MP is heading a group of 96 Spanish SMEs representing 23% of all companies in Spain’s lift sector, which have come together to apply for 71.4 million euros from the Next Generation EU recovery instrument. Their aim is to use the funds to improve mobility within buildings, meet new demand and strengthen the sector as a whole.

MP Lifts has been chosen to lead this initiative, as it is the only one of its kind within the independent (i.e. non-multinational) sector in terms of size and insofar as it encompasses the entire value chain, as well as due to its leading position amongst SMEs within Spain and internationally.

The project aims to install 9,300 lifts and modernise another 30,000 over the next three years; increase the turnover generated by the sector to around 4,500 million euros, i.e. a 50% increase, over the next five years; increase the market share of SMEs within the sector to 20-30%; create 7,500 new jobs (5,000 of which within SMEs); reduce the second most common cause of accidents; improve the efficiency of the production process; cut CO2 emissions; and promote practices which restore the environment.

In order to achieve this, it is important SMEs within the lift sector become more competitive by digitalising and making their products, services and industrial processes sustainable through strategies and tools which allow them to become an essential part of the value chain and grow as the country transforms; adapt to meet new demand without losing their independence; and strengthen Spanish industry in a decentralised manner.

Currently, many lifts are in need of modernisation work and there is still a large number of buildings which do not even have a lift, meaning there is much work to be done to improve mobility within buildings as well as social cohesion. Of the eleven million lifts there are in the world, only an extremely small percentage of them are connected to the IoT (so-called ‘connected lifts’), another area where there is still a lot of work to be done. What’s more, lift configurators are becoming more and more common, something which is making orders and deliveries much easier.

Connected Lifts

The project has four areas: products and services, industrial processes, the structuring of the sector and social demand. In terms of products and services, the aim is to focus on connected and environmentally-friendly lifts; modernisation kits for old lifts; energy-smart lifts; and the use of augmented reality for maintenance and sales/marketing; as well as on allowing people to move around buildings with ease.

As far as industrial processes are concerned, the objective is to promote the use of clean energy and electric mobility solutions, the correct management and recycling of waste, and Manufacturing 4.0. As part of the aim to structure the Spain’s lift sector, the 96 SMEs involved in the initiative want to create comprehensive predictive maintenance platforms, promote the use of digital maintenance logbooks for lifts and escalators, and implement a comprehensive training programme. And finally, in terms of social demand, the companies involved are eager to improve the energy efficiency of lifts.