Elevator World

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/october-28-2015/

PRYSMIAN LANDS SEVERAL OEM CONTRACTS

Draka Elevator Products, Prysmian Group’s elevator-business unit, has obtained a series of contracts valued at EUR1-1.5 million (US$1.1-1.7 million) each from elevator-industry majors for cables and components to be used in some of the world’s most iconic buildings. With KONE, Prysmian was awarded a contract to replace all existing cables in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel. Schindler awarded Prysmian two contracts: one for the supply of traveling cables at the half-scale Eiffel Tower landmark within The Parisian Hotel in Macau, and another for the development and supply of 13 km of flat traveling cables for Three World Trade Center in New York City. Otis awarded Prysmian a contract to supply its Super-Flex® cabling to Wilshire Grand Center in downtown Los Angeles. The same OEM has also ordered Super-Flex traveling cables and Super-Duct® hoistway cables for the Lotte World Tower in Seoul.

65-STORY CONDO TOWER PLANNED IN NYC’S FINANCIAL DISTRICT

Developer Madison Equities has purchased a site at 45 Broad Street in the Financial District of New York City (NYC) for US$86 million on which it plans to build a 65-story condominium tower, New York YIMBY reports. Madison is partnering with Pizzarotti IBC, with AMS Acquisitions as a minority investor. The project could total 290,000 sq. ft., and completion is tentatively scheduled by 2019.

IN MEMORIAM: BAS MULDER

Bas Mulder, general manager of Liftinstituut Holding B.V. in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, passed away on October 3 at the age of 43. Mulder started his career at Liftinstituut in December 2003 as operations manager, becoming general manager on January 1, 2012. The organization stated: "Everyone at Liftinstituut will miss Bas Mulder dearly, both as a person and as an inspiring and motivating leader." Mulder's colleagues, Jon van Vliet and Marco Waggmeester, have taken over day-to-day operations at Liftinstituut.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/october-27-2015/

NIAGARA BELCO WELCOMES NEW GENERAL MANAGER

Niagara Belco Ltd., headquartered in Hamilton, Canada, welcomes its new general manager, Derek Moorse. Moorse began his career in the industry with Cambridge Elevating Inc. in 2003, holding key management positions, including vice president, as the company grew over the next 11 years. He has a diverse background that includes operations, installation, sales, marketing and business management. Niagara Belco believes he will bring new ideas and strategies to the team.

SPOKANE COUNTY JAIL LAUDS ELEVATOR UPGRADE

The Spokane County Jail in Spokane, Washington, is in the home stretch of a US$1.2-million elevator upgrade, and facility officials say it is enhancing safety, efficiency and comfort, CorrectionsOne.com reports. The jail’s four elevators had not been upgraded since the 1980s. Three have been refurbished so far, with work on the fourth scheduled to be finished by the end of November.

PME GRANTED DESIGNATIONS IN L.A.

Phoenix Modular Elevator (PME) of Mount Vernon, Illinois, has been approved as a licensed fabricator, and one of its employees has been granted a Quality Control Technician certificate for the City of Los Angeles (L.A.). Its state-code-compliant modular elevator design was approved by California officials earlier this year. According to PME, the approval and certification eliminate the need for third-party inspections, in turn saving contractors and building owners time and money.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/october-26-2015/

D&D ELEVATOR ADDS COYLE, PHILLIPS TO SALES TEAM

D&D Elevator Maintenance, Inc., of Elmsford, New York, has added Michael Coyle and Lynn Phillips to its sales team. Coyle has an extensive elevator background, having owned and operated Colonial Elevator in Long Island City, New York. Since that enterprise, he served as vice president of operations and was involved in maintenance, surveys, violations, scheduling and working with employees in numerous departments. Phillips has significant experience in sales and customer service. She held various positions with Midland/Schindler Elevator Group in the Modernization, Scheduling, Accounting and Collections departments.

LERCH BATES TAPS HAYES TO LEAD COLUMBUS OFFICE

Lerch Bates Inc. has tapped Heath Hayes to lead its Columbus, Ohio, office. He will work with general contractors, architects and other elevator consultants to see projects through from start to finish and provide ongoing customer service. A second-generation elevator-industry professional, Hayes previously was a Modernization Sales representative at ThyssenKrupp, where he was responsible for the company's growing Modernization division. He earned a BS in Business from Franklin University in Columbus and is a certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Associate of the U.S. Green Building Council.

KONE ELEVATORS FOR HOSPITAL EXPANSION IN MIDWEST

KONE is supplying 13 elevators for Cambridge North Tower, the 300,000-sq.-ft. expansion of The University of Kansas Hospital, scheduled to open in 2017. The order consists of nine space-saving EcoSystem MRTM and four machine-room-less MonoSpace® units. Larry Wash, executive vice president of KONE Americas, said KONE is honored to provide vertical transportation for a medical facility that is nationally ranked in all 12 medical and surgical specialties.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/october-23-2015/

SCHINLDER TO SUPPLY TPA

Tampa International Airport (TPA) has awarded installation and renovation of mobility solutions for two major projects to Schindler. Schindler is providing installation of 21 Schindler 5500 mid-rise machine-room-less elevators, one freight unit, 22 Schindler 9300 escalators and eight Schindler 9500 moving walks in the new rental-car garage. Additionally, there will be three new automated people mover stations, and, in the Main Terminal, the company will renovate 24 elevator interiors and replace 22 escalators with new Schindler 9300 units. The work is part of TPA’s Master Plan Phase 1, slated for completion in 2017. Schindler has also been awarded the maintenance contract for all units at the airport.

FIELDBOSS WEBCASTS COMING UP

FIELDBOSS will be presenting free webcasts on using the Microsoft Dynamics field-service management automation software over the next month. The first is on the elevator mobile app on October 27. Next is “Mapping Field Staff & Resources with FIELDBOSS” on November 3. An advanced scheduling & dispatch seminar is on November 5, and “Elevator Service Agreements/Maintenance Contracts” will take place on November 10.

THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR’S DIGITAL MAGAZINE LAUDED

URBAN HUB, the digital magazine produced by Triplesense Reply for ThyssenKrupp Elevator, was among 28 projects to receive the 2016 Gold Award at the annual Multimedia Awards in Germany recently. There were 128 projects honored in all. Featuring videos, photographs, illustrations and third-party content in five languages, URBAN HUB won praise for being technically innovative and imaginative. Topics covered include smart cities and sustainable/efficient urban mobility.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/october-22-2015/

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/october-21/

TEI CONTRACTS AROUND NYC

TEI Group has won several contracts to equip new and renovated NYC buildings with vertical transportation. It will construct and install nine elevators at the under-construction 54-story residential tower 43-22 Queens Street in Long Island City. Additionally, the firm will be modernizing 11 elevators and maintaining 12 at the historic 5 Penn Plaza. Smaller contracts for TEI Group are the construction and installation of six elevators at the new mixed-use Essex Crossing development complex in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, expected to begin construction in phases soon and be completed by 2024; four elevators at the redevelopment of Brooklyn Navy Yard's BLDG 77; and one custom hydraulic elevator at 640 5th Avenue near Rockefeller Center in the center of Midtown Manhattan.

30 YEARS IN U.S. ELEVATOR MARKET FOR MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC

The elevator and escalator division of Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., headquartered in Cypress, California, is celebrating 30 years in the U.S. market. Division Senior Vice President and Deputy General Manager Erik Zommers attributed the longevity to customer support and trust. The company reflected on milestones such as installing the first stacked, spiral escalator in the U.S. in Westfield San Francisco Centre and receiving one of ELEVATOR WORLD Project of the Year awards in 2012 for the vertical-transportation system in the expanded Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower in Chicago.

90-STORY TOWER A “BOLD PROPOSAL” FOR MELBOURNE

Crown and Schiavello are proposing a 90-story, 317-m-tall hotel/residence, Queensbridge Hotel Tower, in downtown Melbourne, Australia, that political leaders describe as a “bold proposal,” the Herald Sun reports. British firm Wilkinson Eyre beat won a design competition for the project, which consists of the main tower flanked by two others. Proponents point to job and revenue creation, and the fact it would provide nearly 400 much-needed hotel rooms. Opponents feel it would mar the character of downtown Melbourne, particularly with a proposed airwalk connecting the tower to an existing Crown property. If it is approved, the project is scheduled for completion by 2020.

http://elevatorworld.com/industry-news/industry-october-9/

BRUGG HIRES NEW NORTH AMERICAN VP

Brugg Lifting has hired Mike Carr as its new vice president (VP) of Sales and Marketing for North America. His duties include overseeing company efforts to increase its distribution network, monitor lead generation and account development, enhance company client service capabilities, and coordinate and monitor North American sales efforts. Carr will be based at Brugg's headquarters in Rome, Georgia. He served for 17 years as director of Domestic and International Sales with Strongwell Corp and holds a BS in Management. Brugg expects his skills of understanding the entire sales process, from targeting new customers to closing business with OEMs and distributors, to provide immediate benefits.

NYC TO FIX BROKEN ELEVATORS WHEN LANDLORDS WILL NOT

The City Council of New York City (NYC) has passed a law that allows the city to fix a building’s broken elevators when the property’s landlord will not, NY Daily News reports. Bill sponsor Councilman James Vacca said broken elevator systems will now be treated the same way as heating and water systems. When the city performs an elevator fix, the landlord will be sent a bill for the repairs.

AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE TALLEST STARTS TO TAKE SHAPE

Foundation work is underway at Melbourne's Australia 108, which, at 319 m and 100 stories, will be the tallest building in Australia once completed, The Age reports. Housing luxury residences, it also promises to be the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. Singaporean developer Aspial is planning to complete the building and its lift system in phases, with the first residents expected to move in to floors below 41 in fall 2018. The entire project is expected to be complete by late 2020.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/industry-october-8/

VSA OF NYC ADDS LOCATIONS, STAFF

New York City (NYC)-based Vertical Systems Analysis, Inc. (VSA) is expanding with the addition of two locations and three team members. It has added offices in Philadelphia and Miami to existing NYC and Chicago locations. Its new hires are Tim Lynch, formerly of Van Deusen & Associates (VDA), who will handle clients along the East Coast; Bill Appelbaum, formerly a district manager for ThyssenKrupp, who will be VSA's liaison with CBRE Group, Inc. (formerly Johnson Controls); and Robert Corcoran, who has experience with Lerch Bates Inc., Otis, Schindler and VDA, who will work with new and existing clients. The firm anticipates additional expansion in 2016.

CEEI AWARDS NAYAR SYSTEMS AGAIN

The European Center for Innovative Companies (CEEI) in Castellon, Spain, recently awarded elevator-industry telecommunications company Nayar Systems with its seal for a "Technological Innovative Company." The prize is for Spain's most innovative companies. The eight-year-old company has made significant investments in R&D and was named CEEI’s company of the year in 2011 and “Best Company in Innovation in 2012. Nayar Systems has also seen constant growth in its R&D and sales teams. This has allowed it to reinforce international expansion as it has pursued new markets in different continents.

CHINA TALL BUILDING AWARDS LAUNCHED

The China International Exchange Committee for Tall Buildings and Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) have launched The China Tall Building Awards, an independent review of new projects. The awards aspire to provide a more comprehensive and sophisticated view of the structures, while advocating for improvements in every aspect of performance, including those that have the greatest positive effect. It is modeled on the annual International CTBUH Awards program, which has been running on a worldwide basis since 2001, with some local modifications. A call for online submissions has been initiated and will last until December 14. Winners will be announced in February 2016.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/october-15/

KONE WINS LARGE ORDER FOR TIANJIN MIXED-USE PROJECT

KONE has been hired to provide 58 units to Tianjin Luneng Lvyinli in Tianjin, China, a mixed-use development consisting of a 40-story office tower and five apartment towers ranging from 34 to 48 stories with a five-star hotel in their podium. KONE is set to deliver 31 MinispaceTM and 23 Monospace® elevators, and four TravelMasterTM escalators. The elevators in the office tower will have a maximum speed of 5 mps. Developed by Tianjin Luneng Property Co., Ltd., the project is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2017.

MUMBAI’S WORLD TOWERS PROJECT ADVANCES

Civil construction is 75% complete, and interiors are expected to be finished by the end of 2016 on the future world's tallest residential building, the 450-m-tall, 117-story World One in Mumbai, The Lodha Group tells ELEVATOR WORLD. Barker Mohandas of New York City consulted on the vertical-transportation system, which will boast the fastest elevators in India -- Schindler units traveling at up to 8 mps. Cab interiors are being designed by Armani/CASA. World One is part of Lodha's World Towers project, which also includes the 60-story World Crest tower, which is complete, and the 75-story World View, which has yet to start construction.

252 EAST 57TH STREET TOPS OUT IN MANHATTAN

After approximately seven months of construction, a 715-ft.-tall, 65-story residential tower, 252 East 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, has topped out, New York YIMBY reports. Located at the corner of 57th Street and Second Avenue, the tower was designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill and is scheduled for completion in 2016. Part of a growing tall-building corridor, it will house both condominiums and apartments.

ERRC RAISES US$840 FOR SAFETY EDUCATION

The Elevator Riders Riding Club (ERRC) has reported a successful fundraising effort for the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation. It raised US$840 during its 50/50 Poker Run during the National Association of Elevator Contractors Exhibition on September 30 and October 1 in Boston. Proceeds will go toward industry safety education via the Foundation’s revamped outreach program. The winner of the contest was Walter McNally of Brooklyn, New York, with a full house.

http://www.elevatorworld.com/industry-news/industry-october-7/

OTIS ADJUSTS OUTLOOK FOR MALAYSIA

Otis expects to see slower growth in Malaysia in 2016 as a result of the weakening Malaysian ringgit in relation to the U.S. dollar putting the brakes on construction, The Malaysian Insider reports. Malaysia is a market driver for Otis, which, according to company officials, has enjoyed double-digit growth in the country for the past five-plus years. The value of Otis' Malaysian market is slightly less than US$100 million. Otis is confident in the market over the long term, to the point it plans to build a training center in Bangi, Malaysia, that will train approximately 200 people per year. The company did not give a timeframe for construction.

MASSACHUSETTS SEES ELEVATOR INSPECTION RATE IMPROVE

Massachusetts has seen its elevator-inspection rate improve from 69% in March 2014 to 87% in October 2015, thanks in part to more and better-paid inspectors, the Boston Herald reports. Salaries in 2015 improved by 20% to US$70,200, and the state has added six inspectors and plans to add more to its roster of 61 after approving a US$1.8-million budget increase. Massachusetts currently has approximately 40,000 elevators. An online permitting system is also credited with helping keep better track of units.

EMPORIS SKYSCRAPER AWARD GOES TO BEIJING LANDMARK

International data provider Emporis has awarded Zaha Hadid-designed Wangjing SOHO, a trio of 118-, 127- and 200-m-tall buildings on the outskirts of Beijing, its 2015 Skyscraper Award. Emporis cited the complex's energy efficiency and soft, fluid shape as reasons for its selection. Runners up, in order, are: Bosco Verticale in Milan, by Boeri Studio; Tour D2 in Courbevoie, France, by Agence d'Architecture Anthony Béchu and ATSP; One World Trade Center, New York City (NYC), by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Leadenhall, London, by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; Burj Mohammed bin Rashid, Abu Dhabi, by Foster + Partners; Soyak Kristal Kule, Istanbul, by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Has Mimarlik One57, NYC, by Atelier Christian de Portzamparc and Frank Williams & Partners; Infinity, Brisbane, Australia, by DBI Design; and KKR Tower, Kuala Lumpur, by GDP Architects.

POTENTIAL MANUFACTURER FLAW FOUND AFTER NYC FATALITY

New York City (NYC) investigators found a potentially dangerous manufacturer flaw in a specific brand of elevator involved in an incident on October 2 in Brooklyn, New York, in which a 37-year-old Israeli man was killed, NY Daily News reports. The brand operates in 60 NYC buildings. Owners of the buildings have been advised by the city to operate the units manually until they have been examined by an independent inspector and deemed to be safe.