Lift door as digital twin in building planning

The impending integration of the new Meiller Configuration Engine (MCE) in the Liftdesigner planning software of Digi-Para is intended to provide its users with many benefits.

By Florian Runck

As a condition for individual, valid and uniform lift planning, all components should be capable of being seamlessly assembled in a digital lift model. This can be achieved both with standard CAD applications as well as with BIM data models (Building Information Modelling).

All CAD models of the current Meiller sliding door generation will in future be retrieved in their latest form from the Meiller configuration tool and loaded into Liftdesigner. This means that instead of complicated provision via manual maintenance of redundant data libraries, their adoption will be automated directly from the Meiller ERP source system.

This optimised background process guarantees high data quality at all times since all design modifications and changes are available in real time. In addition, there is a guaranteed plausibility test and as a result defective data provision is practically ruled out. The workflow of the Liftdesigner does not have to undergo additional adjustment for this and all standard features, such as automatic dimensioning for the door attachment remain preserved as usual.

Completion of the planning process

After about two years of project work, Meiller will be unveiling this new concept in October at the interlift. It will then likewise offer an interface from the Liftdesigner user interface to Meiller’s CPQ (Configuration, Price, Quote) solution. This means that immediately after creation of the installation drawing, the commercial part can be handled without the desired door configuration having to be re-entered. As if by mouse click, all parameters and features can be adopted per door from Liftdesigner and transferred to the calculation tool on the Meiller homepage.

Consequently, after entry of the customer identification (login), a new query is automatically generated. In the new query portal of the website, the so-called "customer cockpit", the query can undergo further processing, be transmitted to the Meiller sales team and retrieved at any time. The customer and contact are determined through match with the login and automatically employed.

In the end, lift manufacturers and planning bodies will have a system at their disposal that facilitates automated integration of the door components in their work processes. They can then provide the lift to architects and building owners as a 3D BIM model, which in turn simplifies the coordination between the individual building trades for the latter. Moreover, the procurement costs of the component ‘door’ can be efficiently determined in the same work step for the budget planning or creation of an offer.

The author is product manager at Meiller Aufzugtüren.

More information: meiller-aufzugtueren.de/en