mr. Shotaru Uchiyama in 1948 as "Fuji Transport Industry Co., Ltd." (Japanese: 富士輸送機工業株式会社 Fuji Yusōkikōgyō kabushikigaisha) for the purpose of development, manufacture, sales, installation and maintenance of elevators. At that time it was based in Nishi Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture. The head office was moved to Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture in 1965. In 1964, a branch in Hong Kong was established, followed by a South Korean branch in 1968.
In 1972, Fuji established a branch in Singapore. Known as Singapore Fuji Elevator (SFE), it was formed by three companies; Fuji Transport Industry of Osaka, Japan, Development Bank of Singapore and A.C.T. Enterprises Pte. Ltd.[1]. In the same year, a manufacturing plant in Bedok New Town was also opened.
In February 1974, the company changed name to Fujitec Co., Ltd. A month later, Fujitec established another overseas branch, located in Venezuela. In July 1977, Fujitec America was established. The American branch opened a manufacturing plant in Mason, OH, United States in 1982, which at that time it was the largest elevator manufacturing plant in the world.
In 2001, the American division acquires the New York-based Serge Elevator Company. In the United States, Fujitec was known as Fujitec-Serge for a period of time, at least in the New York area.
In 2006, Fujitec relocated its headquarters to Miyatacho, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, which is dubbed as "Big Wing".
On February 10, 2020, Fujitec UK (the British subsidiary of Fujitec) announced that they would acquire Amalgated Lifts Limited, a British elevator company based in Crayford, Kent[2]. The acquisition is meant to expand Fujitec UK's business further in the British market.
Notable products[]
Elevators (current)[]
- PM-GL (sometimes also known as PMGL-K or ELSIA): The Fujitec current "High Speed High Rise Elevator" model. Successor of AC-GL.
- REXIA: Current machine room less elevator for overseas markets except Japan and North America.
- ZEXIA: Current traction elevator (with smaller machine room) for overseas markets except Japan and North America. It is the successor of GLVF.
- SKY SALON: Observation elevator designed for both indoor and outdoor applications.
- Viridian: Series of traction elevator model only sold in the United States and Canada. There are four models currently sold:
- XIOR: Current machine room elevator only sold in Japan since 2008. It was relaunched in April 2020 as the New XIOR[3].
- RAKUL: Machine room less elevator with minimum pit for train stations in Japan. Launched in 2001, it is only sold in Japan.
Elevators (discontinued)[]
- FUJIPET: First generation AC/2 controlled traction elevator with relay control, launched in early 1960s and discontinued in 1974.
- Superdyne (SDN): Second generation standard traction elevator with relay control, launched in 1965 and discontinued in 1988. Earlier AC/2 models are known as A2DG, ACVV version is launched in 1977 and known as A2TG.
- Royal Superdyne (RSDN): A standard ACVV controlled traction elevator with Microcomputer Controller (MIC), made from 1978 to 1990. Commonly found in Japan and other Asian countries. Successor of Superdyne. The controller unit is called MIC-100 or MIC-200. Standard version is known as A2TGM and the higher speed version is known as A3TGM.
- Royal Superdyne Imperial (RSDN Imperial): Improved ACVV controlled traction elevator with Microcomputer Controller (MIC). Successor of Royal Superdyne, made from 1981 to 1995. The controller unit is called MIC-300 and the codename remains A2TGM/A3TGM.
- Exceldyne (EXDN): First-generation VVVF controlled low-to-mid rise traction elevator series from the company with geared traction machine, known as A3FGM. Manufactured from 1984 to 2000. The controller unit is called MIC-400.
- Exceldyne ii (EXDN-II): Improved VVVF controlled low-to-mid rise traction elevator series with geared traction machine. Manufactured from 1994 to 2006. The controller unit is called CP28.
- Exceldyne RS (EXDN-RS): Even more improved VVVF controlled low-to-mid rise traction elevator series. Released along with GLVF and Belta, but still retains geared traction machine. Manufactured from 2003 to 2013. The controller unit is called CP38.
- A2HPM: Hydraulic elevator model with MIC-300 controller unit.
- A2HPD: Hydraulic elevator model with MIC-400 controller unit.
- ELISIO: Second-generation VVVF controlled low-to-mid rise elevator with Helical-geared traction machine. made from 1991 to 2000. The controller unit is called MIC-400.
- New ELISIO: Improved version of ELISIO. made from 1994 to 2006. The controller unit is called CP28.
- Order ELISIO: Custom type version of ELISIO. made from 1991 to 2000. The controller unit is called MIC-400.
- XJ Series: Custom type elevator only sold in Japan, discontinued in 2002 and succeeded by Order ECEED (see above).
- ECEED: Standard machine room less elevator type introduced in November 1998 and only sold in Japan. Later versions include ECEED-e2 (launched in September 2001) and ECEED-α (launched in 2005)[4]. It is also a model of custom high speed elevators for high-rise buildings in Japan[5]. The controller unit is called CP38[6].
- Order ECEED: Custom type version of ECEED elevators, made from 2002 to 2009. The controller unit is called CP38[6].
- ECEED-ii: Machine room less elevator for markets other than Japan.
- Fusiondrive II: Machine room less elevator which appears to be only sold in Argentina and possibly other South American countries.
- Belta: Fujitec's trademark machine room less elevator featuring the TALON gearless hoisting machine. Manufactured from 2003 to 2013.[7] It is also called CP38.
- GLVF: Improved VVVF controlled low-to-mid rise traction elevator series with gearless traction machines. Released along with Exceldyne RS and Belta. Manufactured from 2003 to 2016. sold in all regions except North America.
- DC-GD: DC controlled low-to-mid rise traction elevator series with geared traction machine. The controller can be Relay Controller with Motor-Generator Set (Early models based on Superdyne) or Microcomputer Controller (MIC) Silicon Controlled Rectifier (Improved models based on Royal Superdyne or Royal Superdyne Imperial). Manufactured from 1965 to 1995.
- DC-GL: DC controlled high-rise and high-speed traction elevator series with gearless traction machine. The controller can be Relay Controller with Motor-Generator Set (Early models based on Superdyne) or Microcomputer Controller (MIC) with Silicon Controlled Rectifier (Improved models based on Royal Superdyne or Royal Superdyne Imperial). Manufactured from 1965 to 1982 with relay control and 1982 to 1995 with Microcomputer control. Succeeded by Order ELISIO and AC-GL.
- AC-GL: Improved VVVF controlled high-rise and high-speed traction elevator with gearless traction machine. Released along with New ELISIO, Exceldyne-II (Earlier models) or Exceldyne RS, GLVF and Belta (Later models). made from 1994 to 2020. Successor of Order ELISIO. The controller unit is called CP28 or CP38.
- KYUTO: A series of small machine room and machine room less traction elevators only sold in India. The small machine room elevators are the KYUTOe, KYUTO GD, and KYUTO GDE. The machine room less elevators are the KYUTO MRL, KYUTO MRL-II, and KYUTO-MRLE.
- ERITO: Small machine room traction elevator, only sold in India.
- MRL-II: Machine room less elevator only sold in India.
- EXDNii-CITY: Standard traction elevator only sold in Taiwan.
- ML-GS and MLGS-II: Machine room less elevators for buildings up to 24 floors. The former is a cost-effective model.
- XFSN: Machine room less elevator only sold in Vietnam and Argentina.
- XiVF-21: Gearless (?) traction passenger elevator, part of the Exceldyne series.
- FLEX-DD: Double deck elevator that can automatically adjust the distance between the lower and upper deck according to each floor-to-floor distance. Launched in 2001, it is similar to Otis SKYWAY.
Escalators and moving walks[]
- GS8000-NX: Current standard type escalator for public buildings, launched in 2008[3] as a successor of the GS8000 series.
- GS8000-HV: Heavy duty escalators for public transport facilities.
- GS8000: Escalator and moving walk series launched in 2003[7]. Now discontinued, it was succeeded by the current GS8000-NX (escalator) and GS8100 (moving walk) series.
- Slimfit: Space-saving escalator with the smallest truss width and inter-beam dimension in the industry, only sold in Japan.
- GS8100 Autowalk: Horizontal or inclined moving walk. In Japan, it is simply known as AUTOWALK.
Other products[]
- AUVIS: World's first elevator multi-informational system providing information in the elevator car. This technology has already been discontinued, but many non-proprietary elevator component companies also provides this system as well.
- NEUROS: Elevator group supervisory control system with neuro-computer system, the first of its kind in the world. It was launched in 1995.
- ELVIC: Also known as Elevator Visual Communication System, the elevator and escalator monitoring and control system within the premises.
- RMS: Also known as Remote Monitoring System, the elevator and escalator remote monitoring and maintenance system. Only listed in the specific countries.
- Fit-in-Truss or Unit-in-Truss: Escalator modernization solution for existing Fujitec escalators which has been on sale since 2014.
- Destination Reservation Guidance System: Elevator destination dispatch system. It is now marketed under the name EZShuttle.
Locations[]
Fujitec originally headquartered in Ibaraki, Osaka, but moved to Miyatacho, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture on April 3, 2006. Their headquarter also known as the Big Wing. Their escalator factory, known as the Big Step is located in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture. They also have a training facility known as the Big Fit.
Outside Japan, Fujitec have factories and manufacturing plants located in:
- Suburbs of Beijing, China
- Shanghai, China (also known as Fujitec Shanghai City)
- Shanghai Huasheng (escalator factory)
- Hong Kong, China (Chinese: 富士達)
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- India (opened in 2023)
- Ohio, United States (opened in 1982)
Fujitec also have two subsidiaries in Europe, located in the United Kingdom and Germany. These subsidiaries were established in 1982 and 1992 respectively.
Fujitec used to have two elevator manufacturing plants in Southeast Asia, located in Singapore (opened in 1972) and Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia (opened in 1992). However, both of these plants have closed down. The Singapore plant has been converted into a warehouse for storing imported Fujitec elevator parts.
Overseas distributors[]
Current distributors[]
Company | Country(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|
Al Yousuf Elevators & Escalators LLC | United Arab Emirates | |
Bseiso Engineering Materials Corp. (BEMCO) | Jordan | |
Builtec Corporation | Lebanon | |
Gulf Integrated Vertical Solutions W.L.L. | Bahrain | |
Rise Co. / Rah Iab Sarfam Engineering Co. | Iran | |
Scala Construction Engineering W.L.L. | Qatar | |
Shell Corporation Bangladesh Ltd. | Bangladesh | |
W. Kiert Group | Thailand | Since 1978 |
Former distributors[]
Company | Country(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sim Lim Co., Ltd.[8] | Singapore Malaysia |
1960s to 1972 |
PT. Teratai Mas | Indonesia | 1980s-1989 Acquired by Fujitec to form PT. Fujitec Indonesia. |
Elevator fixtures[]
- Main article: List of Fujitec elevator fixtures
Notable installations[]
- Main article: List of notable Fujitec elevator installations
Incidents[]
Grand Century Plaza (Hong Kong) elevator incident[]
On January 1, 2004, a Fujitec elevator installed in Grand Century Plaza (now MOKO) shopping arcade, Hong Kong was badly damaged. It was reported that a shuttle elevator that goes to the parking garage (No. P8) which carried 16 passengers fell down suddenly when it wqs approaching the ground floor. The elevator finally stopped at the non-stop (express) zone between the basement and ground floor. The rescue team spent more than two hours to release all of the passengers from inside the car due to the traction machine was "pulled out" from its original position, and the blockage of the emergency rescue door on the express zone.
Marsiling HDB elevator incident[]
A Fujitec elevator in Block 17 Marsiling Lane HDB, Singapore was badly damaged on June 9, 2013.[9] It was reported that the elevator damage was due to a door alignment defect, which was suspected to be due to vandalism, but it turns out that the damage was suspected to be from misuse by workers. A spokesperson for Fujitec said that workers who move materials in and out of the elevator would use a piece of cardboard or wood to wedge the doors open. This repeated force into the gap, would cause the safety edge to become loose, and lean outwards towards the landing doors and get stuck when the elevator goes upwards, causing the doors to be dislodged from the door tracks.[10]
BRI II elevator downfall[]
A Fujitec elevator in the BRI II Building suddenly fell from the 4th floor to the 1st floor in the afternoon of January, 20th 2017 before friday prayer and during lunch break due to rope broke and overshooting. All the 11 passengers inside were injured. The elevator rope broke when it was on the 11th floor. However, luckily it didn't hit the bottom right away. Because, had stopped on the 3rd floor, and fell back.[11]. Witnesses said the elevator stopped on the 3rd floor during freefall before hitting the bottom floor[12]. It has since been replaced with newer Fujitec elevators.
Trivia[]
- It is currently the only independent major Japanese manufacturer that only manufactures elevators and escalators.
- Fujitec is also the largest elevator company operating in Singapore, with the majority of its installations found in Housing and Development (HDB) flats. Fujitec has its presence in Singapore since 1972, which is located in Bedok.
- Even though Fujitec had changed its name from Fuji in 1974, its Singaporean branch was still using the old name until 1976 when it changed name to Fujitec Singapore Elevator. New installations from 1977 onwards were branded as "Fujitec".
- Fujitec's official mascot is Tecky (known as Daiji (obtained from the Chinese word 达) in China), which got its name from the word "Tec" from the Fujitec name. Received its name from about 900 submissions submitted by Fujitec employees and their families around the world through a campaign, Tecky represents surefire technology for safety and reliability.
- Elevadores Sûr (a defunct Brazilian elevator company) had a technology association with Fujitec from 1974 to 1977. As the result, some of the elevators produced by Elevadores Sûr used Fujitec's 1970s square touch sensitive buttons[13].
Gallery[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ $30 million Spore- Japan company to build lifts - The Straits Times, 17 January 1973, Page 17 - NewspaperSG
- ↑ Notice of Acquisition of Amalgamated Lifts Limited - Fujitec Co., Ltd. (Archived) (PDF)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fujitec Annual Report 2008
- ↑ Fujitec Annual Report 2005
- ↑ 高速エレベータ - Fujitec (Japanese)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 UCMP Retrofitting for CP38 (Japanese)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fujitec Annual Report 2003
- ↑ Page 14 Advertisements Column 1 - The Straits Times, 13 December 1963, Page 14 - NewspaperSG
- ↑ What happened to this lift in Marsiling?
- ↑ Vandals damaged Marsiling lift but repaired already, says Town Council
- ↑ Lift di Gedung BRI II jatuh dari lantai 3, 11 orang selamat (Indonesian)
- ↑ Kesaksian Korban Lift Anjlok di Gedung BRI II (Indonesian)
- ↑ cabina supre dayne.jpg
External links[]
- Official website (global site)
- Japan Site
- American site
- Hong Kong site (Chinese version)
- Singapore site
- UK site
- Fujitec Co. Ltd. Facebook page
Major elevator and escalator companies | |
---|---|
Full list of companies | List of elevator and escalator companies |
Operating | Fujitec • Hitachi • Hyundai • Kone • Mitsubishi Electric (Shanghai Mitsubishi) • Otis (Otis Electric • Sigma) • Schindler • TK Elevator • Toshiba |
Defunct | Dover Elevators • Express Lift • Orenstein & Koppel • Thyssen • thyssenkrupp • Westinghouse |
Other companies | Third-party elevator maintenance companies |