At least generic/non-proprietary MRLs are getting smaller shaft footprints akin to their OEM counterparts. Torin (Haider) has their HGL465, HW has their GLR series, imperial has their 543/545 series, Zehl Abegg has their ZADisc. I could go on and on. All of these machines as approx. the same size and have the same installation schematics/layout has the KONE Ecodisc. Hopefully this will allow the smaller companies to have access to smaller equipment that can mount to the rails, rather than an oversized/overbuilt HW GL-171 series installed on a bunch of beams, making it difficult to access critical components needing adjustment, such as the brakes. Plus, it's overbuilt, so it adds weight to the system.
If you want a logical explanation of why all OEMs, except KONE, have switch from conventional cables to belts in the North American market; it's because the capacity in most North American elevators is much larger than their European counterparts. Belts allow for a smaller shaft footprint that conventional cable MRLs, except KONE, do, and they also allow higher capacity, while saving space. What allows KONE to not get the memo, is "Only the strong survive." Their design was and still is more compact that what the other OEMs were using before switching to belts. In fact, it was at comparable size. It's rail mounted and has easy access to critical components, such as the brakes.
I bet you all didn't know that KONE didn't invent the EcoDisc. It was stolen from this design, which was invented two years before Ecodisc. KONE never got sued for it.
