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In-building destination management system

The Otis CompassPlus destination management system can now be integrated with the Lenel OnGuard security system, managing access and movement throughout a building. Otis, a manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products, and Lenel, a brand name in advanced security systems and services, are both part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (UTC)

CompassPlus delivers a variety of benefits, including improved lift efficiency and performance, reduced traffic within a building and shortened waiting times for lifts. Through technology developed by Otis, the CompassPlus destination management system allows a user to make a request for a specific floor on the entrance hall screen. The system then directs the user to a specific lift.

Faster elevators

CompassPlus features Otis’ patented SmartGrouping technology that organises travel by grouping passengers and stops. While passengers going to the same destination are assigned to the same elevator, SmartGrouping also assigns elevators to serve a group of floors or a zone, resulting in faster and better-organised service. Studies show that CompassPlus technology allows passengers get to their destination 26 to 42 seconds faster than conventional destination management systems in an average 15 floor building.

When fully integrated with the Lenel OnGuard platform, CompassPlus offers additional benefits to building owners and tenants alike. The OnGuard platform, which integrates a full suite of security management technologies tailored to each customer’s specific needs, determines a user’s destination point through access card identification. When users swipe their card, the access control system will direct users to the appropriate lift. This integration offers the end user and customers a single solution, according to Mike Hodgson, business development director for Chubb Fire & Security, which is an installer of Lenel systems and a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems.

“Through the Lenel OnGuard integrated platform, we are able to give our customers the best possible opportunity to deploy a seamless integration solution within the facility,” said Hodgson. “In addition to managing user access, the system can notify an operator monitoring the system and generate reports to determine who requested access and when. Should a CCTV system be integrated, a short video can be accessed showing the event to the operator, thereby improving security.”

Destination assurance

The OnGuard platform provides enhanced intrusion-based features including local area alarm state, burglary verified alarm support and late night support. The platform also boasts innovative configuration settings such as destination assurance, whereby lift users are monitored and allowed to get to the correct destination within a given timeframe.

“We can direct visitors to the right elevator and to the correct floor that they are authorised to go to at a specific date and time,” said Hodgson. “If they do not make it to their destination within a specific time, the control room receives an alarm. This manages the flow of people to the building and ensures they get to their destination.”

Hodgson notes evacuation and emergency functionality as another major benefit of the integrated platform.

“The platform supports functionality like mustering, a raw core system in the case of an emergency that enables us to see people who may have entered the elevators,” said Hodgson. “We can see where they are in that particular zone and that feedback is forwarded to the fire marshals in case of an emergency. At the end of the day, a customer is able to deliver a highly efficient and comprehensive service with the integration of CompassPlus and the Lenel OnGuard platform.”

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