Elevator World

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

ALL SHANGHAI ELEVATORS TO HAVE EMERGENCY QR CODE

A QR code that allows riders to alert authorities and maintenance workers when they are stuck inside a stalled elevator will be in use in all 270,000 elevators in Shanghai by the end of September, Shine reported on July 3. By scanning the “Shanghai smart elevator” code, riders can access basic information about the elevator, such as its location, to report problems. If trapped, they can alert authorities, property management staff and maintenance and repair workers by scanning the code and then entering the city's intelligent elevator-monitoring system. The system allows users to check the rescue process in real time and track rescue workers via their cellphones. "The whole process is visible, which will ease their anxiety while waiting," said Zhang Yusong of the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.

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

TWIN CITIES ELEVATORS PREPARE FOR WORKERS' RETURN

As workers return to downtown office buildings in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, observers say the way elevators are used is set to change, the Star Tribune reported on July 3. Social distancing stickers, tape marking standing areas and antimicrobial button covers were among the measures being taken. A touchless elevator is already installed in the yet-to-open, US$214-million Dayton’s redevelopment project inside the former Macy’s department store in Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, according to a spokesperson for Chicago-based Telos Group, which is redeveloping the 12-story property. Other technology going into city elevators includes voice and cell-phone controls. to activate elevators. Some units have antimicrobial elevator button covers or hourly disinfection. Other measures include ultraviolet lamps, antimicrobial dust filters, foot controls and software limiting elevator capacity. “What COVID-19 is doing is accelerating trends in every aspect,” said Jim Montez, vice president of Transwestern, the firm that manages Dayton’s leasing.

Image credit: courtesy by Skeeze 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

THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR TO RELOCATE GERMANY HEADQUARTERS

thyssenkrupp Elevator announced it will move its headquarters in the first quarter of 2021 from Essen to Düsseldorf, the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The OEM will occupy more than 9,000 m2 in the Wings Building, which is owned by Commerz Real and near the Düsseldorf International Airport. There will also be 500 m2 of outdoor space where colleagues can meet and exchange ideas. "The relocation reflects our independence as a global company,” thyssenkrupp Elevator CEO Peter Walker said. “Moreover, it provides us with the opportunity to create headquarters that are precisely designed to meet the criteria of a modern and efficient globally operating company, while giving us the chance to open up many new perspectives regarding the way of working for our employees."

Image credit: courtesy by © O2

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

LONDON SKYSCRAPERS FACE AN UNCERTAIN COVID FUTURE

With many large corporations realizing working remotely saves money and doesn’t reduce productivity, office skyscrapers in London — both existing and planned — face an uncertain future in the COVID-19 era, The Guardian reports. Firms are downsizing or giving up their in-office staff, including insurer Lloyds of London, which closed its underwriting room in London’s Square Mile in March for the first time in more than 300 years. Lloyd’s plans to reopen it in August, but at only a fraction of capacity. Deloitte consultants predict office tower construction delays of up to six months, with completions scheduled for this year pushed to 2021. Observing that “behavioral science is unique to [the COVID-19] crisis,” Mat Oakley of property firm Savills says he is confident London’s office market will bounce back. The only question is when.

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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

SPECULATIONS, UPDATES ON REVISING ELEVATOR CULTURE

The New York Times recently reported on “strict new rules to govern elevator culture,” with employers and managers apparently settling on supporting the following mandates: a maximum of four people per car, designated standing spots, masks, forward-facing positions and no talking. Elevator consultants are being hired to help plan the best way to get riders to their destinations at low risk. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially weighs in, it is expected to recommend limiting the number of elevator riders (to an indeterminate number), arrows showing different paths to get on and off, masks and signs urging people to “not talk unless you have to,” according to Nancy Clark Burton, a CDC senior industrial hygienist. For escalators, it is to advise one rider every other step and hand sanitizer at the top of each unit. Dr. Richard Corsi, dean of engineering and computer science at Portland State University, calculated that if a coronavirus-infected person rode 10 floors, coughing once and talking on a smartphone, approximately 25% of the person’s discharge would remain by the time the empty elevator returned to the first floor. Likelihood of transmission is more difficult to gauge, but he determines an elevator being far riskier than standing in a space much less confined for the same amount of time, even indoors.

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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

STEPHENSON JOINS WITTUR AS CEO

The Wittur Group has appointed Tom Stephenson CEO. Stephenson has more than 15 years' upper-level management experience and "a deep customer and product orientation within a global manufacturing context," according to Wittur. Prior to joining the company, Stephenson led various organizations around the world. In 2009, he became CEO of Dal Group Ltd., the largest conglomerate in Sudan. Prior to that, he was director of group revenue for Avis Europe. Most recently, Stephenson served as CEO at GZ Industries, a sub-Saharan Africa aluminum beverage can manufacturer. He holds a degree in Economics and International Relations from the University of Birmingham in the U.K., as well as an MBA from INSEAD.

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

CORONAVIRUS DELAYS CHICAGO OBSERVATORY CONSTRUCTION

Because it involves putting people in close quarters on elevators, including the tallest exterior glass elevator in North America, the US$185-million plan to build an observatory atop Aon Center, Chicago’s third-tallest skyscraper at 1,136 ft., has been delayed by coronavirus, the Chicago Tribune reports. Property owner 601W and tourist attraction operator Legends originally planned to start construction on Sky Summit this fall and open it in 2022. That has been pushed back nearly a year, with opening now planned in 2023. According to Aon Center General Manager Matthew Amato, the project is temporarily halted “in part to provide more time for a potential treatment or cure for coronavirus, and to see if any aspects need to be redesigned.” In addition to the exterior glass elevator, on the drawing board are a 9,000-ft2 pavilion and a two-level observatory with an entrance to a thrill ride on the 83rd floor.

Image credit: courtesy of Solomon Cordwell Buenz

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

WAIVERS MAY NOT PROTECT BUSINESSES FROM COVID-19 LIABILITY

Waivers don't necessarily protect businesses from COVID-19 liability, a litigation defense attorney says in a June 22 report by Canadian Underwriter. John Olah, whose expertise includes liability of ski resorts and hotels, said a waiver is only a part of the overall risk-mitigation strategy. Regarding the pandemic, Olah said even with a waiver, it is still “critical for commercial entities to act reasonably and appropriately in conjunction with the best medicine that we have, with best practices, whether it be wearing a mask, whether it be social distancing, whether it be cleaning on a regular basis.” Also, he said, a COVID-19 waiver must be drafted for the specific situation, rather than simply copying and pasting wording from an unrelated waiver form. Olah said the effectiveness of waivers won't really be known until they are tested in court, but if the business did not take precautions, such as sanitizing surfaces and enforcing social distancing and the wearing of masks, a court could rule the waiver unenforceable.

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

LIFT AI, MBTA EMBARK ON PILOT ELEVATOR-MONITORING PROGRAM

In partnership with Newark, Delaware-based Liberty Elevator Experts, Internet of Things company Lift AI is starting a pilot elevator-monitoring program with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) under a two-year contract with two one-year options. The program will start with 10 elevators and, if deemed successful, be rolled out to additional elevators. The package includes set pricing for hardware and software and staff training for one year. If successful, the MBTA will use grant money to purchase additional remote-monitoring systems. Monitoring is set to start in a few weeks. MBTA tells ELEVATOR WORLD that, currently, elevator outages are reported manually as they are discovered, and the data is entered into a maintenance software tracking tool, which then publishes to the MBTA website and other digital channels. MBTA seeks to trial real-time monitoring to potentially automate the reporting of elevator outages to ensure that customers do not encounter elevators that are unknowingly out of service. MBTA adds that monitoring elevators over time will also allow it to better plan for upgrades and replacements.

Image credit: courtesy of MBTA

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

PLAN INCLUDING ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S TALLEST COMMENCES

Phase one of a multibillion-dollar plan that includes a 108-story tower that would be one of Australia's tallest is set to start construction in Southport, providing a boost to an economy battered by COVID-19, The Urban Developer reports. Developed by Azzura Investments and designed by Kris Kowalski Architects, Imperial Square calls for four towers, the smallest of which — the 18-story Regal Residences — represents phase one. It will include 145 apartments, a 200-room hotel and amenities such as an infinity pool, a gymnasium, an executive lounge and restaurants at 59-73 Meron Street. Construction of the supertall is at least five years away, but phase one will generate approximately 300 jobs in the meantime, a Southport city leader said.

Image credit: courtesy of Azzura Investments

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

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