Hyundai Elevator Company Limited (or HELCO[1], Korean: 현대엘리베이터) is a South Korean elevator manufacturer, a subsidiary company of Hyundai Group which manufactures elevators, escalators, moving walkways, vehicle parking systems and also platform screen doors. It is the largest elevator and escalator manufacturer in South Korea in terms of sales, profit and market share.
History[]
Hyundai Elevator was established on May 23, 1984 under a joint venture between Hyundai Heavy Industries and Westinghouse Elevator of the United States, who held an equity shares of 60% and 40% respectively. At that time, Hyundai produced elevators under license from Westinghouse although it began to develop its own elevator models in he late 1980s. In 1985, Hyundai exported its elevators to Indonesia. In 1989, the joint venture between Hyundai and Westinghouse was terminated as Westinghouse's elevator business was acquired by Schindler.
In 1993, Hyundai expanded its business outside South Korea by establishing a joint venture in Shanghai, China, known as Shanghai Hyundai. Hyundai developed the YZER (initially Space Saver) machine room less elevator in 1999, which is the first machine room less elevator system in South Korea.
In 2006, Swiss elevator company Schindler purchased a 25.5% of Hyundai Elevator's stake, from KCC Group, who was in possession of Hyundai Elevator shares as a result of failed M/A. The relationship between Schindler and Hyundai Group was a friendly one, however it was deteriorated when Hyundai Group participated in the bid to acquire Hyundai Construction against Hyundai Motor Group. Furthermore, when Hyundai Group used Hyundai Elevator to provide securities for Hyundai Group's other subsidiary company, Hyundai Merchant Marines (later becomes HMM) and Hyundai Elevator suffered loses, Schindler ended up suing Hyundai Group's management. Now, Schindler's shares are lower to due to numerous stock issuing and Schindler selling stocks in the market.
Since 2007, it has been ranked as the largest elevator manufacturer in South Korean, followed by thyssenkrupp Elevator Korea and Otis Elevator Korea.
In 2009, Hyundai developed an ultra high speed elevator with a speed of 1080 m/min (or 18 m/sec) known as The EL.
On May 2, 2019, Hyundai announced that it would relocate its headquarters and factories to Chungju, a city located in North Chungcheong province (also known as Chungbuk), South Korea after the existing site at Gyeonggi province has been sold to SK Hynix. The reason for the relocation is because the existing site, which has been operating since the company's establishment in 1984, is difficult to be expanded and improved due to insufficient space and aging of facilities. In mid 2020, construction of the Chungju factory began and it is expected to be completed in 2022. When completed, it will include a "smart factory" and a new test tower with 300 meters height, set to be the tallest test tower in the world[2].
On May 20, 2020, Hyundai announced that it has successfully developed the world's first high speed elevator with carbon fiber belt ropes at a speed of 1260 m/min (or 21 m/sec)[3][4].
Locations[]
The head office and main factory of the company is located on 2091, Gyeongchung-daero, Bubal-eup, Icheon city, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A global sales division is located in Seoul.
Hyundai Asan Tower, the company's elevator test tower is located on the same location as the head office and factory, in Icheon City, Gyeonggi-do. Completed on April 15, 2009, it is 205.2 meters tall which makes it the 4th tallest elevator test tower in the world (as of March 2017).
Outside South Korea, Hyundai has a factory in Shanghai, China which is operated by Shanghai Hyundai Elevator Co. Ltd., one of Hyundai Elevator's subsidiaries. As of 2020, it has overseas subsidiaries located in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and Brazil.
Subsidiaries[]
As of 2020, there are six subsidiaries belongs to Hyundai Elevator, they are:
| Company | Based in | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Hyundai Elevator Co., Ltd. | Shanghai, China | Established in 1993 |
| Hyundai Thanh Cong Elevator Vietnam Co. Ltd. (HETCV) | Hanoi, Vietnam | Established in 2014. |
| Hyundai Elevator Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (HEM) | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Established in 2013. |
| PT. Hyundai Elevator Indonesia (HELIN) | Jakarta, Indonesia | Established in 2008 |
| Hyundai Elevator Asansör ve Servis Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi | Istanbul, Turkey | |
| Hyundai Elevadores | São Paulo, Brazil | Established in 2013. |
List of products[]
Current[]
Elevators (traction)[]
- WBST1: Geared model for low to mid rise buildings, released in late 2012. It's the first model in the WBVF series. Previously known as STVF which was launched in 1998. As it is currently the only geared model in the WB series, partial replacement, that doesn't replace the traction machine of the old geared model, is indicated as WBST.
- YZER (known as WBSS) - low to mid speed MRL. Previously known as SSVF which was launched in 1999.
- LUXEN (known as WBLX) - Premium gearless elevator for low to mid rise buildings, released in late 2013. Previously known as LXVF which was launched in 2006.
- N:EX (known as GTLX/GTSS) - Machine room less elevator with belt ropes instead of conventional steel ropes, similar to Otis Gen2 and Schindler 3300 & 5500. Launched in February 2021, GTLX is the version with machine room while GTSS is the machine room less version.
- i-XEL (known as WBHS) - High speed gearless elevator for high rise buildings, released in mid 2015. Previously known as HSVF which was released in early-mid 2012. It's a successor of Time & Space (FI-T&S).
- The EL (known as SUVF) - Ultra high speed gearless elevator for supertall buildings, released in 2012. It's a successor of Time & Space (FI-T&S).
Escalators and moving walks[]
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| World Class | Escalators for commercial applications. |
| Millennium | Escalators for commercial applications. |
| H-Series | Heavy duty escalators. |
| S-Series | Escalators for commercial applications.
Not to be confused with Mitsubishi Series S. |
| Modular | Escalators for public transit facilities. |
| Moving walkways | Horizontal or inclined configuration. |
Others[]
- HELIAS: Hyundai's destination dispatch system.
- Jump Elevator: Self-climbing elevator, for faster elevator installation during building construction. Similar to Kone's JumpLift, Otis's SkyBuild and Schindler's CLIMB Lift.
Discontinued[]
Elevators (1980s)[]
- AC traction:
- VAC: AC traction passenger elevator model with 60 m/min speed, made from 1984 to 1995. Succeeded by the 60VF and WC-VF series. VAC stands for Variable Alternative Current.
- DC traction:
- ERL: Standard geared DC traction elevator model
- MPM: Standard gearless DC traction elevator model
- TIII-GD: Geared DC traction elevator model produced under technical partnership with Dover
- TIII-GL: Gearless DC traction elevator model produced under technical partnership with Dover
- TIV-GD: Improved version of TIII-GD
- TIV-GL: Improved version of TIII-GL
Elevators (1990s to mid 2000s)[]
- VVSR: Helical gear AC traction elevator model with a speed range of 60 to 105 m/min, made from 1990 to 1995.
- 60VF: VVVF traction elevator with 60m/min speed, made from 1990 to 1997.
- WC-VF: VVVF traction elevator with a speed range of 30 to 105m/min, made from 1994 until 2001 for passenger elevators, and 2007 for freight/service elevators[5].
- BAX-VF: VVVF traction elevator produced under technical partnership with BAXCO, made from 1991 to 1996.
- NIPPON-VF: High speed model of WC-VF
- FI-VF: Successor of HVF series. High speed elevator with the maximum speed of 240m/min, made from 1999 to mid-2000s. Also known as FI-VF1.
- FI-VF2: Successor of FI-VF. High speed elevator made from 2000 to early-2003.
- FI-3GL: Successor of FI-VF2. High speed elevator made from late 2000 to 2010. Also known as FI-VF3.
- FI-4GL: High speed elevator made from 2005 to 2011. Also known as FI-VF4.
- FI-T&S: High-rise elevator with a speed range of 120 to 600m/min, supported speed is higher than FI series, made from 2003 to 2012. Also known as "Time & Space". Succeeded by i-XEL and The EL series.
- HVF: VVVF traction elevator made from 1997 until 2003. Supported speed is higher than WC-VF and BAX-VF. Also known as HVF-GD.
- HVF-GL: High speed model of HVF, made from 1997 until 2003.
- ELEX: Series of elevators manufactured by Shanghai Hyundai Elevator in the 2000s.
- ELEX-P: Standard geared passenger elevator.
- ELEX-WP: Machine room less passenger elevator.
- ELEX-OB: Panoramic/observation elevator.
- ELEX-B: Bed elevator
- ELEX-F: Freight elevator
- ELEX-J2: Home elevator for residential buildings and private homes.
Hydraulic elevators[]
- HYD
- WC-HYD
- EV-100
Escalators and moving walk[]
- W-BT2: Slim escalator for commercial application.
- W-BB: Escalator for public transport facilities.
- PM: Moving walk
Elevator fixtures[]
- Main article: List of Hyundai elevator fixtures
Notable elevator installations[]
- Main article: List of notable Hyundai elevator installations
Overseas sole agents/distributors[]
Current[]
The most up to date lists can be found on the Hyundai Elevator website (Global Network)
| Company | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abans Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd. | Sri Lanka | |
| AS Texnika | Azerbaijan | |
| Ascensores Internacionales Cia., Ltda. | Ecuador | |
| Bin Ham North Ocean Elevators LLC | United Arab Emirates | |
| BEMCO | Jordan | |
| Bseiso Engineering Materials Corp. | Jordan | |
| C&C Elevators Ltda. | Chile | |
| CNS Automation Inc. | United States
Canada |
|
| Cozy Life Elemecanico, C.A. | Venezuela | |
| Deal General Trading & Contracting Co. | Kuwait | |
| Edgeworks Ltd. | Bangladesh | |
| Eleva S.A. | Dominican Republic | |
| Elevaciones Téchnicas S.A.(Elevatec) | Costa Rica
El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Peru |
|
| Elevatec Panama S.A. | Panama | |
| ESCCO | Saudi Arabia | |
| Eurolift Ltd. | Ukraine | |
| G Gear | Cambodia | |
| H.E.M Global | Mongolia | |
| Hayes Elevators BC | Canada | |
| HD Electric and Elevator LLC | Uzbekistan | |
| HD Global (HK) Engineering Service Ltd. | Hong Kong, China | |
| HYCO Industrial Sales | Philippines | |
| Ideal Ascenseur | Tunisia | |
| Inelec S.A. | Paraguay | |
| Infinity Engineering PLC | Ethiopia | |
| Insertech | Mexico | |
| Integral International Ltd. | Myanmar | |
| International Engineering & Trade Group (IETG) | Qatar | |
| Islamabad Industrial & Trading Corp. (IITC) | Pakistan | |
| Kinetic Hyundai Elevator Ltd. | India | |
| Ledico Lift | Israel | |
| Lift & Carry | Morocco | |
| Loxley Public Company Limited | Thailand | |
| Nass International Trading | Bahrain | |
| Omi Lifts & Escalators sp. z.o.o. sp.k. | Poland | |
| Regional Traders Ltd. | Bangladesh | |
| Skylift Elevadores SRL | Argentina | |
| Skymax Enterprises | Kenya | |
| Soluciones Verticales | Colombia | |
| Techno Elevator LLC | Oman |
Former[]
| Company | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dover Elevator Systems | United States | 1980s-1999 |
| PT. Bakti Bestotek Indonesia | Indonesia | Late 1980s-1993 |
| East Elevator Pte. Ltd. | Singapore | |
| General Engineering (Dev) Co. Ltd. | Hong Kong, China | |
| Hyco Industrial Sales Corp. | Philippines | 1989-1993[6] |
| MBf Norinco Sdn. Bhd. | Malaysia | Acquired by thyssenkrupp
in 2004.Also a distributor of Dong Yang Elevators at that time. [7] |
| PT. Superhelindo Jaya Perkasa• PT. Superhelindo Putera Perkasa (Central Java)
• PT. Superhelindo Jaya (Bali) |
Indonesia | 1993-2013[8] |
Accident and incident[]
- At around 1 o'clock afternoon on September 30, 2015, one of the 1990s Hyundai elevators in Cendana Tower of Taman Kemayoran Apartment in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, fell from the 6th floor after it picked up passengers from the 8th floor. Nine Indian people were injured and then treated to Mitra Kemayoran Hospital.
- Elevator number BP3-01 of Grand Indonesia, Central Jakarta fell down from the 3rd floor in the evening of December 25th, 2017. The accident was caused by twisted wires. this elevator was stuck for an hour due to a cable problems; the elevator, which could only carrying up to 21 persons or 1600 kilograms, was filled with 9 people, with 4 of them are Indian. Public Relations of Grand Indonesia admitted that there were obstacles in the elevator. However, the safety break lift can work normally so that it can be held up and does not plunge to the ground floor. One of the eyewitnesses, said there were children and women who were trapped in the elevator on the UG floor, trapping 9 people inside which was later survived. The victims looked traumatized after being rescued. Some of them even had difficulty breathing and had to wear oxygen masks.. It has since been replaced with Fujitec elevators.
- On January 16, 2020, a elevator breakdown happened on a Hyundai elevator at Metro Tanah Abang. and it got malfunctioned and trapping passengers inside. Elevator technician and Policeman said that elevator was stuck due to machine breakdown and there is a bent iron. there were no casualties or injuries in this incident. Everyone who was in the elevator was successfully rescued manually. However, some people, mostly women, went into shock as a result of the incident.
Trivia[]
- Hyundai is the first elevator manufacturer in South Korea to produce double deck elevators. Their double deck elevators have been installed at Hyundai's Asan Elevator Test Tower (2009) and recently at the LG U+ Building in Yong-san, Seoul (2015).
- It is also the first elevator manufacturer in South Korea to have successfully developed South Korea's first machine room less elevator system; the YZER (initially Space Saver) in 1999.
- Since it has never been merged with a foreign elevator company, it is considered as a "native company" in South Korea.
- It is also the only elevator company listed on the Korean Stock Exchance since 1996.
- Prior to 1999, Hyundai was a distributor for Dover elevators in South Korea.
- Currently, Hyundai is the only major elevator manufacturer in the world (including South Korea) that has not installed a single elevator in buildings with more than 100 floors.
- Due to Schindler being one of the major shareholders of Hyundai, some Schindler elevators in South Korea which were installed in the 2010s are similar to that of Hyundai elevators. Some of them are simply rebadged Hyundai elevator, bearing the Schindler logo instead of Hyundai.
- In South Korea, Hyundai elevators were also installed in a number of Hyundai affiliated brand apartments, such as Hyundai Apartments, Hyundai I-Park, Hyundai Hill State, etc.
- The longest Hyundai escalators in Indonesia are located in Ciputra World Surabaya in Surabaya. Completed in 2011, these escalators are 16 m high and runs at 30 m/m. Together they allow shoppers to travel 34 m from the ground floor up to the 3rd floor of the mall quickly and conveniently. Traveling from one to another end takes 66 seconds. These escalators have been listed by MURI (Museum Rekor Indonesia) as "the longest escalators in the country".
- In Japan, Hyundai elevators are distributed, installed and branded as DAIKO.
- In Indonesia, Hyundai is one of the elevator companies with the most number of elevators installed in the country. In 2007, it was reported that Hyundai had sold about 740 units, followed by Sigma which had about 680 units sold. It is also the second most popular Korean elevator brand in Indonesia, followed by Sigma.
Gallery[]
==Notes and references==
- ↑ An abbreviation of the H'yundai E'levator Co. Ltd.[1][2]
- ↑ Hyundai Elevator Begins Construction of the Chungju Factory - Hyundai Elevator
- ↑ Develops World’s First Carbon Fiber Belt Type 1260m/min Tech - Hyundai Elevator
- ↑ Hyundai Elevator Newsletter, Vol. 22, Summer 2020
- ↑ It's a 2007 model, and the speed is 30m/min
- ↑ HYCO INDUSTRIAL SALES - Yellow Pages PH
- ↑ ThyssenKrupp Elevator (Asia/Pacific) eNews - December 2004 (archived) (Refer to Page 8)
- ↑ Succeeded by PT. Hyundai Elevator Indonesia in 2013.
External links[]
- Official website
- Official website - Global
- Official website - Shanghai Hyundai (Chinese)
- Official website - Hyundai Elevadores (Brazil) (Portuguese)
- Official website - Hyundai Elevator Asansör (Turkey)
- PT. Hyundai Elevator Indonesia
- RARE Hyundai Elevator Found in Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9gKBXYn88g
| 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 |