Elevators are pivotal to any building; therefore, it is imperative to keep them running. Today’s labor shortages make it even more challenging for buildings to maintain elevator service because elevators require specialized skills to maintain. Building managers have historically had concerns with elevators being serviced consistently, and with the current labor and economy, it has become even more challenging to maintain elevator inspections and consistent service.
Building management teams are having more issues with their elevators and understanding what to is not easy. A client recently said their elevators are “a blind spot” to their building. They do not have the technical expertise or time to address their elevator issues. Since the pandemic began, property managers and owners are facing significantly more situations with their elevators that they have not had to address in the past. With more people working from home instead of the office, residential properties are seeing increases in elevator usage while commercial real estate is using less. Understanding how these factors impact their elevators is critical.
Some of the challenges that buildings with elevators experience could include:
- parts availability
- obsolete parts
- equipment knowledge on older equipment
- costly repairs
- lack of maintenance
- proprietary equipment
When buildings are faced with these situations, it is a good time to hire an elevator consultant. An elevator consultant can help solve your elevator concerns and issues because they have the technical expertise and elevator industry knowledge to understand what you and your team need. An elevator consultant can help building teams with these challenges, especially lack of maintenance and obsolete parts or equipment.
For example, buildings are receiving proposals from elevator service providers saying their equipment is obsolete when the equipment is only 10 or 15 years old, when most new elevator equipment has a life of 25 years. This capital expense can impact a building’s finances drastically. There are workarounds with obsolete equipment, and an elevator consultant can help with this process. Lack of maintenance is another hot topic and, unfortunately, most building managers do not know if or when they are receiving maintenance. Most buildings are receiving callback or break-fix maintenance, which does not extend the life cycle of the equipment.
The elevator industry has unique challenges and having an advocate to address them is now becoming a norm for buildings. When working with an elevator consultant, it is typical that they save you a significant amount of money and spare you from the frustration and confusion dealing with the elevator companies. The elevator consultant will address and fix the concerns for less money than the building would spend working alone. The goal of an elevator consultant is to save you money and make your elevator issues go away. They are your advocate and working with them to understand your building’s goals can solve the elevator issues both immediately and long-term.