HART/SEC contract, with each unit averaging $664,000 to design, fabri- cate and install with warranties. For the long haul, routine mainte- nance for HART’s elevators is smart economics. During construction, eleva- tors in operation cost $56,000 each month. That figure will undoubtedly grow as five pilotless trains trans- port the public from West O‘ahu to Honolulu and back. Challenges for Schindler included coordinating installs with the general contractor and its subcontractors, and a limited footprint to work within during each station’s construction. Traction elevators generally cost more than hydraulic elevators, partly because steel cables and mechanisms must be installed above and below to transport the cab. Hydraulic elevators, on the other hand, use an oil-driven piston within a cylinder to achieve lift from below. Both the traction and hydraulic models HART selected operate with- out machine rooms.
A Mitsubishi engineer inspects one of its elevators in Hawai‘i. PHOTO COURTESY MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC US INC.
ELEVATOR OPTIONS ABOUND IN HAWAIʻI
brand recognition locally include Kone Elevator Co., ThyssenKrupp Elevator Co., Mitsubishi Electric US Inc. and Otis Elevator Co. Deciding the best fit for new construction involves a myriad of play- ers, from general contractors to archi- tects, owners, engineers, electricians and software programmers. Another important perspective comes from elevator consultants brought into the mix for both lifecycle planning and to address specific problems that arise during jobs. Lifecycle planning includes antici- pating which elevator will best serve the lifetime of a building without becoming a money pit. Elevators are rarely replaced; instead, they are upgraded and modernized. From mechanics to software, routine main- tenance and cleaning helps keep costs down and systems running. Schindler is also on board to service HART’s maintenance contract for the stations, which will include software upgrades, too. “Each elevator company has its own internal continuing education process,” says Greg Ernst, president of Seattle-based Elevator Consultant Services Inc. “But it is a problem with many of the older generation elevator mechanics who are retiring and taking with them the knowledge on how to maintain and repair older eleva- tors. The new mechanics are not being trained on vintage equipment.”
Hawai‘i, like many other metropoli- tan areas worldwide, is replete with elevators. Along with Schindler, some of the companies with the highest
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