The World’s Fastest Elevators by Mitsubishi Electric and Hitachi | 世界最高速エレベーター 三菱 日立 横浜ランドマークタワー

Описание: First broadcast: 25 January 2015

Since Archimedes laid down the concept more than 2,000 years ago, elevators have become a ubiquitous — yet often overlooked — part of our lives. As skyscrapers reach ever higher, so does the technology that moves us up and down. Since 1978, the world’s fastest elevators have all been manufactured by Japanese companies. In this episode of J-TECH, Marc Carpentier examines the technology behind modern elevator systems, and discovers how Japanese elevators earned their reputation as the world's fastest and smoothest.

Timeline of the world’s fastest elevators:
1931 - Empire State Building in the US, elevators manufactured by Otis (1200ft/min or 365.8m/min)
1933 - RCA Building in the US, elevators manufactured by Westinghouse (1400ft/min or 426.7m/min)
1960/1961 - One Chase Manhattan Plaza in the US, elevators manufactured by Otis (1600ft/min or 487.7m/min)
1963 - Pan Am Building in the US, elevators manufactured by Westinghouse (1700ft/min or 518.2m/min)
1969/1970 - John Hancock Center in the US, elevators manufactured by Otis (1800ft/min or 548.6m/min)
1978 - Sunshine 60 Building in Japan, elevators manufactured by Mitsubishi (600m/min)
1993 - Yokohama Landmark Tower in Japan, elevators manufactured by Mitsubishi (750m/min)
2004 - Taipei 101 in Taiwan, elevators manufactured by Toshiba (1010m/min)
2016 - Shanghai Tower in China, elevators manufactured by Mitsubishi (Default speed of 1080m/min, but 1 of the 3 elevator cars can travel up to 1230m/min)
2017 - Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in China, elevators manufactured by Hitachi (Default speed of 1200m/min, but can travel up to 1260m/min)

Timeline of Japan’s fastest elevators* (excludes elevators that were not commercially available):
1961 - Kyoto International Hotel, elevators manufactured by Mitsubishi (210m/min)
1967 - Meitetsu Grand Hotel (Meitetsu Bus Terminal Building), elevators manufactured by Mitsubishi (240m/min)
1968 - Kasumigaseki Building, elevators manufactured by Hitachi and Toyo Otis* (300m/min)
1971 - Keio Plaza Hotel, elevators manufactured by Hitachi and Mitsubishi (360m/min)
1974 - Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, elevators manufactured by Hitachi and Mitsubishi (540m/min)
1978 - Sunshine 60, elevators manufactured by Mitsubishi (600m/min)
1993 - Yokohama Landmark Tower, elevators manufactured by Mitsubishi (750m/min)

*Before 1961, the top speed of passenger elevators in Japan was 150m/min. In 1956, Hitachi installed a 200m/min elevator at the Odaira Memorial Museum within Hitachi Origin Park, but was not included in the above list as it was installed in a company facility and not commercially available. 
*In Japan, it is not an uncommon practice for large buildings to tender out multiple contracts to install elevators, so some buildings have elevators installed by multiple manufacturers.

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As one can see, it used to be American companies who spearheaded the manufacturing high speed elevators. From the 1930s to the 1960s, it was Westinghouse and Otis who were the ones constantly trying to outdo each other in terms of speed. Before the 1960s, the 31m height limit also meant that it was impractical for Japanese manufacturers to develop ultra high speed elevators for domestic use, and the fastest passenger elevators in Japan had a top rated speed of 150m/min. Unsurprisingly, overseas customers regarded Japanese elevators as unproven third-rate products because their manufacturers lacked of a track record of installing high-speed elevators, and they believed that elevators from Western manufacturers were superior. Japanese elevator companies struggled to gain a foothold in the international market. However, during Japan’s post-war reconstruction period, the country’s fast economic and demographic growth called for the construction of taller buildings, and the 31m height restriction was eventually lifted in 1963. Japan was finally able to build its own skyscrapers, and this led to a construction boom. The demand for elevators increased exponentially, and elevators in these skyscrapers needed to travel distances and at speeds that were previously unseen in the country. As the elevator industry grew, domestic manufacturers such as Hitachi and Mitsubishi were given the opportunity to develop and push the limits of their own technologies. The technical know-how of these domestic elevator manufacturers rapidly advanced. In 1974, Hitachi and Mitsubishi began matching the speed records of their American counterparts when they installed the 540m/min elevators at the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building. 4 years later, Mitsubishi was finally able to break the world record by installing 600m/min elevators at Sunshine 60. From then on, Japanese companies consistently remained on top of the race for the world’s fastest, and American companies bowed out of the race.

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サンシャイン60
三菱電機製エレベーター
ランドマークタワー
横浜ランドマークタワーのエレベーター
高速エレベーター