Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / Navigating the 2019 ASME Elevator Code | Evan Rahey

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Navigating the 2019 ASME Elevator Code | Evan Rahey · The Elevator Careers Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_02: Hi, this is Matt Allred, Elevator Industry Recruiter and host of the Elevator Careers Podcast.
0:06
SPEAKER_02: Today marks the seventy-fifth interview of the Elevator Careers Podcast.
0:10
SPEAKER_02: I launched the first episode February 2nd, 2022, and it's been going for nearly three years.
0:15
SPEAKER_02: I've enjoyed seventy-five fascinating interviews with amazing people.
0:19
SPEAKER_02: Every interview is a new experience and an opportunity to learn more about the individuals who make the elevator industry truly unique.
0:26
SPEAKER_02: Thank you to all who've been guests on the show.
0:28
SPEAKER_02: Thank you to all the listeners for being part of the community, sharing your time, comments, and insights.
0:33
SPEAKER_02: My desire is to continue to build upon an amazing industry, to give back to those who have given so much, and to do my little part in helping make the elevator industry a special place for all who are involved.
0:44
SPEAKER_02: Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy today's show.
0:48
SPEAKER_01: I go into meetings now and I jump up and down and I say, please, if you're modernizing an elevator, if you're building a new building, build on a digital solution.
0:58
SPEAKER_01: Do not build on POTS lines because telecommunication companies, they're no longer servicing the POTS lines.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Right.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: They're no longer required to service them anymore, anyway, but they don't want to.
1:08
SPEAKER_01: And by association, they're increasing the cost of what those analog pots lines are costing.
1:14
SPEAKER_01: So in some markets, they're two, three, four hundred dollars per elevator car, per phone line, to be able to have an old pots line still.
1:23
SPEAKER_02: Hello, and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
1:28
SPEAKER_02: I am your host, Matt Allred.
1:31
SPEAKER_02: In this podcast, we talk to the people whose lives and careers are dedicated to the vertical transportation industry.
1:39
SPEAKER_02: Building upon the foundation of inspire the next generation careers, four, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, four, five, five, five, five, five, five, four, four, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, four, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, five, four, five, five, five, four, four, four, five, four, four, four, four, three, four, five, five, five, five, five, five, four, five, five, five, four, four, five, five, four, five, file, five, five, five, four, five, four, five, five, five, five, five, five, outdated, five, and it's job to bring that message to the market.
2:20
SPEAKER_02: Get in touch with Evan with any 2019 ASME CSA code questions and to learn how the WordTech system may be the best for your project.
2:32
SPEAKER_01: Matthew, it's uh very good to be here and thank you for having me.
2:36
SPEAKER_01: I'm the first ever in person.
2:38
SPEAKER_02: The first ever in person.
2:40
SPEAKER_01: You're right.
2:40
SPEAKER_01: This will go down as a trivia question 25 conferences from now.
2:44
SPEAKER_01: They'll look back and say, remember that first podcast you had?
2:47
SPEAKER_01: Who is that weird guy on the uh podcast?
2:50
SPEAKER_02: So uh but very happy to be here and thank you for uh choosing me to be to be here.
2:55
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
2:55
SPEAKER_02: No, this is this is fun.
2:56
SPEAKER_02: I've enjoyed our previous conversations and and honestly, it was your suggestion.
3:00
SPEAKER_02: You know, let's just do this together when we get together for the conference in New Jersey, and here we are, so might as well make it happen.
3:06
SPEAKER_02: So thank you again.
3:07
SPEAKER_01: No problem.
3:08
SPEAKER_02: So uh tell me how did you get started in the elevator industry?
3:13
SPEAKER_01: Well, I wish I had a really cool story of how I somehow ended up in the elevator industry.
3:19
SPEAKER_01: But at the time I was working uh in another industry, didn't even think about elevators.
3:25
SPEAKER_01: Right.
3:25
SPEAKER_01: Uh then a recruiter called me and said, Hey, do you want to check out this position uh at an elevator company?
3:32
SPEAKER_01: I said, Yeah, let me uh let me check it out.
3:34
SPEAKER_01: And um, geez, now two, two and a half years later, I'm still in the industry and uh and really enjoying it.
3:41
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
3:41
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
3:42
SPEAKER_02: What was it that uh I guess brought his attention to you?
3:46
SPEAKER_02: What were you doing at the time that that made him think, hey, this guy's got what we need?
3:50
SPEAKER_01: I think it was just being a sales professional.
3:52
SPEAKER_01: I was working sales uh for another company uh before the Caesar Stone.
3:58
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
3:58
SPEAKER_01: Um and I think they just saw some experience on LinkedIn.
4:03
SPEAKER_02: Okay, but you weren't selling pizzas.
4:04
SPEAKER_02: I mean you were selling related technology.
4:07
SPEAKER_02: Is that correct?
4:08
SPEAKER_02: You know, at the time it wasn't even technology, it was uh quartz countertops.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:14
SPEAKER_01: Um construction related.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: Construction related, not really technology related.
4:19
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh, but I did have some technology in my background.
4:22
SPEAKER_01: I worked for Samsung uh for a few years, and before that was American Standard when I really got started.
4:28
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:28
SPEAKER_01: Um background when school was technology, so I I definitely had some technology experience.
4:34
SPEAKER_01: Okay um but they had had a conversation with me and I ended up in an elevator company.
4:40
SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
4:41
SPEAKER_02: So um, and now I mean you're at WordTech right now.
4:44
SPEAKER_02: What was that the first where where were you before, I guess?
4:46
SPEAKER_02: Where where was it that you first landed?
4:49
SPEAKER_01: My first elevator company was a company called um Avire.
4:53
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:53
SPEAKER_01: The brand that the elevator industry might know was Wrath and Janice.
4:57
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
4:58
SPEAKER_01: Um I was there for about a year um and then came over to Wordech, where I'm with right now.
5:04
SPEAKER_02: Gotcha.
5:04
SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
5:05
SPEAKER_02: And uh so all time, all told you've been in the elevator industry for two, two and a half years, I'd say.
5:11
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
5:11
SPEAKER_01: Um I guess I'm still a newbie in the elevator industry, but it's it's been a great place to be, and I'm very fortunate to be.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
5:20
SPEAKER_02: As you as you look back on your career, what would you say it's one of the most valuable lessons that you've learned thus far?
5:27
SPEAKER_01: Probably that nobody is going to come and bail you out.
5:33
SPEAKER_01: You have to do it yourself.
5:34
SPEAKER_01: Elaborate a little bit on that.
5:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's gonna be times when you think that the entire world might be against you.
5:44
SPEAKER_01: You've been there.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: You don't understand anything, you're kind of what the heck am I doing?
5:50
SPEAKER_01: Right.
5:51
SPEAKER_01: And you at that point you need to trust in yourself and and and almost trust your gut a little bit to say, all right, well, the Calvary's not coming.
5:59
SPEAKER_01: What am I gonna do to make sure that I I get I get through this storm for myself and for my family?
6:05
SPEAKER_01: Very cool, very cool.
6:07
SPEAKER_01: Um what uh what do you love most about the elevator industry?
6:11
SPEAKER_01: By far the people.
6:13
SPEAKER_01: I was very fortunate during my time at Wrath to met um a really good group of guys that probably served as my mentor both professionally and personally.
6:24
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
6:25
SPEAKER_01: Um, and they're still people that I talk to today, and they've been some of my really good friends to help me through some of the ups and some of the downs in my career uh and personal life as well.
6:36
SPEAKER_02: Did you find I I don't know, did you find those kinds of relationships in previous jobs or I had relationships, but none as strong as what I found in the elevator industry.
6:49
SPEAKER_01: Now, not only just the that core group of gentlemen that I was able to meet in my previous role, but everybody from suppliers to fixture manufacturers to end customers to elevator consultants.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: I've met people that I think are the I have the strongest relationships with that I just didn't find in other industries.
7:10
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
7:10
SPEAKER_02: Cool.
7:11
SPEAKER_02: I mean, there is there is something amazing about the community of elevator professionals.
7:16
SPEAKER_01: And especially in the New York market, I love the people because they will tell you whether they're pissed at you, whether they love you.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: And they won't waste any time doing it.
7:23
SPEAKER_01: They hate you.
7:24
SPEAKER_01: I'll walk in, they'll say, Evan, blah, blah, blah.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: You need to do this, this, and this.
7:28
SPEAKER_01: And I'll say, Great, let's do it.
7:30
SPEAKER_01: Let's get to work.
7:31
SPEAKER_02: That is awesome.
7:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love the love the you know, let's be direct, right?
7:35
SPEAKER_02: We don't have time to waste.
7:36
SPEAKER_02: Let's just say it like it is, get it done, and it's it's over.
7:39
SPEAKER_02: Those are my type of people.
7:40
SPEAKER_02: Awesome, awesome.
7:42
SPEAKER_02: Um, so you you told me that uh in this current role that you're you're kind of dedicated to the 2019 code change.
7:50
SPEAKER_02: Can you elaborate like specifically?
7:53
SPEAKER_02: What is your part in that?
7:55
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
7:56
SPEAKER_01: So with the 2019 ASME code uh update, uh so far about 75% of the states within the United States have adopted the code, so Brad, probably about 37, 38 are either fully adopted or on the road to being fully adopted, as well as Providences in Canada.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: Now, what does that code mean?
8:15
SPEAKER_01: It really means it's we're now updating the elevator industry.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: Whereas if you or I are trapped in an elevator, right now we press a button, that call button goes out, someone picks up the phone, and I can talk to somebody on the other side.
8:28
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
8:29
SPEAKER_01: Now, what happens if I'm deaf?
8:31
SPEAKER_01: If I can't communicate to somebody on the other side through a phone.
8:35
SPEAKER_01: So if I'm trapped in an elevator and my only means of communication is a phone, I'm screwed.
8:41
SPEAKER_01: Right.
8:41
SPEAKER_01: I have no way to tell somebody that I need help.
8:44
SPEAKER_01: So that's where the new code comes into place.
8:47
SPEAKER_01: It mandates that you need to have a screen that the person who's monitoring the elevator can text to the person who's trapped in the car, and you need to have uh a camera to be able to see if somebody's trapped inside that elevator.
9:00
SPEAKER_01: Right.
9:01
SPEAKER_01: Now that's what it means from a code standpoint, as far as the nuts and bolts of what it means for a code.
9:07
SPEAKER_01: But the biggest impact to the elevator industry is that now it mandates the internet line, a data connection, to be connected to every single elevator car.
9:18
SPEAKER_01: Right.
9:18
SPEAKER_01: Because you can't transmit the video feed we talked about through an old analog copper line.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: Right.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: So you have to have an internet connection.
9:26
SPEAKER_02: So it doesn't make sense to have a screen if it can't communicate with somebody on the other side.
9:32
SPEAKER_02: Right.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: Because that screen, that camera feed, cannot be transmitted through copper.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: You have to bring an internet data connection to the elevator car.
9:42
SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
9:42
SPEAKER_01: And what that does is when you bring internet to each elevator car, it makes the copper line obsolete.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
9:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:51
SPEAKER_02: I I think uh as I understand it, you know, typical phone line of the old days, you know, two little skinny wires, and uh, you know, the data connection is probably four or more just to get the signal through.
10:02
SPEAKER_01: It's it's a much much more robust connection, it's more secure, it's faster.
10:07
SPEAKER_01: Um, and on medi instances now, it's a lot less uh expensive to both the elevator contractor and the end customer.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: Because if you think about it, if you're building a system and you have an analog line now and you're paying for that analog pots line service.
10:24
SPEAKER_01: Service, sure.
10:24
SPEAKER_01: And now you're adding an internet service.
10:27
SPEAKER_01: So now you have to pay for the internet service, you have to pay for the analog phone service.
10:31
SPEAKER_01: Right.
10:32
SPEAKER_01: If you're an end customer, you gotta pay for both, and you have more liability throughout the entire system.
10:37
SPEAKER_01: You have more components, chances to break, more chances to break, more areas of failure, more components that you need to back up for battery backup, because per the code, that entire system has to be backed up for a minimum of four hours.
10:50
SPEAKER_01: And if you have an analog and a digital, you gotta back both up for four hours.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Right.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Do you know of any specific instances?
10:57
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure there are some, but do you know of any where that either really would have been helpful or you know where somebody was trapped, maybe they're deaf, maybe they, you know, couldn't communicate in some way?
11:08
SPEAKER_01: You know, when I s first spoke to you about this topic, I didn't hear of anything else in the um in the industry that had something like this.
11:16
SPEAKER_01: But since we spoke, I've heard of two different examples of somebody being trapped in the elevator and they couldn't speak.
11:23
SPEAKER_01: They were in the elevator just screaming.
11:26
SPEAKER_01: And I I can't even imagine of what that feels like being trapped in an elevator and having somebody trying to talk to you on the other side, but you have no idea how to communicate with them.
11:36
SPEAKER_01: You don't know if they're talking to you, what they're saying, how do I communicate back to them?
11:40
SPEAKER_02: You know, as you say that, it's interesting because I'm thinking, you know, if I was in another country or something like that, and I couldn't, you know, maybe I don't know the language.
11:47
SPEAKER_02: So what a phone isn't gonna do a lot of good if they can't understand my language, but uh at least with a video, I could make some kind of gesture or something, even use Google Translate on my phone.
11:58
SPEAKER_02: You're absolutely correct.
12:00
SPEAKER_02: Interesting, interesting.
12:02
SPEAKER_02: Um so I'm curious as you're seeing this roll out.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you obviously have a mandate to make sure the word gets out.
12:10
SPEAKER_02: What what are some of the the breakdowns that you're seeing?
12:14
SPEAKER_02: Because you talked about people putting in a standard old line, oh, and hey, let's put digital on top of it.
12:18
SPEAKER_02: Do you see some of that going on now?
12:21
SPEAKER_01: Well, when the code first came into existence throughout the United States, everybody said, Oh, what a pain in the butt this new code is.
12:29
SPEAKER_01: Right.
12:30
SPEAKER_01: They think it's a pain in the butt because they're looking at the code through the lens of an analog phone.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: They have an analog system and then they go, I need to add a digital line.
12:41
SPEAKER_01: I gotta add a digital line to this.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: It's now one more, I gotta figure out how I'm gonna do this.
12:46
SPEAKER_01: But really, what the code is allowing buildings and elevator contracts to do is to completely upgrade their infrastructure throughout that system.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: Right.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: It allows them to not build on analog anymore.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: They can just use that one internet line, that one data connection, to run their phone line and their video line through.
13:05
SPEAKER_01: And when you have a system that's built on all digital, you can now monitor and maintain that system through digital.
13:13
SPEAKER_01: You don't have two separate systems going at the same time.
13:16
SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
13:16
SPEAKER_02: So it sounds like some people just aren't seeing the opportunity to drop the pots line, as we call it, right?
13:22
SPEAKER_02: And just get rid of that and change to uh a digital system.
13:26
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
13:27
SPEAKER_01: And I do think as the manufacturer, we have a responsibility to educate the market on that.
13:32
SPEAKER_01: The first solutions that came to market were all analog-based systems that allowed the analog phone to work, and then they added that phone digital component to it.
13:43
SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
13:44
SPEAKER_02: So since 2019, some some people have put that out there, and what you're what you're saying is, hey, let's just forget the old analog, let's add a completely digital system and move on in that way.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: I go into meetings now and I jump up and down and I say, please, if you're modernizing an elevator, if you're building a new building, build on a digital solution.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: Do not build on POTS lines because telecommunication companies, they're no longer servicing the pots lines.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: Right.
14:12
SPEAKER_01: They're no longer required to service them anymore, anyway, but they don't want to.
14:16
SPEAKER_01: And by association, they're increasing the cost of what those analog pots lines are costing.
14:22
SPEAKER_01: So in some markets, they're two, three, four hundred dollars per elevator car, per phone line, to be able to have an old pots line still.
14:31
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it sounds like the the a digital system would be much cheaper if you're paying that kind of service for a pot line.
14:38
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: If you can go all over digital, you you have to pay the internet service no matter what.
14:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, right.
14:44
SPEAKER_01: No matter what, you're paying the internet.
14:46
SPEAKER_01: So why pay both?
14:47
SPEAKER_01: And if you're servicing that elevator, if you're installing the system, why install two separate systems where you can just install the internet system?
14:55
SPEAKER_02: So of the modernizations you're seeing going in, how many would you say are building fully digital versus building on analog and then trying to put a band-aid or or whatever they are on top?
15:08
SPEAKER_01: I would say right now, 70% are still building on an analog type of solution.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit better on new construction right now.
15:16
SPEAKER_01: Some of the OEMs are starting to uh see the light as I try to go out and say.
15:21
SPEAKER_01: Um, but a lot of the mods, a lot of new elevators right now, they're still going forward with an analog solution and then adding a digital component for the video feed.
15:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:31
SPEAKER_02: What would you say is the solution, you know, the best avenue to help people understand that you know, the new paradigm, if you will.
15:39
SPEAKER_01: The new paradigm is a perfect way to uh describe this because I go in there and work for WordTech now, and of course I want them to use our product, but more so I want them to choose an all-digital solution.
15:52
SPEAKER_01: Right.
15:53
SPEAKER_01: I want them to be able to look at the environment, the industry, and say, I don't need my POTS lines anymore.
15:59
SPEAKER_01: I don't need to wire an analog uh phone line throughout my entire building.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: Right.
16:04
SPEAKER_01: The one caveat of the code is if the building is over 60 feet of travel, you need to have an on-site communication device for emergency personnel to be able to see inside that car.
16:14
SPEAKER_01: Now, if you have an old system that's built on analog, most of the time you're gonna have this big clunky box called the distribution module.
16:22
SPEAKER_02: Right.
16:22
SPEAKER_01: And you wire every single phone back to that distribution module.
16:26
SPEAKER_01: And that is the brain of the system and allows each phone to talk to the master station.
16:31
SPEAKER_01: That's how analog is built.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: And it and you can only monitor and talk to wherever that kind of that distribution module is.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: Right.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: So with digital, you don't need that distribution module anymore.
16:43
SPEAKER_01: Whatever device is hooked up to the internet, you can monitor your entire system from.
16:49
SPEAKER_01: Sitting right here, we can monitor the phone line and the video line of any building that's in uh my control.
16:57
SPEAKER_01: You could be on the beach in Atlantic City, you could be sitting at your home office, you can have five different people walking around a building, three security desks, and a super, and they can all monitor their system as long as they have an internet connection.
17:09
SPEAKER_02: So you've got that's yeah, no, that's awesome.
17:11
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's it certainly sounds like it's simplifying the process and obviously implementing the code and making it safer for everyone in the process.
17:19
SPEAKER_01: And that's the biggest thing that I want the market to know is simple.
17:23
SPEAKER_01: Right.
17:23
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to look at this code as, oh, it's a big complicated mess.
17:28
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to touch it.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: Right.
17:30
SPEAKER_01: I want to pull my permits before this code comes into effect.
17:33
SPEAKER_01: Right.
17:33
SPEAKER_01: When really it's a blessing, you can come in here and just simplify your entire communication offering throughout your elevator.
17:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
17:41
SPEAKER_02: So does the technology fully support it?
17:44
SPEAKER_02: I guess that's my one of my questions, like as far as like a traveling cable.
17:47
SPEAKER_02: Uh, in my mind, I'm just wondering if, you know, is it more difficult to get digital to because I from what I've seen, they they tend to sway and move and you know go with the car, and you know, are they uh are the cables able to hold that, you know, to do that?
18:05
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that's a good question.
18:06
SPEAKER_01: In the current infrastructure, the the biggest challenge is how do you get the internet connection through a traveler cable.
18:14
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
18:14
SPEAKER_01: Because in the current setup, you can't send the a cat five down the traveler right now.
18:19
SPEAKER_01: So how do you get that internet connection?
18:21
SPEAKER_01: You can't send one, you mean retroactively meaningful.
18:24
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
18:25
SPEAKER_01: Meaning, oh hey, let's just tape it to it, or you can't stuff it inside, it's already wrapped up.
18:29
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
18:30
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
18:30
SPEAKER_01: So how do I send that internet connection that's usually brought into the building through, say, a cat five or cat six, depending on your your shielding there?
18:38
SPEAKER_01: Uh how do I send it down the traveler cable and get it to the elevator car?
18:41
SPEAKER_01: Right.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: Well, right now, what you have to do is convert it.
18:44
SPEAKER_01: You have to take the internet line, typically in the machine room or coming from the building, you convert it, and then you that allows you to send it down a shielded pair through the traveler cable.
18:54
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
18:55
SPEAKER_01: And then you get back to the elevator car and you convert it back to cat five.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: Interesting.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: So digital analog and then digital again?
19:03
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't know if I would call it 100% analog, but yes, it's technically it's you're going, you're going cat 5, you're taking that cat 5 connection, you're sending it down uh shielded twisted pair, and then back to cat five.
19:16
SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
19:17
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
19:18
SPEAKER_02: Um so you uh it sounds like without the uh the new traveler cable, you've got to have some kind of you know bridge route or something to kind of just do that translation on both ends.
19:29
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
19:30
SPEAKER_01: You need something to be able to send the internet connection through the traveler cable.
19:33
SPEAKER_01: Now in five or ten years, we might be talking and we might be saying, Evan, every single traveler cable has cat five in it now.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: There are traveler cables on the market, although I would say less than 1% is being installed today with a Cat 5 and the Traveler cable.
19:49
SPEAKER_01: Oh, really?
19:50
SPEAKER_01: Even though this is a five-year-old code, it's just not it's it's just not being adopted from a traveler cable standpoint.
19:57
SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
19:57
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
19:58
SPEAKER_01: Um I think that number will tick up as this code becomes more prevalent throughout the industry.
20:06
SPEAKER_01: And then if you have a traveler cable with Cat 5 in it, you no longer need to convert it.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: Right.
20:11
SPEAKER_01: So you just take the internet connection from your machine room or your building and you send it straight down to that elevator car.
20:18
SPEAKER_01: No need to convert it.
20:19
SPEAKER_02: Now that sounds like the simplest solution, but obviously there's some growing pains in the process.
20:24
SPEAKER_01: And it's another point to why you'd want to build on digital.
20:27
SPEAKER_01: If you have an all-digital solution and then you find a building that has cat five in it, you now eliminate your components in the elevator, in the machine room.
20:35
SPEAKER_01: Right.
20:36
SPEAKER_01: Whereas if you still have an analog system, you have all those components that are still part of your system that you you need no matter what.
20:41
SPEAKER_01: Right.
20:42
SPEAKER_01: But if you find a building that has cat 5 in it already, no need for the converter, no need to back up that converter, send the internet connection straight to the car, and now you're connected.
20:51
SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
20:51
SPEAKER_02: Very cool.
20:52
SPEAKER_02: Um so where would you say is the uh the biggest bang for the buck if you know where where are people gonna see savings if they're if they choose to go into a digital system versus the add-on?
21:05
SPEAKER_01: And I think that answer is different depending on who you speak to.
21:08
SPEAKER_01: If I'm an if I'm an end customer, if I'm a university, if I'm a building owner, and I go with an all-digital solution, right off the bat, I'm saving money on being able to not pay the telecommunication company for an analog phone line anymore.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: I'm saving money on not having to wire my entire building copper lines from each machine room down to the elevator car, down to the distribution module.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: Right.
21:30
SPEAKER_01: And I'm also saving a little bit as far as my liability of having additional components that need to back up.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
21:38
SPEAKER_01: Now, if I'm an elevator contractor and I need to install this product, I'm thinking, how do I reduce manpower?
21:45
SPEAKER_01: I don't want to send a team out there to install this product that's gonna take six hours or eight hours.
21:50
SPEAKER_01: Um I want to make sure that I can get in there, I can spend two hours to set this system up.
21:55
SPEAKER_01: It's simple, and I can get out of there.
21:57
SPEAKER_01: And if I need to service this entire system, I don't need To service eight components, I can service three components.
22:02
SPEAKER_01: Right.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
22:04
SPEAKER_02: So, Evan, what is the biggest opportunity with the 2019 code?
22:09
SPEAKER_01: Well, I think it depends on who you ask.
22:11
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
22:11
SPEAKER_01: I think the biggest opportunity, if I'm a building owner, I get to say I no longer need an analog line.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
22:17
SPEAKER_01: I don't have to pay ATT, Verizon T Mobile for those copper pots lines anymore.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: I don't need to pay per elevator for a phone line to be brought to my building.
22:25
SPEAKER_01: I can rip it all out and I can run everything, the video and the audio, all through that internet connection that I need to bring in anyway.
22:33
SPEAKER_01: If I'm an elevator contractor, my biggest opportunity is great.
22:37
SPEAKER_01: I don't need to wire copper lines throughout the entire building.
22:40
SPEAKER_01: I don't need to service copper lines throughout the entire building.
22:43
SPEAKER_01: I can cut down my components for a two-way visual solution, and it makes my entire job much more simpler.
22:49
SPEAKER_02: If I'm a person who can't hear, then my biggest opportunity is I don't have to worry about getting trapped inside an elevator.
22:55
SPEAKER_01: The biggest opportunity from this code, obviously, is if somebody is hearing impaired and they're in the elevator, they can now get and receive help.
23:03
SPEAKER_01: And that's the most important that I think even at times I lose some focus on.
23:08
SPEAKER_01: But this code and the solutions that stem from the code are helping people that are trapped inside an elevator that may be experiencing their most terrifying moment in their life.
23:20
SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
23:21
SPEAKER_01: Because you're trapped in an elevator for you or me, if we're trapped in the elevator, it's an awful experience.
23:28
SPEAKER_01: But if we're trapped in the elevator and we can't hear, we can't communicate to the person on the other side, it makes that situation much more terrifying.
23:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
23:55
SPEAKER_02: Evan, what percentage of mods are you seeing built with a digital technology backbone?
24:02
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I would say today we're still seeing probably only about 30%, maybe even under 30%, of going with a fully digital solution.
24:12
SPEAKER_01: 70 or even more are still utilizing an old analog technology to build their two-way visual system on.
24:21
unknown: Thank you.
24:22
SPEAKER_01: And that's not enough.
24:23
SPEAKER_01: That's right.
24:24
SPEAKER_02: No.
24:25
SPEAKER_02: So, Evan, does the 2019 code requirement that requires two-way video communication affect Canada as well?
24:34
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
24:35
SPEAKER_01: And it's under the jurisdiction of CSA in Canada, and more and more provinces are starting to adopt the code similar to what we see in the United States.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: The options in Canada are limited, but really there is no forward-thinking company in Canada right now that's allowing companies to build on digital.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: We're one of the first ones in Canada that's allowing people to simplify their solution and uh build completely on digital.
25:03
SPEAKER_01: Very cool.
25:04
SPEAKER_02: So what does uh what does the code rollout look like?
25:07
SPEAKER_02: I mean, as I understand it, new or modernized equipment are required, but but older stuff, you just leave it alone until it needs a mod.
25:15
SPEAKER_02: Is that kind of how it works?
25:16
SPEAKER_01: That is absolutely correct.
25:17
SPEAKER_01: So this code is not retroactive for any old elevators.
25:21
SPEAKER_01: When a new state adopts the code, they usually will set a certain date and time in the future.
25:27
SPEAKER_01: And then they'll say, everybody, you have eight months, you have a year, you have some type of timetable.
25:34
SPEAKER_01: To any permits pulled after this specific date will have to have the new elevator code requirements.
25:40
SPEAKER_02: Gotcha, gotcha.
25:41
SPEAKER_02: And it sounds like a lot of those have already gone into effect.
25:44
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I assume that the code passed in 2019, but the states didn't immediately adopt.
25:50
SPEAKER_01: Is that how that works?
25:52
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
25:52
SPEAKER_01: We saw a couple states start the uh the bandwagon off and then more states followed.
25:58
SPEAKER_01: And we even have some states where some municipalities within a state will adopt it.
26:02
SPEAKER_01: Oh, interesting.
26:03
SPEAKER_01: Without the entire state adopting it.
26:05
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
26:05
SPEAKER_02: So it's more about the you know the local inspectors and the local contractors and working together to make sure that they've got it.
26:12
SPEAKER_01: And you bring up an important point about the local inspectors.
26:15
SPEAKER_01: It's also important to educate the inspectors that are going into these buildings to make sure they know what to look for when inspecting a new 2019 code.
26:25
SPEAKER_01: Right.
26:26
SPEAKER_01: Right.
26:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because they're gonna have to be the ones saying if this does or does not pass.
26:31
SPEAKER_01: And it also gives a consistent message to the industry that allows them to build on.
26:36
SPEAKER_01: I've heard different industries or different metros and markets say, I'm confused about how much the elevator camera needs to view the floor.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: Now, depending on who you ask in a different market, they'll tell you it needs to cover 90% of the floor, it needs to cover 80% of the floor.
26:55
SPEAKER_01: Some will say, put a basketball in each four corners of the elevator, and it needs to see that.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: So having a concise answer for questions like that is important to make sure the direction from manufacturers and the elevator contractors know what they need to install.
27:11
SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
27:12
SPEAKER_02: That makes sense.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: Because you don't want to get to a uh situation when you install something and the inspector comes and he has a different definition of what uh covering the floor means, and then you don't get your uh elevator passed to uh to be able to open.
27:25
SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
27:26
SPEAKER_02: Evan, what else would you like to share about the code or about you know something you've learned in this industry or what what you're passionate about, I guess?
27:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, about the code.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: I I know we talked a lot about the code, and it's really why I reached out to you.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: It's is I'm really trying to go anywhere across the country.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: And again, I jump up and down and I say, you don't need to build on POTS lines anymore.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: Right.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: There are solutions out there that allows you to use this code as a blessing to upgrade your entire infrastructure system.
27:56
SPEAKER_00: Right.
27:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, of course, I want them to use the word tech solution.
28:00
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
28:00
SPEAKER_01: Um, but more importantly, I want them to build on a platform that will not require them to rip out a technology in three or four years.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: Right.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: I want them to build for the future.
28:12
SPEAKER_01: And that's what I go around when I'm sales meetings or any podcasts, if I'm talking to anybody, please build.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: Think about the future when you're building your elevator technology.
28:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
28:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:23
SPEAKER_02: What um what would you most like to see done in response to this issue, to this, you know, thing you're trying to educate everybody about?
28:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I I just think uh a clear message throughout the industry right now, and I even I can do a better job as I'm talking to from the manufacturer of being an expert in the market to say, hey, we've spoken with the inspectors, and this is the message, and this is what exactly what you need to see.
28:53
SPEAKER_01: We're probably about 90% there, but we can always do a better job of educating the market.
28:58
SPEAKER_02: Nice, nice.
28:59
SPEAKER_02: Well, Evan, thank you for being with me today.
29:01
SPEAKER_02: It's been a pleasure.
29:02
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate you being on the podcast with me.
29:04
SPEAKER_01: Great.
29:04
SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you very much, Matt, and I look forward to uh many more great conversations together.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much.
29:11
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the All Red Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting.
29:19
SPEAKER_02: You can check us out online at elevatorcareers.net.
29:22
SPEAKER_02: Please subscribe, and until next time, stay safe.