25K Elevator Panels and Counting

If you’ve ridden in an elevator in North America in the last 20 years there’s a better than 50% chance Laminate Works made the panels hanging from its walls. In fact, this month we hit twenty-five thousand elevator panels produced in 2020. For some perspective on how many panels that is, if you stacked them flat from the ground up, they’d reach over 1,000 feet into the sky. So, what does it take to be the largest producer of elevator panels in North America for over two decades?

Laminate Works started its operation 22 years ago solving a specific problem for one of the largest elevator manufactures in the world. That customer is still receiving shipments to this day and is a major factor in the total count from above. In addition, two other top manufactures and many other key players in the industry have added to the numbers over the years.

This growth ties in to two important factors. One, a deep understanding of the elevator industry—it’s codes and manufacturing requirements. Two, delivering a quality product on time. Every panel made for this industry is essentially a custom job, but many of the processes are automated and repeatable. This is accomplished by working with each customer to understand and meet their individual needs. These processes improve both the quality of the final product and the delivery time.

On the manufacturing side, many areas of the plant floor are designed and optimized specifically for the elevator industry. From layup to packaging, machines were purchased to produce and deliver elevator panels first. A PUR Lamination Line was installed in 2019 to provide a best-in-class bond to the fire-rated IPB core used in the panels, and to give customers access to new materials. Most jobs involve some version of HPL, but there are others using stainless steel both as a skin and even as a core.

Once a panel is bonded, it’s labeled and cut on a fully automated Schelling saw that can stack and process up to six inches of layered material at a time. Then, the cut-to-size panels are sent to an IMA Performance One edgebander. This massive, fully automated machine can apply edgeband with either PUR adhesive or seamless laser technology at a rate four times faster than a standard, hand fed solution.

Next all elevator panels go to a Biesse Vektor 15 for boring. This machine was also added in 2019 specifically for processing elevator panels because of its speed and accuracy. It’s perfect for boring parts that are large and thin, like ½” elevator panels. It was put into service because it can be hard to keep a large, thin panel flat while boring, and the Vektor 15 solves the problem. The solution it brings is that the aggregate is trapped between two pinch rollers that hold the panel perfectly flat in the area being machined. Thereby eliminating the possibility of the panel pulling up during processing.

Finally, after the panels are processed, they go to packaging and shipping. Logistics are a critical component for every customer in this industry. Whether they needs individual crating or multiple jobs stacked and separated on specific palates, there’s a solution to match their needs.

Elevator companies are experts at metalwork and have recognized the value of partnering with an expert in woodworking who’s focused on their industry. One that can deliver on their promises to their own customers. One that makes over 30,000 elevator panels a year and is constantly improving and evolving. 

If you're an elevator manufacturer and want to compare notes on making elevator panels, contact us today. Our hope is that we both learn something, whether we end up working together or not.

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