Rare Model and Features: 2006 SJEC-Villarta FES Escalator - Clothing Store, Downtown - MG, BR

Another rare escalator for my count! SJEC-Villarta FES escalator at a clothing store in downtown. This one is quite rare around here, and has an even more rare optional feature. Main video of the elevator with info about it on the desc.:    • TINY, Shaky Villarta Traction Elevator - C...   Just another clothing store, this one isn't too big, 3 floors, 0 and 1 are retail and 2 is the restricted storage/staff area. The upper "1" floor is set up more like a mezzanine. The escalator sits to the right side near the wall, I like how they didn't make the space for it too crammed in the area for it. So for those who don't know, Villarta actually had a long lasting agreement to distribute SJEC's products here, up until very recently when they got sort of bought out by Atlas Schindler (another long story in itself). Not all of Villarta's products have SJEC technology though, a lot still used their own tech and/or from other 3rd-party national OEMs like Infolev or Addtech (like the nearby elevator which is by Villarta but uses 3rd party Cllovi fixtures and Addtech controls, nothing of SJEC on that). Despite that, at least these escalators were straight out manufactured in China by SJEC, and imported. Only the nameplate is different to include Villarta's name as well. Villarta also had other escalators in their lineup for many years, all generic chinese models of their own, not by SJEC. There's not a lot of other info about their escalators really. It's a simple escalator, basic but I do like the design, even as it's clearly heavily influenced by the Schindler 9300. Still not what I'd call a copy, at least it's original on it's own unlike the tons of generic companies that just outright copy the 9300's design. I did notice and like one design choice of this, the sides being larger than most other escalators, makes it safer since the side edges of the steps are farther away from the sides' edges. Notice how the steps are "deeper" inside the truss. The whole construction of the escalator is great too, it feels pretty solid and somewhat bulkier than most of the competition. For it's range, this has a very great build quality, even being a basic model. This one is in good shape, looks nice and well cared for, as should for the setting it's in. The really interesting sight here is that this escalator for some reason has the optional transit-style totems! So weird that they chose for that here, even more since this is only a single unit and in a very light and low-traffic application. Why of that I don't know, but it's good since it's a perfect showcase of another feature that would be even more rare to see. Nothing much about these poles besides that. They're original and optional from the factory. 4 in total, 1 on each side of the entances; at each floor, one is empty with only the secondary sensor for the IR system, and the other has components that would normally be in the escalator itself: the dot-matrix indicator, IR sensors for the power saving mode, EM STOP buttons and the control key switches. One in the top has a factory sticker with some technical info about the escalator. Notice the caps over where the dot-matrix displays in a regular installation, below the handrail inlets. It runs surprisingly well, and offers an excellent, very comfortable ride quality. Very, very smooth running, and feels very light while riding. The speed is actually somewhat fast too. Barely makes any noise, it's very quiet while in operation. Only a little thunking sound at the top, but beyond that it doesn't make any more noises. Really great in general, wasn't expecting much from it but it's... better than a lot of competing ones from even the bigger companies in this regard too. Maintenance is done by MG Escal, one of the many divisions of Escal Elevators & Escalators, larger nationwide independent company. They took over maintenance over from Villarta a long time ago, and seem to be putting out a great service on this one from what I saw. Specifications: Manufacturer: SJEC-Villarta Mantainer: MG Escal Model: FES (FES 302-100) Type: Commercial escalator Width: Medium-file Balustrades: Glass In Service: 2006 Floors Served: 2 (0* - 1) Arrangement: Single unit + control totems Operation: IR Sensor controlled, electronic control w/ VF-drive Rating: 10/10 - Man is this a great find! Rare model in my area, one of the only SJEC equipment I've personally seen, not to mention the improbably rare extra feature that are the totems. I like the design a lot too, it has great and solid construction quality, and rides amazingly as well, really smooth, light, and quiet. Kept clean and in great shape, seems well mantained. Really great in general, wasn't expecting much from it given the reputation of the two brands... but it proved me wrong, and I can say that this does a lot better than many competing ones from even the bigger companies. Take notes... Filmed: December 31, 2020 and October 11, 2021 Camera: Samsung Galaxy A71 and A52 © 2020 - 2024 L. Naves