Markus Jetter

The disruptor

The accomplishment Markus Jetter would never talk about? Revolutionizing an entire industry. To change the world of elevators forever, the engineer is working on the final details of a game-changing technology. 

Markus Jetter wouldn’t say so, but he has made history. Or at least he has helped his employer thyssenkrupp make history. Jetter is head of product development in thyssenkrupp’s elevator division and part of the team that developed MULTI, the first rope-free, sideways moving elevator.

MULTI spells the end of the monopoly held by conventional elevators – 160 years after they were first invented. Using linear motor technology, it is now possible for the first time to operate cabs vertically and horizontally in the same shaft. This will enable architects to come up with more creative, taller and more user-friendly building designs. The first MULTI system will be installed in the planned East Side Tower in Berlin. “The MULTI project presents me with new challenges in all areas of my work as an engineer and a manager,” says Jetter. “New technologies, new methods and processes also call for a new way of thinking.” Mastering all this with an excellent and dynamic team of engineers was a fantastic experience.

Jetter’s work regularly takes him to another spectacular thyssenkrupp project: the test tower for elevator innovations in the southern German town of Rottweil. The spiraling fiber glass shell of the tower gives it a fascinating appearance, while the 12 elevator shafts in the interior allow elevator solutions of the future to be tested. Here, Jetter can do what he likes best: Researching and testing technologies and applications with his team of engineers. The latest project brings together MULTI and MAX. MAX is the first big data solution for the preventive maintenance of elevators. thyssenkrupp developed the system in teamwork with Microsoft. Sensors in the elevators send data to the cloud, where the remaining lifetime of key components and systems is calculated to determine where maintenance is required. Anything unusual is reported to service technicians so that problems can be eliminated before they occur. The aim is to reduce elevator downtimes by around 50 percent – and in so doing also reduce maintenance costs for customers.

Markus Jetter recognizes the potential of this development, in particular in combination with a product like MULTI: There’s no point getting machines to generate and process huge amounts of data if they do not form the basis for new insights, structures and business models. So Jetter and his team are working to use online data storage, connected machines and a new technology to develop a disruptive innovation that is exciting the entire sector.