Pink escalators, really? As part of a vibrant new makeover, our team in Beijing installed two custom designed, eye-catching pink Schindler 9300 escalators at Xirondo Plaza that have become the talk of the town. These striking moving stairs do not only round out the shopping center’s new look and enhance the overall visitor experience – they’re also highly energy efficient.
Xirondo Plaza is hard to miss. Set in Shijingshan District in the west of China’s capital, the building’s not only huge, covering an area of 100,000 square – it’s also the only building in the area that’s a bright vibrant pink.
While the shopping center is not a new addition to Beijing's retail landscape – we installed three elevators and six escalators inside when it first opened in 2014 – it has recently been remodeled to enhance the shopping experience and create an atmosphere that resonates with younger generations.
"Visiting Xirondo Plaza is now an experience in itself," says Zhanqiang Sun, our Project Leader. As part of the shopping center’s rejuvenation, our team installed two pink escalators – pink steps, pink handrails, pink floor covers. In fact, the only parts that are not pink are the glass side panels (also known in industry lingo as the balustrades). Standing 11 meters tall, the escalators, located right outside the front of the main building, lead up to the shopping centers "love platform" – an outdoor area decked out with pink hearts, pink roses, and even a pink telephone box.
"Our pink escalators have quickly become a focal point of the shopping center. Visitors love them, and they’re very photogenic," says Zhanqiang with a big smile. While the escalators are very eye-catching, they also come with a lot of functional benefits. "They’re fitted with advanced drive systems and our Eco Premium Plus technology," explains Zhanqiang "This means these escalators operate with exceptional efficiency and minimal energy consumption."
The drive system powering these escalators combines high-efficiency gears with a high-quality International Efficiency class IE3 motor to deliver impressive energy efficiency gains. In this case, by choosing ECO Premium Plus configuration, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 42%* during start-stop and low-speed operation modes. (*data from Schindler online energy calculator).
ECO Premium technology also helps to lower carbon dioxide emissions while reducing wear and tear on escalator components, effectively extending the service life of the escalators.
Along with more efficient drive systems, and intelligent power management software, there’s a third way to reduce the power consumption of escalators: using components that require less power.
With Eco Premium Plus, our escalators benefit from Stop & Go and Slow-speed modes, where they will slow down and stop after a preset time when not in use. Helping to increase the unit's lifespan and maximize energy savings.
The carbon footprint of steel steps is estimated to be 2.1 times greater than that of aluminum steps. With the ongoing improvements in Schindler's production technology for aluminum escalator steps, it's projected that by 2030, the carbon footprint of steel steps will be 3.4 times higher than that of aluminum steps. Aluminum steps also have a longer lifetime and can be recycled more efficiently compared to steel steps.
Using aluminum steps results in a total weight reduction of approximately 40% relative to steel steps, and an improvement of 5% in overall operation efficiency.
"Our aluminum steps are meticulously developed and manufactured in-house," says Dr. Hai Qiu, our President of Escalator Division. "This means we have flexibility when it comes to meeting specific customer requirements." Our team made significant advancements in escalator technology with our pioneering one-piece aluminum steps. These steps are crafted through an innovative die-casting process, eliminating the need of connective elements such as screws, nuts, or bolts – allowing us to deliver specific-colored steps.
While our teams always implement rigorous quality control checks throughout the escalator production process, this particular project required them to focus on another crucial element: the color. Insuring a consistent, matching pink finish was far from straightforward.
The escalators also have LEDs fitted under the handrails and along the full length of the skirting board that can be set to difference colors.
"What starts off as the same color can begin to vary when it’s applied to different materials," explains Steven Huang, Quality Director of Escalator Division. "Our quality control team conducted meticulous color comparison across all the pink components – claddings, steps, handrails, floor covers, comb plates, and decking – to ensure color consistency."
"We had to make continuous adjustments, and we used an imported high-precision colorimeter in order to ensure color consistency," says Steven. "This attention to detail really shows how committed we are to delivering escalators of unparalleled quality and performance."