Planning and designing an elevator requires a high level of accuracy and attention to detail, this means the process generates a lot of documentation. To ensure everyone involved has access to the right information, our customers need drawings, specifications, as well as additional information to use in their plans.
We want our customers to have the full picture when they’re creating designs. One way to do that is to make sure they have the right level of detail, and the correct information when they need it. For that, we have created the Schindler Plan & Design.
This online tool helps our customers not only design their elevators and escalators, it also creates both the documentation and drawings for their project, easily, and efficiently.
The Schindler Plan and Design tool has three modules: Plan, Design, and the Project cloud.
The Planning module is where, after a quick and easy traffic analysis, our customers receive a suggestion for the number, size and speed of the elevators required. They can then select an elevator from our recommendations and find all the critical dimensions that they need to take into consideration for their building design. They can also quickly access drawings.
The Design module is where our customers can visualize the interior of their elevator, select options and features, and download the corresponding design specifications.
And finally, the Project cloud is where they store projects for future reference, download the relevant files based on their unique elevator, and can request an offer or consultation from Schindler.
The tool can be used in different ways to create and download both documents and drawings that can be used in various phases of a customer’s project.
Let’s take a closer look at the opportunities:
Drawings are of course a vital part of any construction project, and elevator designs are no exception. Thanks to the Schindler Plan & Design, our customers have access to both 2D CAD and BIM deliverables.
The first format, 2D CAD drawings, has been a staple in the construction world for many years. BIM (Building Information Modelling) has quickly become the industry standard for all phases of a construction project - from planning and design to coordination and management of construction projects.
BIM is an intelligent 3D model-based process that provides tools and insights throughout the entire project lifecycle - Design, Installation, Operation, and Maintenance. It offers many benefits to architects and engineers, as well as contractors and project & facility managers.
BIM provides easier analysis of alternative products and designs (“Optioneering”) and improves cost forecasting and management during planning and construction. With BIM our customers get smoother on-site coordination, and they can decrease the number of errors that occur because of data inconsistencies.
Using BIM models from the Schindler Plan & Design, they can also ensure faster and smoother design approval, and pre-manufacturing lead-times. In addition, the interaction of elevator and escalator equipment with all other disciplines is clarified early in the design process to avoid costly mistakes.
Since the elevator is often added at a later stage during project development, it’s important that elevator design files are easy to integrate with the rest of the project.
With a BIM file from the Schindler Plan & Design, this is exactly what our customers get. By reducing the complexity of the models, they are easier and quicker to download and use. They still include all the properties of the individual components, the location of the machine room, and hoistway dimensions and clearance requirements (e.g. free space around the controller) to help them understand the space needed for the elevator and identify the building interfaces as soon as possible.
When a customer has picked an elevator and designed it according to their vision, they can then head over to the Project cloud and download the complete specifications. This is what they get:
First, there is a product overview - the elevator model and all the technical specifications, like dimensions.
They will also get all the data on the design choices they made, including a visualization of the elevator. Material, options, features, and so on.
Finally, there’s a breakdown of the scope of work needed to install the elevator. This is very useful since it provides details on who has to do what during the build process.
All this information comes in handy in different ways. It will facilitate the communication with their customer and the other stakeholders in the project, since they can easily show what design has been selected for their elevator.
It’s also very helpful for future communication with us at Schindler. The documentation forms a base for any future dialog with a specialist or a sales representative about the project.
Improving the tender process
Another advantage the documentation in the Schindler Plan & Design tool provides is that it can be used to define the baseline for the tender process.
Some projects, especially those that originate in municipalities and other public institutions, require an open tender process. With the data from the tool, it’s easy for our customers to collect the specifications they need to include in the bid.
Everything that’s created in Schindler Plan & Design is available in one central location - your Project Cloud. Our customers can save multiple projects there, and they can use it to store personal project documents and drawings as well.
And when they are ready to request a consultation or an offer from Schindler for their unique elevator, they can do this directly through the Project Cloud in Schindler Plan & Design.
Once a customer requests an offer or consultation, they will be connected to a local sales representative that knows the area and market and, once ready, the offer will also be uploaded directly to the personal project cloud. This makes for a shorter turnaround time and seamless transitions, with every step done directly in the tool.