HDB should form its own lift maintenance unit
The launch of the Lift Enhancement Programme to improve safety is timely (“Town councils to get over S$63m a year to maintain, replace lifts”; Feb 3).
Lifts are workhorses, providing uninterrupted service, and reputable manufacturers do not make bad lifts, though incompetent maintenance could cause failure. It is imperative that owners of large fleets have the maintenance capability to ensure reliable operations.
Lift breakdowns are related to service levels because lifts use traditional hardware as well as a sophisticated drive and algorithm set on printed circuit boards, which are proprietary to different manufacturers.
A preventive maintenance regime is critical to maximising the availability of lift equipment such as electronic control boards for motors and motherboards.
Almost 40 per cent of Singapore’s 61,000 passenger lifts are in Housing and Development Board estates, so perhaps the HDB should establish a department to take back maintenance functions for more productivity.
Since the HDB is Singapore’s largest lift buyer, it would also be cost-effective to rely on its in-house engineering core to coordinate lift-related matters, such as maintenance and upgrading work, and charge town councils accordingly.
This unit could engage reputable sub-contractors when necessary to keep the 24,000 HDB lifts running smoothly.
The present maintenance arrangements, split among numerous third-party contractors, are problematic for ensuring reliable outcomes for the 16 town councils.
Moreover, the HDB would have more competency in updating training and obtaining cheaper original spare parts.
