Elevator World

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC NAMED TOKYO 2020 PARTNER

Mitsubishi Electric has been named a Tokyo 2020 Official Partner in "Elevators, Escalators & Moving Walkways," joining approximately 30 other partners that are supporting the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As an Official Partner, Mitsubishi Electric will "facilitate safe, secure and convenient movement of athletes and visitors alike" and, in turn, have the rights to use Tokyo 2020 logos and imagery.

KONE PROVIDING 38 UNITS FOR SAN FRANCISCO VENUE EXPANSION

KONE is providing 12 elevators and 26 escalators for the expansion of the Moscone Center, a convention center in San Francisco that hosts up to 1.1 million visitors annually. The order consists of seven MonoSpace®, two EcoSystem MR®, two freight and one EcoSpace® elevator, and 26 TravelMaster 110TM escalators. The project will be done in phases, and the facility will remain open throughout the expansion, scheduled for completion in 2018.

CPD SEMINARS TO DEBUT AT LIFTEX 2016

The Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) is planning a continuing professional development (CPD) seminar program focused on modernization during LIFTEX 2016 on May 25-26 in London. For the first time, seminar attendees can earn CPD credits. Topics include modernizing lifts for firefighters and understanding the implications of the new British safety regulations. The free program offers straightforward information and guidance supported by interactive Q&A sessions.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/march-4-2016/

KONE ACQUIRES THYSSENKRUPP HISSIT OY

KONE has acquired thyssenkrupp Hissit Oy, a Finnish subsidiary of thyssenkrupp specializing in elevator and escalator maintenance. Noud Veeger, executive vice president of KONE Central and North Europe, said the acquisition strengthens KONE's operations in the Helsinki, Tampere and Turku regions, and promises to enhance service to new and existing customers there.

TRINITY CHURCH NOW PLANS OFFICE TOWER IN NYC

Trinity Church originally planned to build a 500-ft.-tall condominium building on property it owns in the Financial District of New York City (NYC) on Trinity Place, but those plans have changed to a 25-story, 145,000-sq.ft. mixed-use building with offices, New York YIMBY reports. The church plans to have community space in 98,000 sq. ft. of the building, with offices beginning on the 10th floor. Pelli Clarke Pelli, designer of the original proposal, is the architect.

CIBSE LIFTS GROUP MEETING SET: The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Lifts Group is holding its Manchester Evening Meeting on June 7 at The Mechanics Conference Centre at 103 Princess Street in Manchester, U.K. The meeting will include a presentation on “The Trouble with Mobility Scooters” by Michael Bottomley of Movveo Ltd. In addition, there will be a “Forum on Standards” led by Dr. Gina Barney and Adam Scott (members of the BSI MHE/4 Committee) to bring attendees up-to-date on developments in standards, particularly EN 81-20 and its associated harmonized standards. For more details, contact the CIBSE Lifts Group.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/march-3-2016/

NEW BARCELONA METRO STATIONS BOAST THYSSENKRUPP UNITS

thyssenkrupp supplied 128 escalators and 52 elevators to 15 new Barcelona Metro stations that were inaugurated on February 12, part of the new Line 9 linking the Barcelona Airport with eastern parts of the city. Line 9 is expected to handle approximately 30 million passengers per year, and the thyssenkrupp units are expected to enhance travel efficiency through a system that gathers data such as train arrivals and numbers of passengers and adjusts accordingly. thyssenkrupp also holds the maintenance contracts for the units, some of which were installed at depths of 90 m.

RESIDENTIAL TOWER NEARS TOPPING OUT IN QUEENS

Heatherwood Properties' 58-story, 647-ft.-tall Tower 28, formerly known as 28 on 28th, is close to topping out in the Court Square neighborhood of Long Island City (LIC), Queens, New York, New York YIMBY reports. It is among a remarkable number of tall buildings taking shape in LIC and, upon completion in 2017, will become the tallest residential skyscraper in New York City outside of Manhattan. Designed by Goldstein, Hill & West, the building is set to contain approximately 480 units and amenities such as a gym, a rooftop courtyard atop a two-story base and breathtaking views of Manhattan.

SEATTLE DEVELOPER EYES BELLEVUE FOR PAIR OF TOWERS

Seattle developer Touchstone has its eye on Bellevue, Washington, for a 34-story office building and 41-story hotel, the Puget Sound Business Journal reports. The proposed development is called Bellevue 600 for its address at 600 108th Avenue N.E. where a parking garage currently sits. It would consist of an 800,000-sq.-ft. office building and 500 hotel rooms, along with more than 2,000 parking spaces in decks both above and below ground. Unless Touchstone can land a major office tenant, the project may be a long time coming, since demand has been slow for the approximately 1.5 million sq. ft. of new office space coming online downtown.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/march-2-2016

Check out the Editor's Overview for the March 2016 issue. http://www.elevatorworld.com/magazine/the-spice-of-life/

LERCH BATES NAMES HOULIHAN CONSULTANT IN LAS VEGAS

Lerch Bates has named Maquel Houlihan a consultant in its growing Las Vegas office. She has more than 18 years of experience in the vertical-transportation industry, most recently serving as an existing-installation sales representative for Schindler, where she oversaw contracts with some of the largest property holders in Las Vegas such as Caesars Entertainment Corp. She holds an associate's degree in Business Management and Health Science. Lerch Bates President and CEO Bart Stephan observed that Houlihan’s “extraordinary professionalism and meticulousness” will be tremendous assets to the team.

PSI, BRUGG PARTNER FOR MIDWEST

Parts Specialists, Inc. (PSI) of Posen, Illinois, recently announced a "Midwest Master Distributorship" agreement with Brugg Wire Rope of Rome, Georgia, in the U.S. to supply elevator professionals in the industry. In it, PSI will inventory and distribute Brugg’s line of elevator lifting products. The strategic partnership will allow the elevator industry to obtain a domestically manufactured rope from an elevator-specific supplier with competitive prices in Chicago. PSI is also a distributor for James Monroe Wire & Cable, Inc. traveling cable and hoistway wire.

CECA SCHOLARSHIP FUND ESTABLISHED

The Canadian Elevator Contractors Association (CECA) has announced the establishment of a scholarship fund. Two CAD2,500 (US$1,848) scholarships will be available to students attending an educational institute in Canada. One will be awarded to a student pursuing a career in the elevator industry and the other to a student pursuing a career in any field. The scholarships will be available to any child, stepchild or grandchild of a CECA member in good standing who intends to further his or her postsecondary studies in 2016-2017. The deadline to apply is April 29. For more information, contact CECA Executive Director Catharine Bothwell.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/march-1-2016

IN MEMORIAM: JOSEPH C. MONTESANO

Joseph C. Montesano passed away on February 26. Montesano was a widely respected expert in the industry with a devotion to it for more than 60 years. Founder and longtime CEO of DTM Drafting & Consulting Services, Inc. in College Point, New York, he began the company in 1982 and grew it into a leader in the vertical-transportation consulting field in New York City. He gained a strong elevator reputation in the metropolis, where he worked for Westinghouse Elevator Co. for 33 years. Services are planned in Whitestone, New York: a wake on March 2 at the Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home and a funeral Mass on March 4 at St. Luke's R.C. Church. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations are made to The Alzheimer's Association or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in memory of the deceased.

ELEVATOR REPAIRMAN KILLED IN ACCIDENT ON UAMS CAMPUS

A 32-year-old man performing maintenance on an elevator on the campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, died on February 24 as a result of a cab lowering on him during the elevator’s normal cycle when he was in the shaft, the Arkansas Times reports. Both the company maintaining the elevators and labor authorities are investing. According to UAMS, campus elevators, including the one involved in the accident, are all licensed and routinely inspected.

ABANS SUPPLIES HYUNDAI ELEVATORS IN SRI LANKA

As the distributor for Hyundai Elevator in Sri Lanka, Abans Engineering Pvt. Ltd. has supplied several notable projects in the island nation, The Nation reports. Among them are John Keells Holdings PLC's Cinnamon Life mixed-use project in Colombo, 85 elevators and 25 escalators; Jana Jaya City supermarket in Rajagiraya, seven elevators and 12 escalators; and Dynasty Apartment in Kandy, an unspecified number of the tallest machine-room-less systems in Sri Lanka.

http://elevatorworld.com/industry-news/february-29-2016/

KONE, IBM ENTER INTO “EXCITING” NEW PARTNERSHIP

KONE has become IBM’s first vertical-transportation partner in a new endeavor that utilizes IBM’s Internet of Things cloud platform, Bluemix, to collect, store and evaluate data from sensors and systems connected to KONE’s elevators, escalators, doors and turnstiles worldwide. The agreement enables KONE to remotely monitor and manage millions of vertical-transportation and other systems. KONE President and CEO Henrik Ehrnrooth called the partnership “exciting,” and KONE says it will lead to new remote-diagnostic and predictive services.

OTIS INSTALLS WORLD’S LONGEST TRAVELING DOUBLE-DECK UNIT

Otis Elevator Korea Co. Ltd. has installed the world's longest traveling double-deck elevator in the Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea's tallest building at 555 m. The double-deck elevator travels 496 m from the building's second basement to an observation deck on the 121st floor. It has a capacity of 54 passengers and makes the trip in 1 min. The system includes a 100-T. traction machine, the first of its kind in South Korea. It also includes 11 SkywayTM elevators with seismic sensors, 19 Gen2® Dynamic elevators and 17 escalators.

KONE TO OUTFIT BEIJING HIGH RISE WITH 56 UNITS

KONE has been hired to outfit Taikang Mansion, the new headquarters of Taikang Life Insurance Co. Ltd. in Beijing, with 56 elevators and escalators. The order consists of 34 MiniSpaceTM and 10 MonoSpace® elevators, 12 TravelMasterTM escalators and the E-LinkTM monitoring system. Twenty-five elevators will travel at up to 4 mps, and eight will travel at up to 6 mps. With 45 stories above ground, six underground stories and a four-story podium, Taikang Mansion is in the Chaoyang District and scheduled for completion in December 2018.

http://elevatorworld.com/industry-news/february-26-2016/

LIBERTY ACQUIRES JDK’S INSPECTION DIVISION

Liberty Elevator Experts of Delaware has acquired the inspection division of JDK Elevator Services LLC of eastern Pennsylvania, continuing what Liberty President Christopher Dodds describes as a series of planned acquisitions in the mid Atlantic that began with the acquisition of Johnson Elevator Inspections (ELENET 642). Founded by J. Donald Kennedy, JDK has performed compliance inspections throughout eastern Pennsylvania since 2004. Kennedy will continue with Liberty as a QEI and advisor, while maintaining his professional litigation practice.

LEIA HELPS LAUNCH APPRENTICESHIP STANDARDS RESEARCH

The employer-led Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) Lift & Escalator Trailblazer Group launched a consultation following its acceptance by the U.K. Department for Business Innovation & Skills to prepare two apprenticeship standards for the industry. As part of the government’s employer-driven Trailblazer Strategy, a group of employers from the U.K. lift industry, together with other industry stakeholders (including LEIA, working on behalf of the sector) have been leading the design of the apprenticeship standards. The survey will run until March 14, and LEIA invites all industry professionals to participate at its website.

KOLHAPUR TO HIRE MORE STAFF AFTER LIFT MALFUNCTION

Kolhapur District Court in India intends to hire additional staff, including eight elevator maintenance workers, after one of eight elevators in a new six-story court building dropped suddenly from the first to the ground floor on February 8 with passengers inside, The Times of India reports. An official said the unit has a capacity of 12 but that 18 people were onboard at the time. The court plans to accept bids through March 8 and hire a total of 20 new staff members shortly thereafter.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/february-25-2016/

NIPPON OTIS TO MODERNIZE U.S. EMBASSY TOKYO ELEVATORS

Nippon Otis, which installed the original elevators in the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo when it was built in 1976, has been hired to modernize the system. The contract includes four Gen2® elevators, the CompassPlusTM destination-management system and the PulseTM system, which automatically monitors the integrity of elevator belts 24/7. Nippon Otis notes that, in addition to being energy efficient, Gen2 elevators are also robust, as demonstrated during the deadly earthquake in Japan in 2011, when no Gen2 systems derailed.

30 FOBS WITH ELEVATORS IN HYDERABAD PLANNED

Thirty foot overbridges (FOBs) with two elevators each are planned throughout Hyderabad, India, by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corp. (GHMC), The New Indian Express reports. The project will be done in a public/private partnership format and emphasize ecofriendly construction, such as solar panels. The elevators will have a capacity of 15 passengers each and travel approximately 6 m between road and FOB. The GHMC has already issued requests for proposals, so construction should commence soon.

ECNY INVITES ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

Elevator Conference of New York (ECNY) is inviting members to submit applications for its annual scholarships for high school seniors. At least two scholarships of US$5,000 each will be awarded. Children, stepchildren and grandchildren of ECNY members in good standing are eligible, and the deadline is March 15. Applications may be downloaded from the ECNY website.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/february-24-2016

XIZI OTIS WINS TRIO OF CHINESE RAIL CONTRACTS

Otis joint venture Xizi Otis Elevator Co., Ltd., has been awarded a trio of contracts to supply elevators and escalators to rail projects throughout China totaling 207 units. They are: 82 units for Chengdu Metro Line 10 and 87 units for the Wuhan Metro Airport Line, both scheduled to open at the end of 2016, and 38 units for the Guizhou West section of the Shanghai-Kunming Railway. All orders include energy-efficient Gen2® elevators and heavy-duty, energy-efficient escalators.

WMATA ESCALATOR WORK TO SPAN 45 WEEKS AT STATION

Work to replace a pair of escalators at the Georgia Avenue/Petworth station of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C., is projected to start in March and take approximately 45 weeks, Petworth News reports. Similar escalator replacements have taken considerably less time. WMATA attributed the amount of time set aside to the fact that trusses and beams must be replaced and that replacement parts for the outdated units are hard to find. KONE is performing the work as part of a larger modernization job projected to last through 2020.

BLAIN HYDRAULICS IS OFFERING WEBINARS

Blain Hydraulics is offering live, twice-monthly webinars during which managers, consultants and technicians can learn about topics such as valve servicing, power-unit design and many others related to hydraulic elevator systems. The webinars will be hosted at convenient times for viewers around the world. Participants may select a convenient time and register free of charge. One-on-one training on specific topics is also available at no cost.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/february-23-2016