GoldStar (Korean: 금성 or "geumseong", literally means "venus") was a South Korean manufacturer of electronics established in 1956. The company produced different kinds of electronic appliances, including elevators and escalators which were manufactured under its division GoldStar Industrial Systems (Korean: 금성산전). The division began making elevators and escalators in 1968, making it the second oldest elevator manufacturer in South Korea after Dong Yang.
After more than 20 years of business, GoldStar merged with Lucky Chemical in 1994 and became Lucky Goldstar (LG) in 1995.
History
GoldStar was established in 1956, but it did not began making elevators and escalator until 1968 when Geumseong (GoldStar) Industrial Systems (Korean: 성산전) was established. From here, the company began producing elevators and escalators in their factory in Changwon, the capital city of Gyeongsangnam-do in South Korea, under a technical partnership with Hitachi. It also had a partnership with Mitsubishi. In 1978, GoldStar began exporting elevators to other countries. In 1985, GoldStar produced a DC controlled elevator and a VVVF elevator was developed two years later. In 1989, a 114 meters elevator test tower was built in the Changwon factory.
In 1994, Lucky Chemical merged with GoldStar and changed name to Lucky Goldstar (LG) in 1995. GoldStar Industrial Systems, which manufactured elevators and escalators, merged with GoldStar Mechatronics and became LG Elevators, but later changed name to LG Industrial Systems (the predecessor of LS Industrial Systems). By 1998, both Hitachi and Mitsubishi had left the partnership and LG began developing its own elevators. It continued to make elevators until 1999 when LG Elevators merged with Otis Elevator Company and became LG-OTIS Elevator Company. In 2003, it changed name to OTIS-LG Elevator Company and remained so until 2006 when it was renamed to Otis Elevator Korea (OEK). Also in 2000, Sigma Elevator Company was established as a subsidiary company of Otis Elevator Korea for overseas exports.
Alliances with Hitachi and Mitsubishi
GoldStar manufactured elevators under technical alliances with Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, so the design of its elevators was almost identical to the two companies. The Hitachi-licensed elevators were produced at the Changwon factory for both domestic and overseas markets, while the Mitsubishi-licensed elevators were produced at the Juan factory for domestic market only. The partnerships ended in 1998, just a year before LG Industrial Systems's elevator division was sold to Otis. These relationships are similar to that of Dong Yang with Toshiba.
The Changwon factory was continued to be operated by Otis (and its subsidiary Sigma Elevator Company for overseas exports) after the merger until 2013 when it was sold to LG Electronics, and elevator production was done through outsourching method in the Chinese factory (this was also the case for Sigma). However, in 2017 Otis Korea announced that it would build a new research & development center and production facility in Songdo International City, Incheon, which construction would start in 2018[1][2][3]. It was completed in 2019 and domestic production resumes.
The Juan factory in Incheon was sold to Mitsubishi Elevator Korea in 2005. This is interesting because the Juan factory was where GoldStar/LG produced the Mitsubishi licensed elevators for the domestic market. Mitsubishi officially established its Korean subsidiary in 2001.
Interestingly, Hitachi, the successor of GoldStar, had re-entered South Korea in 2017 by establishing Hitachi Elevator Korea, but it withdrew in early 2019 due to poor sales performance in the country[4]. It is unknown if maintenance office and service personnel for existing installations still remain.
Notable elevator types/models
As mentioned above, GoldStar had technical partnerships with two different companies (Hitachi and Mitsubishi), so elevator productions were done in two separate factories namely the Changwon factory and the Juan factory. The Changwon factory (operating until 2013) produced the Hitachi licensed models while the Juan factory (operating until 2005) produced the Mitsubishi licensed elevators.
Almost all 1990s elevator models were continued to be produced after GoldStar changed name to LG until the late 1990s. Fewer models were made until the very early 2000s.
Hitachi licensed models
These elevators were produced at the Changwon factory for both domestic and overseas markets.
1970s
- E series: A series of elevator that based on Hitachi Type A.
- EA: Passenger elevator model launched in 1968, and was GoldStar's very first model.
- EA2: An improved version of EA
- EP: Passenger elevator model launched in 1976.
- EF: Freight elevator model.
- EB: Bed elevator model for hospitals.
- GD: DC geared passenger elevator, launched in 1970.
- F2: Freight elevator that was launched in 1976 and discontinued in 2005, the longest freight model sold for nearly 30 years.
1980s
- D series: A series of elevator that based on Hitachi DB/A2 and DB/ACVV.
- DP: Standard passenger elevator, launched in 1980 and sold until 1993.
- SDP: A cost-effective version of DP, launched in 1989 and discontinued in 1993.
- DO: Panoramic passenger elevator
- DB: Bed elevator for hospital
- DF: Freight elevator
- GS-P: Passenger elevator for low to mid rise residential buildings, sold from 1989 until 1995.
- CGL: DC gearless elevator for high rise buildings that based on Hitachi EGL, sold from 1983 until 1997.
1990s
Almost every GoldStar's traction elevator model names made up of three letters. The first letter refers to the height application (low, mid or high-rise), the second letter refers to the fact that the model use VVVF that based on the Hitachi YPVF, MVF and HVF (first generation), and the third letter refers to the elevator type. All models except HVP-II use gearless machines.
Low-rise models
- L series: Series of elevator models for low rise buildings.
- LVP: Passenger elevator with 1 m/s speed
- LVS: Service elevator
- LVB: Bed elevator for hospitals
- LVF: Freight elevator
- LVO: Observation/scenic elevator
- SVF: A low-cost small capacity winding drum traction elevator for residential buildingd with up to six floors.
Mid-rise models
- M series: Series of elevator models for mid rise buildings.
- MVP: Passenger elevator
- MVS: Service elevator
- MVB: Bed elevator for hospitals
- MVF: Freight elevator
- MVO: Observation/scenic elevator
High-rise models
- H series: Series of high speed elevator models for high rise buildings.
- HVP-I: Passenger elevator for buildings with up to 30 floors.
- HVP-II: Passenger elevator for buildings with more than 30 floors.
- HVS: Service elevator
- HVF: Freight elevator
Mitsubishi licensed models
These models were produced at the Juan factory for domestic market only (they were not sold for overseas markets). Almost all of them are license rebadged Mitsubishi models.
- AC geared traction models:
- AC-2: AC two speed elevator that based on the Mitsubishi SP-Type.
- AC-2B
- AC-SL
- AC-E4LP: Passenger elevator sold from the 1980s until 1993. It is based on the low-cost Mitsubishi model EP that was sold in Asia and Mexico for low rise buildings.
- AC-E1LP: An improved version of AC-E4LP.
- DC geared traction models:
- DC-FP
- DC-GD
- DC-GL: High rise elevator model.
- TLCM: High speed gearless elevator for buildings with more than 30 floors (probably based on Mitsubishi TCLM).
- TFNL
- SMNL
- VVVF traction models:
- VP-L: Low rise passenger elevator, launched in 1991 and discontinued in 1997. It is based on Mitsubishi SP-VF.
- VP-L2: Launched in 1993 and discontinued in 2001. It is based on Mitsubishi SP-VF.
- VP-L3: Launched in late 1994, based on Mitsubishi SP-VF.
- VP-LB: Mainly used in medium speed.
- VP-CL: Mainly used in medium speed.
- VP-M: Mid rise passenger elevator with helical gears.
- VP-H: High rise passenger elevator.
- VFMW: High speed gearless elevator that was a licensed production of direct import products from Mitsubishi (high-rise version of the Mitsubishi MP-VF).
- VFHW: Ultra high speed gearless elevator, also a licensed production of direct import products from Mitsubishi (probably also high-rise version of Mitsubishi MP-VF).
Notable installations
- Main article: List of notable GoldStar elevator installations
Elevator fixtures
- Main article: List of GoldStar elevator fixtures
Notable overseas distributors
| Company | Country(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Elevators and Escalators Corporation | Philippines | 1988 - 1994[5] |
| PT. Jaya Kencana | Indonesia | 1983 - 1994 Now distributes Sigma products since 2001. |
Trivia
- Their hydraulic elevators lineup was bought from COW Elevator, a very small Korean elevator company.[6]
- GoldStar had two known overseas subsidiaries; one in Singapore and one in British Hong Kong. It is unknown if GoldStar had other subsidiaries in other Asian countries.
See also
- LG Elevator - the successor of GoldStar.
- Sigma Elevator Company - a subsidiary of Otis Elevator Korea which is also a successor of GoldStar.
Gallery
Notes and references
- ↑ Otis celebrates opening of the Otis Korea Manufacturing & Engineering Center - Otis Elevator Company
- ↑ 오티스, 인천 송도에 첨단 R&D 센터·생산시설 건립 (Korean) - Yonhap News
- ↑ The World’s Largest Elevator Company, Otis Elevator Company Completed Construction of Otis Korea R&D Center and Production Facilities - IFEZ Journal
- ↑ 히타치엘리베이터 한국 사업 접는다 (Korean) - Sedaily
- ↑ About us - Hyatt Elevators and Escalators Corporation
- ↑ Cow Elevator Hydraulic Lift/Elevator at Commercial Levels, King Dao Building, Wan Chai, Hong Kong - YouTube
External links
- LG Industrial Systems (Translated version) - A Korean languaged wiki which explains the history, models and other things relate with GoldStar and LG elevators.