AI in elevator manufacturing is no longer theoretical. The largest elevator manufacturers in the world are already putting artificial intelligence, connected equipment and cloud platforms to work. Understanding what is happening at the manufacturer level helps independent service companies see what is coming their way in the field. This is part 2 of our series on AI and the elevator industry. Part 1 looked at where the industry stands today.
Who are the major elevator manufacturers?
Four large OEMs make most of the equipment independent contractors see:
- Otis Worldwide Corporation, the U.S. manufacturer
- KONE Corporation, the Finnish manufacturer
- Schindler Group, the Swiss manufacturer
- TK Elevator (TKE), formerly thyssenkrupp Elevator, which lists about 50,000 employees and 25,000 service technicians worldwide
These companies design and build the components independent contractors install and service every day: controllers, drives, door systems, safety components and sensors.
AI in component design
Manufacturers across industries are using AI-assisted and generative design tools, where engineers set performance requirements and software proposes and tests design options. As these tools spread through elevator engineering, new equipment generations can arrive faster.
That matters for independent service companies. Mechanics need to learn new systems sooner, and parts inventories need to adjust more often.
Predicting failures before they happen
The OEMs are using connected equipment and data analytics to spot problems before a unit goes down. Components often targeted include door operators, ropes, controllers and brakes.
- Otis expanded its relationship with Microsoft in April 2016, announcing it would use the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite and stream analytics, “using big data to drive condition based monitoring and maintenance.” Its digital ecosystem page says Otis was “one of the first elevator companies to use big data and predictive analytics to improve service performance.”
- TK Elevator describes MAX as “a versatile cloud-based IoT platform” combining cloud, big data and machine learning to “predict maintenance issues before they occur.”
- KONE says its predictive maintenance services use 24/7 remote monitoring and AI-based data analytics to identify patterns and early warning signs.
These are live services on the manufacturers’ own connected equipment, not lab projects.
IoT sensors for mixed fleets
Independent contractors rarely service one brand. A growing group of retrofit IoT sensor vendors offers devices that can be added to existing elevators, including equipment from different manufacturers and of different ages, and send performance data to a cloud platform. For a contractor with a mixed installed base, that is the most likely way to get the kind of equipment data the OEMs already collect on their own units.
Digital twin modeling
A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical asset that uses sensor data and engineering models to mirror how the real equipment behaves. For elevator manufacturing, that can mean:
- Testing modernization designs virtually before field deployment
- Tuning ride quality without full physical test runs
- Predicting how components behave in different building environments
The more sensor data a twin has, the more useful it becomes, which is one more reason the OEMs are connecting their installed base.
What does this mean for independent contractors?
OEMs are building data advantages at the manufacturing level. Every connected elevator on their own platform feeds data back to them. Independent contractors who service equipment across several OEM brands do not have that same view unless they build it through their own platforms and IoT connections.
That gap is the strategic challenge, and closing it starts with clean operational data: service history, callbacks and work orders recorded consistently for every unit you maintain.
Frequently asked questions
Which elevator manufacturers are using AI?
Otis, KONE and TK Elevator all describe connected services that use data analytics or machine learning to predict maintenance needs, including Otis’s work with Microsoft Azure IoT, TK Elevator’s MAX platform and KONE’s 24/7 remote monitoring.
What is TK Elevator MAX?
MAX is TK Elevator’s cloud-based IoT platform. TKE describes it as a combination of cloud, big data and machine learning that aims to predict maintenance issues before they occur.
Can independent contractors get the same equipment data as OEMs?
Not automatically. OEM platforms collect data from the manufacturers’ own connected units. Independent contractors with mixed fleets need their own operational data and, where it fits, retrofit IoT sensors that work across brands.
What is a digital twin for an elevator?
A digital twin is a virtual model that uses sensor data and engineering models to mirror how a real elevator behaves, so changes and failure risks can be tested without touching the equipment.
Ready to build your data foundation?
TS Cloud is built for independent elevator contractors, and for HVAC and specialty contractors. It keeps dispatch, service history by unit and work orders in one system, so your data is ready as AI tools mature. Book a TS Cloud demo.