In 2022, the "Advanced Manufacturing Park" in the Ruhr Industrial Zone of Germany frequently encountered equipment transportation issues. KUKA servo motors have a damage rate five times higher than the industry in elevator transportation; The dilution refrigeration unit of quantum computing company NanoQ has shut down twice due to electromagnetic interference from elevators, resulting in significant loss of experimental data. A survey shows that over 60% of companies are struggling with elevators: medical samples are scrapped, production lines are shut down for eight hours, and the vacancy rate of newly built biopharmaceutical buildings even reaches 45%.
Root cause of the problem: inertia in procurement and implicit costs
Research has found that 83% of companies still only consider "load capacity, speed, and floor station" when purchasing elevators, seriously neglecting vibration and electromagnetic compatibility; The elevator control system cannot connect to the Internet of Things, and its intelligent functions are malfunctioning; The loss of one hour of downtime can even be offset by three new elevators. NanoQ engineers bluntly state that every elevator operation is like creating a "small earthquake" for quantum devices, with quantum bit coherence time drastically reduced by 70%.
Amazing invisible losses
Numerous loss cases have emerged: KUKA damaged a nozzle worth 500000 euros due to emergency stop, resulting in a three-month delay in orders; NanoQ is in a financing crisis due to interference, lagging behind its competitors by 18 months; The MRI equipment in top hospitals has an annual maintenance cost of over 2 million euros due to excessive radiation. Elevators have become precision manufactured 'vertical operating rooms'.
Siemens' Vertical Efficiency Enhancement Program
In 2023, the Siemens team will settle in the park and implement the "Vertical Efficiency Improvement Plan". In terms of hardware, the old elevator has been replaced with a new device with an active vibration reduction system, reducing vibration to 0.3 m/s ², and a nano crystal shielding layer has been installed in the shaft to control electromagnetic interference to operating room standards. On the software side, establish a digital twin system for elevators, real-time linkage with MES, and switch to "silent mode" when transporting quantum equipment. At the same time, establish a 'Vertical Efficiency Alliance' to include vibration and electromagnetic compatibility in mandatory procurement standards.
The turning point and diffusion of industrial pattern
One year later, KUKA Transportation achieved zero damage, NanoQ recovered 15 months of research and development progress, the park vacancy rate decreased from 45% to 18%, and the rental premium was 12%; Energy consumption decreased by 35%, resulting in a carbon trading profit of 500000 euros. In 2024, DIN will mandate the installation of vibration analyzers in industrial elevators, leading to an annual increase of 18% in the smart elevator market, with industrial applications accounting for over 60%. MIT even pointed out that elevator vibration control has become a more critical technological barrier than machine tool accuracy.
