Elevator World

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

NEII NEWS: REVISED GUIDE AND A TRANSITION

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) recently announced its Elevator & Escalator Industry Cybersecurity Best Practices guide has been revised and that its Director of Government Affairs Dylan Isenberg is leaving this month to attend Temple University Beasley School of Law. With NEII for more than three years, Isenberg is credited with passing legislation in Louisiana, negotiating amnesty for civil fines in Massachusetts and assisting companies with tariff issues. An announcement on Isenberg’s replacement will be made soon. After contacting global cybersecurity company Symantec in 2019 to conduct a peer review of the best-practices guide, initially released in April 2019 (ELENET 781), NEII added a new terminology section and an expanded section on operational cybersecurity to it.

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

MANCHESTER APPROVES PLAN FOR TWO 52-STORY TOWERS

City officials in Manchester, U.K., have approved plans by architect SimpsonHaugh for a mixed-use project of two high-rise residential towers joined by a podium with ground-floor retail units, Architects' Journal reported on August 3. The towers, standing 52 stories each, are named Blade and Cylinder and will hold 855 apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms. The project, by developer Rennaker, will include 244 parking spaces for residents, a 389-space public parking lot and a new primary school. The project constitutes the second phase of Rennaker's Crown Street regeneration development. Blade and Cylinder will stand next to two phase-one towers, also designed by SimpsonHaugh, which are under construction. Those buildings are to rise 21 and 51 stories.

Image credit: courtesy of SimpsonHaugh

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

ACQUISITION COMPLETE; THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR INDEPENDENT

The acquisition of thyssenkrupp Elevator by private-equity firms Advent International and Cinven is complete, with all relevant regulatory authorities approving the transaction, thyssenkrupp Elevator announced on July 31. "The successful closing marks a new chapter in our history," CEO Peter Walker said. Advent and Cinven said they aim to grow thyssenkrupp Elevator through organic growth; carefully targeted acquisitions, particularly in Asia; energy-efficient product development; and R&D. As part of the change in ownership, thyssenkrupp Elevator will relocate its global headquarters from Essen to Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2021. With operations worldwide and more than 50,000 employees, thyssenkrupp Elevator had sales of EUR8 billion (US$9.4 billion) in 2018-2019. Service is its most important business, with approximately 1.4 million units under maintenance and more than 24,000 service technicians globally. Its stable service business allowed thyssenkrupp Elevator to "demonstrate its fundamental resilience" throughout the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as it "ensured ongoing mobility in. . .healthcare facilities and public buildings."

Image credit: © O2

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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 CHINA OPENS NEW ESCALATOR FACTORY IN SHANGHAI

Otis China recently announced the official opening of its new escalator factory in Shanghai, a facility with intelligent manufacturing and advanced automation that meets Industry 4.0 standards. The factory, relocated from South China to its new home in East China, meets Otis' global quality standards, the company said. It will employ 3D modeling, custom engineering and real-time quality control to enhance both the finished products and the factory's efficiency. Perry Zheng, president, Otis China, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that the factory, which will produce high-performance escalators and moving walks, will serve a global market.

Image credit: courtesy of Otis

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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 JINAN METRO LINE R2 WITH 107 ESCALATORS

KONE will deliver 107 escalators to the first phase of the Metro Line R2 in Jinan, China, the company announced on July 28. Jinan, the capital of eastern China's Shandong province, has traditionally been a major bus transportation hub, but the city opened its first metro line in 2019. Metro Line R2 will total 36.4 km in length, with most of it — 34.5 km —underground. The 19-station line will connect major areas of Jinan, including the old town, the newer part of the city in the west and the Jinan High-tech Industrial Development Zone in the eastern part of the city. It will also connect to existing metro lines R1 and R3. KONE will equip 10 of the stations with 107 TransitMaster™ escalators. The contract also includes two years of standard maintenance. Construction of the line is expected to complete at the end of 2020. Hitachi previously won an order for 118 escalators in nine of the line’s stations.

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

ELEVATOR INDUSTRY COVID-19 SURVEY RESULTS ANALYSIS

Elevator World, Inc.; the German elevator association VFA Interlift e.V. and fair organizer AFAG, in association with Credit Suisse, recently shared results of a survey of elevator industry representatives on the current industry status and anticipated effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on business. Credit Suisse Managing Director and Head of European Capital Goods Equity Research Andre Kukhnin assisted with preparation of a chart analysis, including breakdowns by country, of the results (excluding China, as only three of the nearly 600 responses were from that country). Calculating results using a method akin to the widely followed, evenly balanced Purchasing Manager Index, observations include:

• Overall assessment of the current economic situation leans toward “challenging,” with 34% answering “bad,” 26%, “good” and the remaining 40% “neutral.”

• Industry associations are most negative in their outlook versus pre-pandemic times

• Manufacturers and service providers are least negative in their outlook versus pre-pandemic times

• Overall, the industry outlook is slightly cautious, with 29% expecting unfavorable development over the next six months, half expecting stability and 19% expecting favorable development. Respondents from Europe and North America were less negative.

• In terms of business outlook, industry associations are most cautious in their pandemic-era outlook, followed by manufacturers/components suppliers and consultants/service providers.

• The most-cited business-limiting factor is COVID-19-related restrictions, followed by economic uncertainty and lagging demand.

• Those in Europe and North America plan to maintain current levels of employment over the next three months, but those in the Asia-Pacific region do not.

• New equipment providers in Europe anticipate business to be up to 10% below pre-COVID-19 levels, while modernization providers, expect the firms to be only 3% below previous levels.

Image credit: by Gerd Altmann for Pixabay

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

“TREMENDOUS ADDITION” TO NYC SKYLINE HITS MILESTONE

Construction on One Vanderbilt, a 77-story supertall office tower described as a "tremendous addition to the Midtown skyline” in NYC, hit a milestone earlier this month when its 100-ft-tall architectural spire was replaced, New York YIMBY reports. The spire was initially erected in September 2019 for the topping-out ceremony, then disassembled in December to allow construction cranes full access to the 1,401-ft.-tall structure. Kohn Pederson Fox designed One Vanderbilt, which will be served by a Schindler vertical-transportation system. The source said the most-anticipated feature of the supertall is its 1,000-ft-high The Summit outdoor observatory, designed by Snøhetta and set to open in October 2021.

Image credit: by Michael Young for New York YIMBY

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

“EXTREMELY COMPLEX BUILD” IS A WRAP IN MELBOURNE CBD

A project comprising a 38-story, 43,000-m2 office tower and a 255-room hotel that contractor Multiplex described as "an extremely complex build" is complete in the Melbourne, Australia, CBD, The Urban Developer reports. Boasting a Schindler vertical-transportation system, 80 Collins Street is owned by Australian property giant Dexus and was designed by Woods Bagot and UN Studio. Graham Cottam of Multiplex observed the job involved 7,000 mT of structural steel and 30,000 m3 of concrete, and called for the office tower to cantilever over existing buildings. This, he said, was "the first time this engineering feat has been achieved on such a scale."

Image credit: courtesy of Woods Bagot

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

IN MEMORIAM: DAVID “BURT” SPAETHE

David "Burt" Spaethe of Richmond, Indiana, a longtime elevator man who remained involved in the industry throughout his life, passed away unexpectedly on July 20 at age 89. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Spaethe retired from Elevator Equipment Corp. (EECO) of Richmond in 2008 after a more-than-50-year career. In 1995, he moved to Richmond, where he joined EECO as package division manager with more than 40 years of hydraulic elevator experience. Spaethe previously owned the former White-Evans Elevator Co. in Indianapolis, going on to serve as vice president of Canton Elevator, Inc. in Canton, Ohio. He corresponded with ELEVATOR WORLD, and conducted educational sessions and roundtable discussions on hydraulic elevators at NAESA International and National Association of Elevator Contractors events. Survivors include wife, Sally; children, Rebekah, Deborah, David, Thomas and Paul; 18 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

Image credit: by Giani Pratea for Pixabay

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

PRYSMIAN GROUP TO ACQUIRE EHC GLOBAL

Prysmian Group announced on July 22 it will acquire 100% of EHC Global, "a complementary add-on to Prysmian's Draka Elevator business." Draka offers more than 7,000 components for the vertical-transportation (VT) industry and generated more than EUR250 million (US$289.3 million) in revenue in 2019. Draka products can be found in iconic skyscrapers, including those in Hudson Yards in NYC, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and The Shard in London. Headquartered in Oshawa, Canada, with manufacturing and distribution facilities in North America, South America, Europe and China, EHC Global, a supplier of escalator handrails and other VT components, generated revenue of CAD119 million (US$88.5 million) and realized earnings exceeding CAD18 million (US$13.39 million) in 2019. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Image credit: courtesy of EHC Global

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

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