ARE WE READY FOR A NEW PERIOD AT PGD?

Since the elevator industry was declared a "strategic industry", many ongoing studies undoubtedly determine the future of the industry and lead to important breakthroughs in the supply and use of safe elevators to the market. Efforts were made to strengthen the work carried out at the Ministry, with the coordination of the Turkish Elevator Industrialists' Federation (TASFED) and its 18 member associations, and the failures observed in practice were reported and communicated to the relevant institutions and organizations through TASFED channel, enabling new regulations to be made.
Although new regulations play an active role in moving the elevator industry forward, new problems can be added from time to time to the problems that are waiting to be solved. As you know, in March, the Elevator Market Surveillance and Inspection Regulation was published and entered into force. After the regulation was carefully examined by the industry, the newly introduced risk-based approach shed light on new question marks.
The process that starts with the supply of elevators to the market; It is possible to pass the control of the elevator by A-type inspection organizations, to obtain a green label and to register it from the relevant municipalities. Since a full inspection is not performed in elevators, PGD is performed upon complaint, even if it seems risk-free, or fines are imposed according to 3 different risk factors specified in the Market Control and Surveillance Regulation in case of deficiencies detected in the PGD control. Provincial Directorates refer the elevators that they find insecure after the tests and sensory examination to the contracted type A inspection institution.
Along with the published regulation, Provincial Directorates will be able to realize the risks revealed in these tests and sensory examinations according to their own checklists. However, the fact that these checklists are not added to the regulation causes the sector representatives to panic and creates uncertainty.
The A-type inspection body that performs the control performs the elevator control with the prejudice that "there will definitely be non-compliance" if a PGD inspection is carried out. During the market surveillance and inspection of elevators, it is critical to clearly report whether the possible nonconformities to be detected are structural/design problems arising from the first assembly or whether they are due to negligence or incomplete work by the service maintenance company.
Most of the penalties given according to the risk situation in elevators with PGD inspection are imposed on the person who installs the elevator. Although the assembly companies have offered a single elevator to the market, in accordance with the Law published by the Ministry of Commerce, the amount of fines imposed above the assembly prices are faced. Although the fines imposed on elevators are divided into categories, the height of these fines is thought-provoking.
SCISSORS IN PENALTIES ARE OPEN FROM 50 THOUSAND TL to 650 THOUSAND TL
Although a low-risk elevator starts from 50 thousand TL, the penalty rate increases according to the scoring rates; As such, the minimum amount of fines starts from 60-70 thousand TL, 94 thousand TL for medium-risk elevators, and 150 thousand TL for high-risk elevators, up to 650 thousand TL as a ceiling, in case of deficiencies.
Considering the elevator prices and profit margins offered in the market, it is obvious that there is a great injustice in the middle. The perception that the number of firms will be reduced by fines is also an illusion. It has been learned by both the sector and the public how little the collection ability of the fines is. Companies that do their job seriously pay these fines; however, it is observed that other companies do not pay these penalties and continue their commercial life by establishing a new company. All these unfavorable conditions reveal the problem of unfair price competition, which is one of the main problems. However, although companies in other sectors that manufacture thousands of products and supply them to the market face the same amount of fines, when the number of their products is taken as a basis, they easily meet these figures due to the high number of products.
The excess of elevator companies, the lack of company establishment criteria, and the fact that elevator modernizations are made by companies that do not have certificates is an unacceptable reality. Elevators supplied to the market must be maintained for three years during the warranty period, at least by the companies that install them. However, what happens on the field is quite independent of this. After the assembly, most of the elevator maintenance can be taken from the assembly companies and given to other companies, and even elevators can be entrusted to companies that do not have a certificate. This increases the risks in the elevators supplied to the market and causes the proliferation of complaints to become widespread. When the building manager does not want to pay the contractor, maintenance or installation company, they ask for a PGD inspection and because it is open to the public, the Ministry is busy and the elevator installation and maintenance companies are victimized by making the necessary unnecessary complaints. It is also thought-provoking that most of the complaints made are not related to the safety of the elevators, and that the issue of complaints against the elimination of the deficiencies detected in these elevators after the PGD inspection is still continuing.
WHAT SHOULD BE THE SOLUTION?
PGD ​​fines are mostly imposed on the installer, and non-compliance arising from safety components is not recourse to the manufacturer, and problems arising from construction are not recourse to the building owner, contractor or building inspection companies and A-type inspection institutions that perform the controls. Unless the increase in the number of companies is prevented, unless the base price is determined, our companies that do quality work will melt away due to unfair competition.
I hope that our elevator industry, which we expect to improve day by day, will come to the place it deserves and all the problems it has experienced so far will be eliminated one by one.
Best regards…