Hitachi

Featured on header: Sarinah department store, Jakarta

Hitachi has been making escalators since the 1930s, with its first escalator installed in 1937.

In Indonesia, it is credited as the first company who have installed an escalator for the first time in the country, at the Sarinah department store in Jakarta in 1966. Hitachi entered the Indonesian market in the 1960s through PT. Sarang Teknik as its distributor.

Since the 2010s, it is represented by PT. Hitachi Asia Indonesia, the Indonesian subsidiary for Hitachi.

1960s

Hitachi's 1960s escalators had rounded acrylic balustrades and the old style Hitachi logo on the landing covers.

The only known 1960s Hitachi escalator in Indonesia can be found at the Sarinah department store in Jakarta, which was manufactured in 1964 and it is the first escalator installed in Indonesia (started operating in 1966). There used to be several units in the store (most were narrow width, while two were normal width) but following the store's renovation in 2021 only one has been preserved and is now a heritage.

A similar model was installed in Pertokoan Alun Alun Timur, Bandung in 1977, which was the first escalator in Bandung. Unfortunately, the building was demolished in 2006-2007.

1970s-1980s

U-series

U-series was an escalator model sold in the 1970s, believed to be launched in 1975. It features a landing cover with an X-pattern, and the Hitachi logo is located on the right bottom corner of the cover. The handrail arcs are squarish and are quite distinctive. It was also said to be the first Hitachi escalator model with resin based and raised demarcation lines.

Known installations:

• Ratu Plaza, Jakarta (1979, some units were repositioned following the building's 1997 renovation)

• Plaza Orion, Glodok, Jakarta

• Sunset Point, Bali (two second hand units inside Ace Hardware)

V-series

V-series was a Hitachi escalator model sold in the 1980s, said to be released in 1979. Unlike the U-series, it has a more common handrail arc design, and the landing cover features a grid pattern. It is said to be the first Hitachi escalator model with stainless steel steps.

South Korean elevator manufacturer GoldStar (later LG) also produced these escalators under license from Hitachi, but it is unknown whether they were sold under the same or different model name.

Known installations:

• Gajah Mada Plaza, Jakarta (1980)

• Melawai Plaza, Jakarta (1983, all replaced into Pillar in 2020)

• Metro Pasar Baru, Jakarta

• Sports Station, Djakarta Theater, Jakarta

• The Chandra Building, Jakarta

• Pasaraya Blok M- Building A, Jakarta (1986)

• Queen City Mall, Semarang (older building) (1985)

• Ramai Family Mall, Yogyakarta (1982, only found in the main entrance, all units in the atrium have been replaced by Pillar in 2018)

1990s

EX Series

EX Series is Hitachi's standard escalator model produced from the 1990s until 2000s.[1] It features a redesigned handrail inlets and landing covers with different patterns in the middle and on the sides. As a safety feature, it features "rubber rods" on the handrail inlets that can be pulled out in case fingers are caught in the inlet. Keyswitches and emergency stop button are on the lower skirting, enclosed on a black rectangle.

Known installations:

• Ratu Plaza, Jakarta (1997, right side atrium)

• Gramedia Matraman, Jakarta

• Living Plaza, Bekasi

2000s-current

The current Hitachi escalator and moving walkway model sold in Indonesia is the TX Model and SX Model respectively. Not much is known about them, and neither have been found in Indonesia so far.

References

[1] EX Series brochure (2008 edition) (archived)