TK Elevator
United Kingdom and Ireland
TK Elevator's claim of Universal Service for any brand is easily backed up with a reference to International Technical Services. ITS is our global internal expert network, dedicated to providing know-how and tools for third-party lifts and escalators to our service technicians. Established more than 25 years ago, ITS forms the basis of our multi-brand competence. After all, the majority of units our customers entrust us with are not TKE-manufactured.
The primary mission of all ITS engineers is to support their fellow lift experts who are out and about working on customers' lifts, escalators and moving walks. Real-time assistance from ITS is available to all TKE technicians via phone, video call or even in person to solve problems together with all resources at their disposal. The collaboration between technician on site and expert at the ITS lab means troubleshooting for highly complex faults is quickly available. This ad-hoc taskforce can untangle even the most puzzling electromechanic mysteries that lifts and escalators tend to present at an advanced age. The ultimate benficiaries of this fruitful alliance are of course: TK Elevator customers and their lift or escalator users.
ITS creates maintenance and repair manuals in many languages, together with proprietary diagnostic tools for TKE technicians that connect to almost any lift controller.
ITS provides in-person training on realistic controller simulators as well as e-learning video courses to TKE service technicians.
Refurbished electronic spare parts are stocked by ITS and immediately available for exchange, so that you don't have to wait for your original item to be repaired.
While the availabilty of mechanical spare parts even for decades-old machinery is generally unproblematic, to ensure an equally steady supply of electronic components, ITS has long been sustaining a "repair and refurbish" programme. Items of value, from relays to printed circuit boards and drives, are constantly sourced locally, e.g. from decomissioned units, and sent to ITS.
ITS' stock of refurbished parts has shortened repair times for countless lift and escalator owners who were otherwise looking at a longer "out of service" period. Not to forget the sustainability factor: keeping your lift or escalator operational until it really reaches "end of life" makes sense on all eco-levels.
"Service where you buy" was the elevator industry's motto for decades. At the end of the 1990s, when TK Elevator was still "Thyssen", we acquired a company in the United States that operated a facility called "National Technical Services". The business of NTS was to provide technical assistance to the lift industry. The added value of this rare setup was quickly recognised and NTS turned into an internal resource, dealing with our own spare parts after sales as well as providing technical support on competitors' equipment to our technicians. When the concept proved successful with clients and achieved to satisfy the quality standards of our own personnel, we replicated the idea in Shanghai – and "International Technical Services" was born.
In the 2000s – now known as "ThyssenKrupp Elevator" – we began to promote third-party maintenance also in Europe, and a new ITS centre began to take shape in the UK. Our local organisation already had a culture of working on a wide variety of equipment, and the law in the UK is conducive to reverse engineering. What started with a small team of expert engineers quickly grew into a successful operation. At the same time customer demand increased. A growing number of clients who had bought our products asked that we service their lifts from other manufacturers, too. In 2006 ITS Manchester was officially launched to support and actively encourage TKE branches throughout Europe to take on third-party lifts and escalators.
Today, ten fully-fledged ITS centres with more than 200 experts are established in Atlanta, Toronto, São Paulo, Manchester, Stuttgart, Madrid, Dubai, Delhi, Shanghai and Sydney providing expertise, tools and training on local/regional control systems and responding to specific local demands. The ITS network member facilities are in regular contact with each other, sharing their expertise and experience around the globe. They offer the latest in diagnostic tools, troubleshooting support and training from specialist engineers, plus printed circuit board and drive unit repair for a wide range of brands, exclusively to TK Elevator organisations. This is a level of support over and above anything our competitors can provide.
Frequently asked questions on manufacturer-independent maintenance and ITS
What is the difference between service from the OEM and a 3rd party?
If TK Elevator is your 3rd party: none. With more than 25 years of building up and expanding a global multi-brand competence network for servicing any brand of lift and escalator, we can make this promise in good conscience. The fact that more than 50% of our maintenance portfolio is made up of lifts and escalators from other manufacturers means that this can also be justified in figures. We invite you to take us up on our offer, for example by requesting one right here. It will take just a few clicks and some basic information about your lift.
How does TK Elevator guarantee a steady spare parts supply?
We understand that efficient sourcing and logistics of spare parts is a major factor in delivering quality service for your lifts and escalators. To ensure this, we sustain an extensive cross-regional spare parts network with smart warehouses and logistic hubs, but also make sure that locally our service technicans' vehicles are always stocked with replacement parts frequently needed for the lifts and escalators in their maintenance portfolio. Plus: At our ITS centres we repair, refurbish and stock rare electronic components like printed circuit boards and drives from all major brands to have a replacement ready for express shipment.
My lift is old and acting up. Can I contact ITS directly?
ITS is TK Elevator's internal competence network for multi-brand maintenance. As such, it is in communication exclusively with TK Elevator entities. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with a service branch near you.
Can I visit an ITS centre?
Yes! We regularly give customers a tour of ITS to demonstrate TK Elevator's multi-brand competence in person. Please get in touch with your TK Elevator contact about visiting ITS or contact one of our service branches near you.