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

KONE TOUCHLESS ELEVATOR SYSTEM FOR TORONTO DEVELOPMENT

KONE plans to provide six MonoSpace® 500 elevators with the Elevator Call touchless solution to Distrikt Trailside, a residential development taking shape in Oakville, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. It represents the Canadian debut of Elevator Call, a cloud-based solution allowing users to call an elevator with their smartphones. Also including two-story suites, Distrikt Trailside consists of two 10-story condo towers with more than 600,000 ft2. Construction is expected to start in 2021. Distrikt Developments and Fiera Real Estate are the owners, and Kirkor Architects and Planners provided design services. Bluescape is handling construction management. Distrikt Developments Director of Construction Leonard Scomparin said utilizing KONE Elevator Call will "deliver a safer experience to all of our purchasers."

Image credit: courtesy of Distrikt Developments

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

OFFICE SUPERTALL ONE VANDERBILT OPENS AMID PANDEMIC

One Vanderbilt, a supertall office tower in Midtown Manhattan with a Schindler vertical-transportation system, was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 14, according to the building's designer, architects Kohn Pedersen Fox. The building, developed by SL Green and Hines, stands 1,401 ft tall, making it the tallest office tower in Midtown. It brings 1.7 million ft2 of Class-A office space, floor-to-ceiling windows and a 30,000-ft2 amenity floor including garden terraces and a dining facility. The development includes an underground connection to Grand Central Station and a 14,000-ft2 pedestrian plaza on Vanderbilt Avenue. A report by Reuters notes that the building's opening comes with the city still being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many office staffers still working from home. The US$3.3-billion structure is about two-thirds leased by long-term tenants, but a high rate of unemployment and the work-from-home situation has left much of NYC's office space sparsely occupied, resulting in declining rents.

Image credit: by Mr. 167 for Wikipedia

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BUFFALO’S TALLEST TOWER, WITH SCHINDLER VT, OPENS TO TENANT

The tallest building in Buffalo, New York, at 38 stories, Seneca One opened its doors to apartment residents several days ago following a US$150-million renovation by Washington, D.C.-based Douglas Development Corp., WKBW reports. In addition to remote-access and amenities including a food-and-beverage center and a fitness center, the work included updating the tower's 27-elevator vertical-transportation (VT) system, which Douglas Development told ELEVATOR WORLD was handled by Schindler. The property was built as an office building in 1970, and Douglas bought it out of foreclosure in 2016. Seneca One now has M&T Bank as its anchor tenant, with at least five other commercial tenants signed on. Apartments — a first for the 50-year-old building — total 115.

Image credit: courtesy of Douglas Development

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BIG ESCALATOR ORDER SOLIDIFIES HYUNDAI’S CHINESE PRESENCE

An order for 229 escalators at 19 stations along Line 2 of the subway in Harbin extends Hyundai Elevator’s presence in China, particularly in Heilongjiang Province, where it is the largest subway escalator provider, Business Korea reports. Hyundai Elevator announced the order, equivalent to roughly US$241 million, on August 31. In 2017, the OEM won a contract to supply 52 escalators to five stations along Harbin Subway Line and, the following year, an order for 66 escalators in five stations on Line 1, bringing the total number of Hyundai units serving the system to nearly 350. The source observes the latest order will likely put Hyundai Elevator in an advantageous position in the second and third bidding for Subway Line 3, scheduled at the end of this year and early next year, respectively. Those orders would total approximately 320 units.

Image credit: from Business Korea

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

PLANNED TOWER GOES FROM 12 TO 40 STORIES IN RALEIGH

The City Council in Raleigh, North Carolina, unanimously approved a rezoning request from Zimmer Development Corp. that takes a proposed downtown building from 12 to 40 stories, The News&Observer reports. Located on a vacant 1.5-acre plot at 506 Capital Boulevard near the intersection of Peace Street, the proposed tower now allows for up to 1,466 residential units and 1.7 million ft2. Landon Zimmer of Zimmer Development said his family hopes to land a big corporate tenant to fill most of the building, with retail on the lower level. Should a "corporate whale" fail to materialize, the mix could include multifamily units, office space and a hotel. The Zimmer property is directly across from the growing Smoky Hollow development from Kane Realty.

Image credit: courtesy of Zimmer Development Co.

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MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC US, INC., FACES DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT LAWSUIT

Attorneys with San Anselmo, California-based Civil Rights Law Group filed a lawsuit on behalf of four black mechanics against their employer, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc., based in Cypress, California, on September 4. Filed in the Superior Court of the State of California and demanding a jury trial, the lawsuit also identifies several Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. supervisors and employees. It alleges racial harassment and discrimination dating back to 2016, and contends supervisors and human resources representatives were aware of incidents and behaviors — said to have taken place on jobsites throughout the San Francisco Bay Area — and failed to address them. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Michael Corbo said in a statement the company “does not tolerate harassment, discrimination or retaliation” and has strong policies against and provides training on such practices. He said the company encourages employees to report issues immediately and investigates reports thoroughly. “The company previously investigated all complaints these employees raised to the company and took prompt action as appropriate,” the statement said, declining to comment on specifics of the case due to employee privacy rights.

Image credit: by Mike Braun for Pixabay

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CP AUTOMATION ACQUIRES MAGNETEK ELEVATOR UK

CP Automation, headquartered in Scunthorpe, U.K., has acquired Magnetek Elevator UK from Columbus McKinnon Corp., CP announced. CP specializes in supply, repair and field services for industrial electronic AC drives, resistors, DC drives, programmable logic controllers and inverters, while Magnetek supplies AC and DC drives for geared and gearless lift applications. CP Automation said the acquisition promises to establish it as a leading supplier of elevator drives. It will also ensure customer service for Magnetek customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; Australia; and New Zealand. Magnetek UK's Bedford office will be integrated into CP, which is retaining Magnetek sales and support staff. CP and Magnetek have worked together "on countless previous projects in the elevator and escalator sector," CP Director Tony Young said, and the acquisition, which involved only the Magnetek U.K. office, represents an extension of the existing partnership.

Image credit: courtesy of CP Automation

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MITSUBISHI ELEVATOR ORDER FOR LAOS GOVERNMENT BUILDING

MELCO Elevator Lao Sole Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Elevator (Thailand) Co., Ltd., won an order to supply 14 elevators and four escalators to the new National Assembly building under construction in Vientiane, Laos, Mitsubishi Electric announced. Replacing an assembly building built in 1991, the new, 35,000-m2 building will have six floors, including one below ground. It will be served by NEXIEZ-MR elevators and Z type escalators. Mitsubishi Electric observes the equipment is energy efficient, with the elevators using a gearless traction machine with a permanent-magnet motor and the escalators equipped with an user-detection sensor that means the units operate only when being used.

Image credit: submitted by Mitsubishi Electric

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

THE ELLIES 2020 WINNERS ANNOUNCED

ELEVATOR WORLD has announced the winners of The Ellies 2020, the third annual awards program honoring companies nominated by and voted on by the industry. From big OEMs to independents known for their areas of expertise — plus a few repeat winners — this year’s honorees reflect the diverse and specialized talent found in our industry. EW would like to congratulate all winners and thank the nominees and the industry for making The Ellies 2020 a success. Stay tuned for more on The Ellies 2021, including updated categories and how to make a nomination.

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

KONE TO SUPPLY 90 VT UNITS FOR SINGAPORE'S PUNGGOL DISTRICT

KONE has won an order for 90 vertical-transportation (VT) units for the Punggol Digital District in Singapore, the company announced on September 1. The Punggol development is a 50-ha smart, sustainable project meant to be a testbed for new concepts in living, working and delivering services. It will be home to a business park, residences, a market village and the Singapore Institute of Technology, and will include buildings up to 55 m tall, or 12 stories. The Punggol District is being developed by JTC and designed by WOHA Architects. KONE is supplying the business park with 40 MonoSpace® and 22 MiniSpace™ elevators, and 28 TravelMaster™ TM110 escalators. The VT system will be equipped with the company's destination control system and E-Link™ facility management tool.

Image credit: courtesy of JTC

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