THE elevators division of Al-Futtaim Engineering, which represents leading brands such as Hitachi Elevators and Escalators and LM elevators from Germany, is in the process of introducing new types of elevators to cater to the changing demands of the market.

“With demand shifting from high-rise towers to low- or medium-rise buildings like shopping malls, universities, hospitals and low-rise residential buildings, the focus today is on low to medium-speed elevators, both with machine room and machine room-less type instead of high-speed elevators,” says Syed Shamsul Haq, general manager of the elevators division at Al-Futtaim Engineering.

The elevators division offers vertical transportation solutions based on client requirements and includes elevators, escalators and dumbwaiters.

“Hitachi elevators and escalators use state-of-the-art technology, comply with JIS as well as BS/EN standards and provide a comprehensive solution for residential, commercial, shopping complexes and industrial use.”

A wide range of elevators from home lifts to skyscrapers are available. Units start from as low as 200 kg capacity and are available up to 3,500 kg with speeds varying from 0.3 m to 10 m per second. Passenger, service and freight elevators with machine rooms as well as machine room less units are also available.

To complement the units, Hitachi also offers escalators, with angles of inclination ranging from 30 to 35 degrees, and walkways, with angles ranging from 0 to 12 degrees – the standard options being 0, 10 and 12 degrees.

The elevators division is currently supplying Hitachi elevators to several projects in the UAE including Al Hikma Tower (12 units with speeds up to 6 m/s), Al Salam mixed-use tower (38 units with speeds up to 5 m/s), Jebel Ali Airport in Dubai (56 units of speeds up to 1.75 m/s) all in Dubai; and Nation Towers (51 units with speeds up to 4 m/s), Adnoc headquarters (30 units with speeds ranging from 1.5 to 8 m/s), Bab Al Qasr Hotel and Service Apartments (20 units of speeds up to 4 m/s) and Abu Dhabi Investment Council headquarters (21 Hitachi elevators of speeds up to 5 m/s and four escalators).

LM elevators are also available with state-of-the-art technology starting from 320 kg to 5,000 kg capacity with speeds ranging from 0.4 m to 2.5 m per second, complying with EN-81 standards. In addition, the company offers SKG dumbwaiters, which are used mostly in restaurants for transporting food items. The capacity ranges from 50 kg to 300 kg.

Some of the key projects that are using LM elevators are Dubai Festival City, where 96 units have been installed and Masdar University in Abu Dhabi (where 14 LM units and two SKG dumbwaiters have been installed).

The company has been also associated with a number of other prestigious projects in recent years, including Atlantis The Palm, The Address, Dubai Mall, Radisson hotel, Ocean Heights, Jumeirah Lake Towers, and Emirates Financial Towers.

Commenting on the market and the company’s future plans, Haq says: “The UAE market is slowly shrugging off the effects of the global downturn and should pick up steam in mid-2013. Recent research indicates more than $15 billion worth of construction contracts are likely to be awarded this year in the UAE – an increase of 26.57 per cent compared to last year. The recent announcements of some impressive projects from Emaar and Nakheel are indications of the market bouncing back. As for the future, Al Futtaim Engineering is closely looking at Saudi Arabia to take advantage of the huge market potential.”