Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

CONSTRUCTION TOPS OUT ON THE SPIRAL IN NYC

The 1,031-ft-tall, 66-story The Spiral, under construction at 66 Hudson Boulevard in NYC, has topped out, New York YIMBY reported on January 29. As a group of officials, led by Rob Speyer, president and CEO of developer Tishman Speyer, watched, a green tree was lifted atop a steel beam rising up the building. With a design by Bjarke Ingels Group, the steel-framed structure at Tenth and Eleventh avenues and 34th and 35th streets will provide some 2.8 million ft2 of office space. The six-story base will house a lobby that will have dual entrances on both Hudson Boulevard East and Tenth Avenue and include28-ft-tall ceilings. The base will include some 25,000 ft2 of first-class retail space. Completion is expected in 2022. The project total is listed at about US$3.7 billion.

Image credit: by Michael Young for New York YIMBY

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NEIGHBOR APPROVED FOR LONDON’S “WALKIE-TALKIE” TOWER

London's Rafael Viñoly-designed, 37-story "Walkie-Talkie" skyscraper at 20 Frenchurch Street will likely be getting a 30-story neighbor, with the City of London Corp. approving Hong Kong developer Tenacity International Group's office tower plan, Bloomberg reports. The source observed it is one of the largest proposed developments in London's financial district since the onset of the pandemic, and noted there are indications that big corporations continue to commit to longterm leases, given a dearth of new office space. Noting that Brexit and the pandemic have created "incredibly difficult conditions," Tenacity CEO Patrick Wong said he believes "London is, and will remain, an attractive city for companies large and small, and their workers."

Image credit: by © user: Colin for Wikimedia Commons.

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OTIS ELEVATOR AIRFLOW STUDY: COVID-19 RISK LOW WITH MITIGATION

Otis released results of a three-month academic study on how elevator airflow affects potential exposure to COVID-19 on January 27. Led by Dr. Qingyan Chen, the James G. Dwyer professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, the study presented a science-based approach to mitigating exposure in elevators. Findings show the significant amount of air exchange in most elevators, combined with simple mitigation strategies (including all riders wearing surgical-style masks and installation of an air-purification system), puts an elevator ride on the lower end of the exposure spectrum. The study concluded that, when simple mitigation measures are in place, a short elevator ride of 1-2 min represents a very low risk of exposure compared with several everyday activities, such as dining outdoors and going to the grocery store. Intensity of exposure is impacted by the level of air exchange or ventilation. By design, elevators have significant air exchange and are required by code to have openings for ventilation. Many elevators also have fans to increase ventilation. “If all passengers properly wear masks, the relative exposure risk drops 50%,” Chen said. “Air purification systems that use NPBI® [Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization from Schaumburg, Illinois-based BSE] can reduce this risk by an additional 20-30%.”

Image credit: by Alexey Hulsov for Pixabay

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CECA POSTPONES HALIFAX EVENT; LOOKS TO MONTREAL IN 2022

The Canadian Elevator Contractors Association (CECA) has postponed its 2021 Halifax convention to June 2023. The CECA Board of Directors said the decision, announced in January, was based on Nova Scotia COVID-19 regulations regarding in-person meetings and a mandated two-week quarantine for anyone entering the province, continued closure of the U.S.-Canada border, fewer flights to and from Nova Scotia, company travel restrictions and hesitancy to resume air travel, the increase in COVID-19 numbers in Canada and delay in vaccine rollout and availability. In lieu of the Halifax convention, CECA said it is planning regional meetings with more travel options "to offer our members a chance to get together and experience that cozy Canadian feeling — should regulations allow." The association plans its next full convention in June 2022 in Montreal to celebrate its 50th anniversary. CECA was incorporated in Montreal in 1972.

Image credit: by Ichigo121212 for Pixabay

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REBUILT, MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR NYC BUS TERMINAL PLANNED

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey aims to rebuild its 70-year-old bus terminal at 625 Eighth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, a project that will cost billions and unfold through 2030, ABC 7 was among outlets to report in January. Supported by both New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the plan involves getting rid of the terminal's "aging tile floors, creaky escalators and creepy corridors" and replacing them with state-of-the-art facilities spread over 1 million ft2, with features such as new storage and staging areas for an all-electric bus fleet. Also on the drawing board are four commercial towers of unspecified height and more than three acres of public green space. Expanded in 1981, the terminal has become the world's busiest.

Image credit: photo by Hudconja for Wikipedia

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KONE EXECUTIVE BOARD CHANGES, NEW MD IN WESTERN EUROPE

KONE recently announced changes on its executive board and a new managing director (MD) of Belgium and Luxembourg. Johannes Frände was appointed executive vice president (EVP), general counsel and a member of the executive board. Based in Espoo, Finland, Frände reports directly to KONE President and CEO Henrik Ehrnrooth. He succeeds Klaus Cawén, who is focusing on non-executive duties after nearly 40 years of service. Cawén will support Frände in the transition through March and will continue as an executive advisor through April 1. The acquisitions team that currently reports to Cawén will transfer to the finance team, reporting to EVP and Chief Financial Officer Ilkka Hara. Thomas Hinnerskov has been appointed EVP for South Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), starting April 1. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Hinnerskov will continue as a member of the executive board, reporting to Ehrnrooth. He succeeds Pierre Liautaud, who is retiring from the board after serving 10 years as EVP for South EMEA. Axel Berkling has been appointed EVP for central and north Europe, succeeding Hinnserskov. Based in Hamburg, Germany, Berkling will report to Ehrnrooth. KONE also named Ilse Vanderlocht the new managing director of Belgium and Luxembourg. She succeeds Pascal Lekeu, who is assuming new responsibility within the France leadership team.

Image credit: by htm for Wikipedia

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BLAIN HYDRAULICS OPENS SHANGHAI LOCATION

Blain Hydraulics GmbH has opened a location in Shanghai in an effort to expand its footprint in China, the company announced. The move came within five years of the German supplier expanding in India, Turkey, Brazil and the U.S. Marking 50 years in business in 2021, Blain aims "to expand further and tap the hydraulic elevator segment in China and East Asia, facilitating the availability of products, spare parts, technical support and hydraulic elevator planning and consulting services to OEMs and other lift companies locally." The new location is in Suite 12C, Huibao Plaza, Hunan Road, 2633 Pudong, Shanghai 201315 and can be reached at phone: 86 21 6803 6528.

Image credit: courtesy of Blain Hydraulics

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THYSSENKRUPP MAINTAINING UNIVERSITY OF SEVILLE VT SYSTEM

thyssenkrupp Elevator is providing maintenance, including predictive maintenance, for the vertical-transportation (VT) system at the University of Seville in southern Spain, the OEM announced on January 19. The contract covers 161 passenger elevators, 22 small freight elevators, eight platform lifts and 22 chairlifts. The company credits its cloud-based, digital solution MAX with helping secure the contract, which has been in place since June 2020. The university's maintenance department praised MAX for enabling constant monitoring, and predicting and preventing breakdowns. According to thyssenkrupp Elevator, the university "combines future-oriented technology like [MAX] with tradition and architectural highlights like the university's main building," known as the Old Tobacco Factory and dating to the 1700s.

Image credit: courtesy of the University of Seville

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FERMATOR PLANT COLLAPSES FROM SNOW; PRODUCTION SHIFTS

Fermator's 14,000-m2 Doors Movement Technology plant in Falset, Spain, collapsed as a result of heavy snowfall earlier this month, prompting production to shift to the Tecnolama S.A. plant in Reus, Spain, Fermator Group Sales Manager Eduard Amigó said. Fortunately, he added, there were no injuries among the plant’s 120 employees. The company plans to reconstruct the destroyed Falset factory, and production will remain in Reus until it reopens in approximately eight months. Describing the Falset facility as one of Fermator's biggest factories in western Europe, Amigó said the company thanks all who reached out with "countless expressions of solidarity, support and affection from all over the world."

Image credit: courtesy of Fermator

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THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR (INDIA)’S MEHAN AWARDED

Manish Mehan, CEO and managing director, thyssenkrupp Elevator (India), was presented with the Master Entrepreneur Award in the "Engineering Industry" category at the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards 2020. Given "for his remarkable contribution to the growth of thyssenkrupp Elevator in India, while also fulfilling his social responsibilities," the company said, Mehan was credited for restructuring the business by introducing organizational changes, leadership changes and strengthening of its branches. He steered such strategic initiatives as “Elevate India,” focusing on spares, segment-specific business growth, process improvement through digitalization and automation. He has also increased focus on in-house R&D and spearheaded the company's digitization drive.

Image credit: courtesy of Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards

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