Elevator World

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

ALIMAK CEO GUNLEIKSRUD TO LEAVE COMPANY THIS YEAR

Alimak Group President and CEO Tormod Gunleiksrud has informed the board of directors that he plans to leave his position this year, the company announced on January 15. Gunleiksrud, who took the position in November 2012, came to Stockholm-based Alimak from ABB in Switzerland, where he was manager of Operational Excellence for the Robotics Business Unit. Prior to that, he had served as president and regional manager North Asia for ABB Robotics, stationed in Shanghai. At the time of his appointment, Alimak said Gunleiksrud was "a perfect match to the future challenges of the group," citing his background in industrial businesses and his experience in China. Alimak made several key acquisitions during Gunleiksrud's tenure, effectively doubling the size of the company. The company statement said the board has begun evaluating potential successors. Alimak manufactures lifts and hoists for industrial uses, such as temporary construction elevators and permanent lifts in industrial settings. It has a global presence, with sales offices and distributorships in more than 100 countries.

Image credit: courtesy of Alimak Group

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

NEII HAS A BUSY 2019

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) gave a review of 2019 in its newsletter, NEII Insider. It highlighted industry advocacy victories including dissuading “the City of New York from requiring elevator control rooms and other restrictions on elevator designs that would have added costs and other challenges without additional safety benefits” and aiding in implementing an amnesty program offered by the Massachusetts Department of Professional Licensing allowing customers a 75% reduction on all civil fines predating 2018. In addition to other victories in Michigan, Washington, Louisiana, Denver and California, the organization said President of Otis Americas and President of NEII Board of Directors Tom Vining’s advocacy for reduced tariffs on elevator and escalator components before the U.S. Trade Representative (in addition to other NEII efforts) led to the exclusion of several elevator and escalator components from increased tariffs. NEII representatives maintained active participation in code development processes, and its member companies had an updated “Arc Flash Study” conducted. Recommendations from it will be used to enhance the Elevator Industry Field Employees’ Safety Handbook this year. It also launched its new website, and the NEII office was moved to 10504 Turning Leaf Lane, Spotsylvania, Virginia 22551. Phone numbers are unchanged.

Image credit: courtesy of NEII

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

BROOKFIELD, TEMASEK TEAM UP FOR THYSSENKRUPP BID

Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management and Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings are planning to put in a bid for thyssenkrupp’s prized EUR15-billion (US$16.6-billion) elevator division, several news outlets, including Reuters, reported on January 10. thyssenkrupp has been under pressure from shareholders after numerous profit warnings. It plans to sell all or part of its elevator business, the world’s fourth-largest industry player and by far thyssenkrupp’s most profitable asset. It set a January 13 deadline for binding bids. The Brookfield-Temasek team is the latest bidder to become publicly known. Others include a consortium consisting of Blackstone, Carlyle and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, and another composed of Advent, Cinven and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Other OEMs said to be in the race are KONE, which may team with private equity firm CVC, and Hitachi Elevator. thyssenkrupp’s board planned to meet on January 15 to discuss the sale and was expected to narrow the field of bidders for a final round of talks.

Image credit: by Lutz Marl for flickr

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

STUDENTS' APP ALERTS CTA RIDERS TO BROKEN ELEVATORS

A class project undertaken by two Loyola University Chicago graduate students has resulted in a smartphone app that alerts Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) riders when elevators are broken down at the rail system's "L" stations, Block Club Chicago reports. When Tyler Arndt and Sam Siner, students in Loyola's graduate software engineering program, were assigned a class project, they focused on creating an app that would be useful to people in the community. Their idea was "Elevate Chicago," an app that informs people when elevators are out of service at “L” stations. About 70% of the stations have elevators, but the two said breakdowns are common. Elevate Chicago can tell riders if the elevators at their preferred stations are out of service. It also offers push notifications, which give users elevator information about without having to open the app. It's currently available for Android phones only, but Arndt and Siner are working on an iOS version for Apple phones.

Image credit: screen grab via Google Play

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

2019 “NEW BUILDING REPORT” PAINTS NYC REAL ESTATE PICTURE

New York YIMBY's 2019 "New Building Report," released this month, paints a thorough picture of the commercial real estate scenario across NYC boroughs in 2019 and 2020. The report reveals trends, and winners and "losers" as developers react to factors like legislative pressure and shifting demand. The residential construction momentum from 2017 through 2018, when the number of filings for new residential units with the NYC Department of Buildings rose from 20,393 to 34,039, continued in the 2019 timeframe. From 2018 to 2019, these filings increased 7.1% to 36,467. A push for additional affordable housing helped drive the numbers, which saw shifts in the boroughs: The biggest gain was in the Bronx, which overtook Queens with 9,321 unit filings, a gain of 25% from 7,449 in 2018. What the source described as "sweeping" legislative reforms for commercial property and shifting hotel markets resulted in the hotel sector suffering a 31.2% drop in new hotel room filings, from 5,519 to 3,797 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In terms of overall height, "2019 gained substantially on 2018," with 56 permits filed for buildings at least 200 ft tall in 2019, compared to 36 such permits in 2018. The full report is available in spreadsheet form for US$199.

Image credit: by David Mark 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

TJEI ESTABLISHES TRAINING, DISTRIBUTION FACILITY IN INDIA

Toshiba Johnson Elevators (India) Pvt. Ltd. (TJEI) recently announced the opening of its Training Center and Distribution Center in Chennai, India. The training facility is designed to improve the competence and expertise of field engineers for elevator sales, installation and maintenance, the company says. The complex will also have a storage area for elevator components to be used for installation and maintenance, and will function as a reliability center equipped with various quality-control facilities.

Image credit: courtesy of Toshiba Johnson Elevators India via Japan NEWS

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

IEE EXPO 2020 ORGANIZERS FORESEE BUSY, INFORMATIVE EVENT

Organizers of the eighth edition of the International Elevator and Escalator (IEE) Expo, planned on February 27-29 in Mumbai, said more than 100 exhibitors had secured spaces “to transform into magnificent real-life examples of elevators and escalators and give visitors a personalized experience of the latest high-end elevator technologies.” The team from Messe Frankfurt learned attendees — including architects, developers, government entities and urban planners — will be on the lookout for high-quality elevator interior finishes, lighting options and energy-saving features for multiple projects. Godrej Properties Ltd. Manager of Procurement Punam Ingle, Sr. said the company is developing approximately 30 projects across India that will need innovative, aesthetically pleasing elevators. Metro and railway systems will be looking for high-capacity, energy-efficient elevator and escalator systems with remote monitoring and alarm systems. For more information, visit the Messe Frankfurt expo website.

Image credit: courtesy of Messe Frankfurt

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: SIMHA LUSTIG

Simha Lustig of Tel Aviv, Israel, founder of Eng. S. Lustig Consulting Engineers (ESL) — the first vertical-transportation (VT) consultancy in Israel — passed away on December 7, 2019, at age 93. Lustig and his wife, Rita, both Holocaust survivors, immigrated to Israel in 1950 following Lustig's graduation from the University of Bratislava in Slovakia with a degree in Electrical Engineering. His career began when he joined a local elevator company as an engineer, going on to start ESL in 1956. ESL was, and still is, involved in many prestigious projects developed in Israel, as well as internationally, over the last 70 years.

As chairman of the Israeli Elevator and Escalator Technical Committee, Lustig instigated creation of all new Israeli VT standards, as well as adapted many European ones. He was a longtime representative of Israel on ISO Technical Committee 178, Working Group 6. Lustig lent his knowledge and experience to the development of many new international standards and revisions of several others. Since 1986, he had been country coordinator for the International Association of Elevator Engineers and an active member of many local technical associations and committees. Survivors include children, longtime ELEVATOR WORLD contributor and correspondent and CEO of ESL Ami Lustig, Dubi and Hagit; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Image credit: Simha Lustig of Tel Aviv

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

NEW YORK GOVERNOR APPROVES ELEVATOR LICENSING BILL

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has approved a bill requiring licensing of the state's elevator mechanics but, in a deal worked out with lawmakers, has delayed it taking effect until January 2022, the New York Post reports. The bill was introduced after an August 2019 incident in which a man was crushed to death in an elevator in a Kips Bay apartment building. The "Elevator Safety Act" requires the state Labor Department to license mechanics and others involved in elevator maintenance; requires more extensive training and education; and creates a nine-member Elevator Contractors License and an Elevator Safety and Standards Board. It originally was written to take effect in June but the Legislature pushed it back in a compromise with the governor's office. However, the law moves up the date for NYC officials to comply with mechanic licensing from three years to two and allows the city's Department of Buildings to enact stricter licensing requirements.

Image credit: courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, by Patrick Cashin

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

SUPERTALL OBSERVATION DECK SET TO OPEN IN MARCH IN NYC

The Edge at the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed 30 Hudson Yards, at 1,131 ft the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, is set to open on March 11, New York YIMBY reported in December 2019. The Edge has 7,500 ft2 of walkable space, including a glass-bottomed section and transparent glass panels that slope out around the perimeter for those seeking extra thrills. Developed by Related Cos. and Oxford Properties Group, the 1,296-ft-tall 30 Hudson Yards is the tallest structure in the first phase of the Hudson Yards megadevelopment. The supertall will soon be joined by shorter skyscrapers to the north near the Jacob K. Javits Center. Ticket prices for The Edge include US$36 for adults for general admission.

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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