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Interview with Hans Weibel, Founder of Weibel Lift AG (10/3/2009)

The following interview of Hans Weibel was conducted by Herman Holtus

Herman Holtus: Mr. Weibel, what is your background?

Hans Weibel: I live in the Canton of Zug in Switzerland with my family and work there as well. I was trained as a technical engineer in Switzerland and overseas and have been working for the past twenty-seven years in the AV Industry. During the last ten years, I have personally installed more then one hundred projector lifts. Several years ago, out of sheer frustration with the traditional scissor lift requiring constant adjustment mixed with customer disappointment and irritation, I decided to either stop installing projector lifts altogether or develop one without these technical problems.

I will turn sixty-five later this year which in Switzerland means official retirement from the business. However, we have agreed already that I will stay on as technical advisor to the business and naturally will still be involved regarding innovation as well as with the technical activities of Weibel Lift AG.

Herman Holtus: Weibel Lift AG has had two very good years. What is your secret?

Hans Weibel: Well, first of all, as a Swiss, I believe in hard work and dedication. Weibel Lift AG has worked very hard to build up the right distribution channels in different countries. As an example, COMM-TEC in Germany has done a tremendous job for us, something that we could never have done ourselves. COMM-TEC has the technical expertise in the industry combined with the sales power and a strong back office operation.

Weibel Lift AG has also put in strong marketing efforts behind the Weibel Projector Lift, in my opinion the best projector lift in the world in terms of precision and quality. We have had very good support from technical magazines in informing the industry about our philosophy behind the Weibel Lift AG products.

Herman Holtus: Do you expect that the economic crisis will affect the projector lift market?

Hans Weibel: I believe that it is clear that the crisis will affect almost everything and everybody. From a business perspective, both residential and commercial projects have decreased sharply in most countries where we are present. Although I think we will have some tough times in the industry, I also believe that the crisis offers opportunities, especially for us.

Herman Holtus: Can you elaborate upon these opportunities?

Hans Weibel: First of all, we are very strong in high-end residential projects. These projects require the utmost precision and quality. The Weibel Projector Lift is the most precise projector lift and thus the product of choice in this segment. We are still building up our distribution in Europe and thus I can see further growth.

Secondly, we have seen a strong growth in commercial projects due to our Swiss quality. Our projector lifts are more expensive than the competition, but we offer the best quality and thus lower maintenance costs. I foresee that the governmental expenditure in public projects to improve the economy again will further increase. This will help our industry and will help Weibel Lift AG a lot since maintenance costs will become an important factor in the decision.

Herman Holtus: Why do you believe that you have the best lift in the world?

Hans Weibel: I designed and patented the Weibel Projector Lift several years ago. The main advantages of my lift are the precision and the ability to build it in with only 150mm height needed, for a projector of approximately 100mm height. The lift is manufactured in Switzerland to ensure the highest quality and thus the precision needed. Moreover, the Weibel Projector Lifts are fitted with an 'easy access system'; a tilting bracket. This system, also patented, makes sure that one can take out the projector in thirty seconds and replace it in exactly the same position in less than a minute.

Herman Holtus: What is the technical evidence that you have the best projector Lift?

Hans Weibel: Technically, the Weibel Projector Lift is built around a very simple idea, making sure that each of the four corners of the lift move up and down parallel without variances. This is achieved by having a spindle guide in each corner. The spindles are fixed to the steel frame, which is connected to the ceiling. They are kept in bearings and made of tough steel that gives the highest endurance. They are interconnected with each other via sprockets and a chain to ensure that they turn synchronously. The plate that is moving up and down is connected to the spindles via so-called NyGuides. These thermoplastic nuts are of a non-wearing material and are maintenance-free after they have been installed.

The chain for the NyGuides is driven by a silent drive unit made in Germany. The electronic drive-control unit has several safety features. For example, it is protected against overheating, but also has a safety feature should something block the chain. In addition to the electronic surveillance, we have built in mechanical devices to make the lift really safe.

The 'easy access system' consists of a metal plate, on which the projector is fitted. This plate can be removed very easily from the adjustable tilting bracket. The latter can be adjusted in all dimensions. Once the adjusting screws are locked, one can re-insert the projector with the projector plate onto the tilting bracket without displacement of the picture to the screen. During the installation one needs to fit the projector individually to the projector plate. This is easily done by a normal drill as the template and instructions are delivered with the lift.

The four-spindle system guarantees a very small deviation at its lower and upper end positions of only 0.1mm - the thickness of two human hairs. This ensures that the ceiling gap is as small as 1 to 2mm, which is practically invisible in the ceiling structure. Thus with the Weibel lifts, the ceiling plate is always flush, without any rims or overlapping parts.

The adjustment of the ceiling plate in all directions can easily be achieved by the slot system provided at each corner. The Weibel Projector Lifts can be fitted into any concrete ceiling as the boxing-out height only needs to be as little as 150mm. Otherwise it will fit into any kind of false or suspended ceilings with a clearance of a minimum of 150mm. Ideally, the ceiling plate is made of the existing ceiling material, or it can be the original steel plate or any hard wood plate cut to size.

The main issues with installing a traditional (scissor) projector lift are clear to everybody who has installed them. Firstly, the scissor system will always have small deviations moving up and down and in the end these small variations add up and lead to the situation that the customer has a problem with how the lift fits flush with the ceiling.

Secondly, when the projector is taken out for maintenance and replaced, the projection will need to be adjusted again.

Thirdly, there are always repetitive problems with the cabling needing to neatly concertina within the scissor arms. Last but not least, in so many instances I have found that the space to build in the projector lift into the ceiling is insufficient. Also, unfortunately when the customer calls upon the installer regarding the above issues, more often than not, this brings additional costs that are not covered by the customer as this is seen as part of the service. Or worse, it is seen as correction of the design faults of the scissor lift.

The installation of a Weibel Projector Lift is much easier than a scissor lift. The main reason is that the cabling is controlled and the accuracy of return is very precise. To make it even simpler, the installation- and drill-template as well as the rawl-plugs and screws are all supplied with the lift, combined with a detailed installation manual.

Maintenance of the Weibel Projector Lift is very rarely needed. We have run tests on the lifts of over 40,000 times up and down, without any re-lubricating and without the lift showing any vibration or wear and tear.

Thanks to this experience, I personally give a five-year guarantee with each Weibel Projector Lift.

www.weibellift.com