I am often shocked when I see elevator consultants specifying equipment that does not belong in the application they specified. I guess that's because regardless of the latest and greatest "craze", elevator consultants are supposed to be the experts and not craze followers. This was certainly true with machine-room-less (MRL) elevators where in Europe and Asia the product was well received and was working properly, but in North America the MRL products were less successful mostly due to the fact that the capacities were greater and the speeds and usage level was also much greater than that in Europe and Asia.
Destination Dispatching is another tool that when used properly and diligently, can provide users with significant wait time reduction, improved service, improved features and improved performance, but when used improperly, it becomes a detriment to the vertical transportation system and an obstacle to the users. I would never think of specifying a destination dispatch elevator system without seriously looking at the building needs and the advantages that the system would provide.
Destination dispatching allows users to place elevator calls from the lobby. Once the elevator call is placed, then the elevator system will prompt the user to go to a specific elevator (usually an alphabetic designation is assigned) to reach their destination. When the user reaches the elevator, then the floor selected would be posted on the door jamb as a confirmation that the elevator will be stopping at the desired floor. The system also accommodates users with accessibility needs by annunciating the elevator number and the floors the said elevator is dispatching to.
Destination dispatching provides smarter security and accessibility to secure floors; it provides:
1. Segregation of tenants so that company A employees do not share rides with company B employees;
2. VIP service so that high level executives do not share the elevators with the riding public;
3. Specific floor access so that in the even that only one elevator goes to the 9th floor, then the specific elevator with access to the 9th floor will be assigned the call;
4. Bundling of passengers so that all the passengers with like floor destination can use the same elevator. Hence more efficiencies and energy saving;
5. Restrictive access so that only the passengers with the right credentials can use certain elevators to access certain floors; and
6. Efficient dispatching hence reduced time to destination. Time to destination is the measure by which destination dispatching systems are evaluated. While the average wait time (people waiting at the lobby may increase), the time it will take people to get to their destination is typically reduced with this system.
In conclusion, the Destination Dispatching elevator system is a very useful tool in designing a modernization of new elevator design. However, elevator consultants should not rush to install the latest and greatest systems at a premium for the wrong reasons.
