Elevator World

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

TOWER WITH HITACHI VT TOPS OUT IN SHENZHEN

The Kaisa Finance & Technology Center, a 258-m-tall office tower in Shenzhen, China, has topped out, vertical-transportation (VT) provider Hitachi Elevator (China) reported on November 18. The project, which houses 130,000 m2 of space, will include Grade-A office space, a business center, a shared conference center, a staff canteen, a sky garden and a sky lobby. The tower has obtained pre-qualification environmental certifications. With 50 stories above ground and four below-grade levels, the Kaisa Finance & Technology Center will be served by 46 Hitachi escalators and elevators, including 12 high-speed elevators that can travel 5-8 m/s. The elevators are equipped with Hitachi's Destination Floor Reservation System, which incorporates data from system operation, passenger movement, building equipment and layout to provide intelligent elevator dispatching. All building VT will also be equipped with the Hitachi ELECLOUD® system to provide 24-h monitoring. The building is expected to be complete in early 2022.

Image credit: courtesy of @gmp

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

BORWEY APPOINTED NAESA INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

James L. "Jim" Borwey, most recently manager of the Elevator, Boiler and Amusement Ride Bureau for the State of Iowa, has been appointed NAESA International executive director, NAESA President Christopher Shade announced on November 17. Filling a position held by Bob Shepherd, Borwey starts his job on January 1, 2021. From starting in the industry in South Dakota in 1978, Borwey "brings a wealth of field experience and code knowledge" to the organization, NAESA observed. From South Dakota, Borwey moved to California, where he continued to work in the field before progressing to associate, then senior associate, safety engineer for California's Division of Occupational Safety & Health Elevator Unit. In 2005, Borwey began work for the State of Iowa. Welcoming Borwey and thanking outgoing executive director Bob Shepherd for his years of service, Shade said Borwey has been a longtime member of NAESA, QEI certified since December 2000, a member of the NAESA Board of Directors and leads and is involved in numerous code and other committees.

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

BIOFIAL HYDRAULICS ENTERS NEW MARKETS, ADDS TECHNOLOGY

Thessaloniki, Greece-based Biofial Hydraulics recently entered two new markets and invested in new technology, and the company reports it is fully operational as it takes all necessary precautions related to the pandemic. Its hydraulic products are now in Latvia and the Dominican Republic. Describing Latvia as "one of the last pieces to add in our European export puzzle," Biofial has forged partnerships with two customers the country, which brings its export relationships to 56 countries worldwide. In the Dominican Republic, Biofial Hydraulics products have been installed in several lift systems. In the past year, the company also invested in two new pieces of production equipment: from Oxnard, California-based Haas, a four-axis cutting and processing center lathe with automatic bar feeder and from Schaumburg, Illinois-based Bodor, a fully automated fiber cutting laser machine. Biofial says the investments have resulted in enhanced production capacity and shorter delivery times.

Image credit: courtesy of Biofial Hydraulics

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OTIS DOUBLE-DECK ELEVATORS FOR ALTO TOWER IN PARIS

Otis' first SkyRise® double-deck elevators in France are part of a vertical-transportation (VT) system serving the new 150-m-tall Alto Tower, a 38-story office tower developed by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and La Défense Public Development Agency in Paris' La Défense business district. Designed by IF Architects, the structure has a small footprint at ground level that expands outward as it climbs. This, according to Otis France High-Rise Operation Manager Fabienne Blot, "presented a unique opportunity to showcase our SkyRise double-deck technology, effectively meeting the building's needs while maximizing leasable space." Otis observes its double-deck technology reduces elevator core space by up to 40%. Upon entering the building, passengers log their destinations using CompassPlus, which assigns them to the proper cabs. To access an upper-deck elevator cab, passengers ride one of two Otis escalators. In total, Alto Tower's VT system has 10 SkyRise elevators, including eight double-deck and two heavy-duty units; two Gen2® elevators; and two escalators. Equipped with Otis' EMS PanoramaTM elevator-management system, the SkyRise elevators "are in a unique configuration with the double decks grouped in a single bank, providing point-to-point travel and eliminating the need for a transfer floor," Otis observes. The OEM will also maintain the tower’s VT equipment.

Image credit: courtesy of Otis

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OTIS VT SYSTEM FOR CHICAGO’S VISTA TOWER

Otis tells ELEVATOR WORLD it installed 22 vertical-transportation (VT) units at Vista Tower, which, at 101 stories and 1,191 ft, is Chicago's third-tallest building. The system includes six SkyRise high-rise elevators (six with CompassPlus destination dispatch), 12 Gen2 elevators (10 with CompassPlus), two hydraulic elevators and two dumbwaiters. Of the SkyRise elevators, three travel the full height of the building at 1,600 ft/min. They are equipped with sway-sensing devices that automatically slow travel during high winds. CompassPlus is integrated with the building's security system to allow single-credential access between destinations. Located at 375 Wacker Drive at the mouth of the Chicago River, Vista Tower was designed by Jeanne Gang and developed by Magellan Group.

Image credit: courtesy of Studio Gang

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KONE WINS 187-UNIT ORDER FOR XI'AN METRO LINE

KONE has won an order to supply 187 elevators and escalators to Metro Line 9 in Northwest China’s Xi’an, the company announced on November 12. The 30.6-km-long Metro Line 9 will run southwest to northeast between Fangzhicheng and Qinhan Avenue via 15 stations, a route that will serve Lintong University City. The Xi’an Metro currently has five lines in use, and 10 more are to be added. Line 9 will serve about 850,000 passengers daily. Through its contract, KONE will deliver 152 TransitMaster™ escalators, along with 31 MonoSpace® and 4 MiniSpace™ elevators. The contract also includes two years of standard maintenance. KONE previously provided vertical transportation for Xi'an Metro Lines 1 and 4. The project is being developed by Xi'an China Railway Rail Transit Co., Ltd. No construction timeline was given.

Image credit: courtesy of KONE

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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

AMERICAN ELEVATOR GROUP APPOINTS VP OF SERVICE OPERATIONS

American Elevator Group (AEG) has appointed Chris Dlugolecki vice president (VP) of service operations, AEG President C. Mark Boelhouwer announced on November 10. Based in Connecticut, Dlugolecki will be fully involved with all AEG units. He is tasked with improving field service effectiveness, operational efficiency and overall customer satisfaction. Dlugolecki has more than 32 years' experience with Otis, most recently as a Singapore-based senior director with responsibility for field operations across the Asia-Pacific. He will assist AEG with further operational improvements as acquisitions and investments are announced.

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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

NAEC NAMES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPUTY DIRECTOR

The Board of Directors (BoD) of the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) has named Rená B. Cozart executive director and Amanda Smith deputy director, the association announced on November 9. With more than 20 years' experience in for-profit and nonprofit organizations, Cozart has served in numerous leadership roles, most recently as Southeast Region executive director for the American Cancer Society. Prior to that, Cozart was division vice president for the American Diabetes Foundation's South Region. She holds a marketing degree from Georgia State University. Smith, who has been with NAEC since 2007, was named deputy director. She most recently served as the association's director of education and finance, and previously oversaw special projects and credentialing. During her 13 years at NAEC, Smith worked directly with NAEC membership as the liaison to various committees, such as Education and Safety, Certification, Finance and the Vertical Transportation Management Program. Hope L. Evans, vice president of the NAEC BoD, said, "Please join me in congratulating these outstanding women, and look for them to take the association in new directions!"

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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

OTIS NAMES CALLEJA PRESIDENT OF EMEA OPERATIONS

Otis has named Bernardo Calleja president, Otis Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA), the company announced on November 9. Calleja has been interim Otis EMEA president since October 1, replacing Mark Eubanks, who left the company in September. An industrial engineer by training, Calleja began his career as an engineer at Otis' San Sebastián factory in 1989 and progressed through several leadership positions before being named president of Otis South Europe & Africa in 2018. He will continue to lead this subregion and maintain his role as the president of the board of directors of Zardoya Otis, a publicly traded subsidiary in Spain. In his new role, Calleja will report directly to Otis President and CEO Judy Marks.

Image credit: by Lommes for Wikipedia

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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

JERSEY CITY TOWER WITH THYSSENKRUPP UNITS NEARLY COMPLETE

88 Regent Street, a 32-story, mixed-use tower in Jersey City, New Jersey, has topped out ahead of anticipated completion in 2021, New York YIMBY reports. Developed by Regent Street, LLC and designed by Marchetto Higgins Stieve, the building will house nearly 400 rental apartments, 9,110 ft2 of retail and 5,595 ft2 of office space. At the intersection of Jersey Avenue and Regent Street, 88 Regent includes a 12-story podium that is now almost entirely covered in glass. Project architect Antonio Beltran tells ELEVATOR WORLD 88 Regent Street will be served by five thyssenkrupp elevators: two 700-ft/min, 34-stop, 3500-lb-capacity units; one 700 ft/min, 35-stop, 4000-lb-capacity unit; one 700 ft/min, 34-stop, 4500-lb capacity unit; and one 200 ft/min, eight-stop, 3500-lb capacity unit.

Image credit: courtesy of Marchetto Higgins Stieve

To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news

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