They elevated the lift safety industry

SafeLine has for the last decade been a force in the lift safety industry. But how did it all begin? Read the story of how an unexpected meeting turned into a long-time partnership.

With the recently attained milestone of manufacturing 100 000 signature SL6 emergency telephones, they have paved the technological way for the lift industry.

– When Lasse and I first met we noticed that we both shared a passion for electronics, Tomas Jäderberg recollects. But from different angles. For Lasse, or Lars Gustafsson, it was the practical side of things, while for me it was the problem-solving. But it would take years until Lasse and Tomas worked together for the first time.

A product both practical and of quality

Lasse who was as a lift technician since he was 15 years old always had many ideas, but no one listened at the lift company where he was employed. He therefore started Hisselektronik AB in 1995, sold floor displays and control systems for lifts, manufactured in the basement of his house.

In 1998 a new industrial standard was on the rise in the European lift business, the EN 81-28, setting new safety demands for lift emergency telephones. Many of the telephones on the market were technologically old-fashioned and Lasse saw a gap in the market, but knew that he had to act quick and deliver a product both practical and of quality for it to break.

Flawless Function with simple solutions

For that, he needed Tomas. – I have the ideas and the industrial know-how while Tomas make it work, Lasse says.

Tomas had telephony background and had the right skills Lasse needed to deliver a good product in accordance with the new standard. Lasse knew with his industrial know-how that the telephone must function flawlessly, but at the same time be easy to install.

Lasse had free access to a lift in Stockholm that was infamous for its lift shaft statics. – I knew if we could get it to function there, it would work everywhere, Lasse says.

Completely unique solution

They rode the lift up and down, trying out new methods, but they couldn’t get rid of the statics, and the exact placement of the telephone equipment largely decided how good the reception was.

– Lift shafts are pretty tricky with the statics in calls, with so many cables disturbing the signals. So, I went home and read up all I could on statics issues, Tomas says.

Shortly Tomas returned with a simplistic solution: the cables from the car up to the machine room should run through a current loop, minimizing the statics. A completely unique solution in its context. Wherever you placed the voice station in the lift car, communication could be upheld without any statics or disturbances.

Test Systems – the foundation of SafeLine’s Success

Tomas produced the first SafeLine 2000 units by hand, which Lasse sold to different lift companies in Sweden. It was an instant hit, and were soon sold out.

Now came the next challenge: mass production to supply the increasing demand. With an external party taking on production Tomas arranged a testing protocol for all units before shipment.

– I knew we needed a high standard of testing to maintain the high quality of product. Tomas is convinced that the testing systems laid the foundation of SafeLine’s successes, the thing that kept customers coming back – the reliability. 25 years later, those units still work flawlessly and remain in the lifts to this day.

Impact on the level technology in the industry

The quality of the product and the simple solutions in combination with the new standards created a high demand that SafeLine were the first to supply.

The rest is history. SafeLine today has a production line in Tyresö, Stockholm, guaranteeing an even higher quality for customers.

When the SafeLine SL6 was launched in the beginning of the 2010s, SafeLine became the biggest manufacturer and supplier of independent lift emergency telephones on the market, without even a hint of competition.

– We have had an impact on the level technology in the industry – hardening the competition. If a manufacturer is going to make a similar product, they look towards us, Lasse says with pride while looking back upon 20 years of hard work.

www.safeline-group.com