Schindler Elevators (1970s-1980s)
This article is about Schindler elevators that were produced in the 1970s and 1980s.
Overview
1970s and 1980s Schindler elevators have no known names. These elevators were produced in the Ebikon factory in Switzerland and were shipped to Indonesia through PT. Capitol Mutual Corporation (CMC) between the 1970s and 1980, and PT. Berca Indonesia from 1980 onward as Schindler's authorized distributor. These elevators were available as passenger and freight model, in traction as well as hydraulic type.
From the 1970s to 1980s, CMC and Berca Indonesia had installed a handful of elevators in Indonesia. They were mostly installed in low rise buildings while a few were installed in high rise buildings, such as the World Trade Center 5 (formerly Wisma Metropolitan I) and Mandarin Hotel Jakarta. They are now very difficult to see as almost all of them have been modernized or replaced into another brand.
Characteristics
- These elevators typically have distinctive door sound thanks to Schindler's QKS door operator.
- Quick leveling, meaning that the door opens just as the elevator arrives (no delay).
Passenger elevators (traction and hydraulic)
Not much is known about Schindler passenger elevators in the 1970s-1980s. Most of them used Schindler's Miconic series microprocessor controls which were launched in the 1970s. Older installations from the 1970s might have used relay controls.
Most 1970s-1980s Schindler elevators installed in Indonesia were traction. Hydraulic ones were extremely rare; one example was installed at the Melia Nusa Dua in Bali in 1985, but all of them were replaced into Otis elevators in 2016.
Freight elevators
There is a Schindler freight elevator inside the employees only area of Gramedia bookstore in Matraman, Jakarta which has been modernized by another company. This is so far the only known example in Indonesia.
Bed elevators
Old Schindler bed elevators are extremely rare in Indonesia, with only two known examples so far. They are in Bunda Womens and Childrens Hospital in Jakarta (1974?) and Sofyan Inn Kalimas Hotel in Surabaya. All of them have been modernized.
High speed elevators
These elevators used gearless motors and group control systems and were mainly installed in medium to high rise buildings.
Capitol Mutual Corporation had installed high speed Schindler elevators at Wisma Metropolitan I (1975, now World Trade Center 5) and the Mandarin Hotel (1978) in Jakarta; the latter were the "Transitronic G" type with 2.5 meters per second speed and five out of eight elevators had Supermatic group control system[1]. All of the elevators in these two places have long been modernized by Schindler.
Fixtures
There were two types of fixtures used in 1970s-1980s Schindler elevators; R-Series and M-Series.
R-Series
R-Series were used from the early 1970s until around the 1980s. The buttons are small ice cube like square buttons which light up entirely when pressed, although there were some cases where the buttons do not light up at all. A black variant without illumination also existed but this is relatively rare.
The floor indicators have a long display with either a set of illuminating numbers or a digital segmented display, often accompanied with two orange direction triangles. Some later installations used red segmented displays instead. Hall lanterns are wedged triangles which light up orange.
Call button panels always state the load capacity (in kilograms or pounds/lbs).
Remain of a 1980s Schindler R-Series floor indicator in Setiabudi Two, Jakarta. This elevator has been replaced into Otis in the 2020s.
M-Series
M-Series fixtures were launched in 1978 and are successor of R-Series. These fixtures are very distinctive. The buttons are rounded rectangle made of aluminum with a long bar on the top which lights up red. They were available as push and touch sensitive type; the former had a rounded area where you press them.
Floor indicators used red digital segmented display, and some installations might have used R-Series indicators. Hall lanterns were the same as R-Series.
M-Series fixtures are still produced by Schindler as optional fixtures and are now mainly used in Schindler 7000 elevators, making them the longest produced fixtures by Schindler for over four decades.
Known installations in Indonesia
Jakarta
- Mandarin Oriental Jakarta (1978, modernized by Schindler in 2008-2009)
- World Trade Center 5 (1976, modernized by Schindler in the 1990s and again in 2015)
Bunda Women's and Children's Hospital(1974-2020s)[2]- Galeri Keris, Menteng (1980s, derelict)[3]
Setiabudi Two(1982-2020, all replaced into Otis)- Gramedia bookstore Matraman, Jakarta (1980s, service elevator, modernized by another company)
Other cities/provinces
Hotel Santika, Bandung(1988-2024, replaced into Kone)Bumi Surabaya Hotel & Resort (formerly Hyatt Bumi Surabaya), Surabaya(1979-1990s, old tower, replaced into Mitsubishi)- Sofyan Inn Grand Kalimas Hotel, Surabaya (1980s, modernized by another company)
- Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Bali (1982, modernized)[4]
Melia Bali, Nusa Dua, Bali(1985-2016, replaced into Otis GeN2-Regen MRL)- The New Benakutai Hotel, Balikpapan (1978)[5].
Gallery
Notes and references
- ↑ "Disain Jakarta Mandarin dibuat selama dua tahun" - Konstruksi Magazine, October-November 1978, Page 24
- ↑ Modernized by Schindler in the 2000s. Fully replaced by Schindler in the 2020s.
- ↑ Sigma (former GoldStar) and Schindler Elevators - Batik Keris Gallery, Menteng, Central Jakarta - YouTube
- ↑ Modernized by Schindler in the 2010s.
- ↑ Modernized by Sino Sigma (not related with Korean brand Sigma). One original service elevator is derelict.
Schindler elevator models | |
---|---|
Models currently in-production | PS: 3000 • 5000 • 6000 HS: 7000 FR: 2600 |
Discontinued models |
PS: 100 P • 300 P • 500 P • 3300 • 5400 AP • 5500 • designS • Elegant MRL / Classic HS: 700 P FR: Schindler 80 |
Unidentified models (models have no confirmed names) |
1970s-1980s elevators • 1990s elevators • Schindler Modernization |
Destination dispatch | Miconic 10 / SchindlerID / The PORT Technology |
Remarks | (PS) Passenger model (traction with or without machine room / hydraulic) • (HS) High speed passenger model • (FR) Freight or heavy duty model |