Elevator World

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

GTBFT COMMITMENT SIGNED BY WORLDWIDE REPRESENTATIVES

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) recently reported on the recommitment of the North American, European and Asia Pacific region elevator and escalator associations to achieve global technical barrier-free trade (GTBFT). The formal commitment to a common line of actions to achieve GTBFT is to promote and improve safety and to facilitate technological innovation and the free movement of goods worldwide. NEII joined the European Lift Association, European Elevator Association, China Elevator Association, Pacific Asia Lift and Escalator Association, European Federation for Elevator Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, European Platform and Stairlift Association, European Lift Components Association, National Elevator & Escalator Association, Associacao Elevadores do Mercosul and (for the first time) the National Lift Union of Russia under the “World Elevator Federation” banner. “Worldwide acceptance of the International Organization for Standardization prescriptive standards is also part of the agreement that will lead to an efficient global approach for building transportation equipment that can be used by all manufacturers and installers,” NEII added.

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

KONE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE OVER THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the “widely rumored” chances KONE will initiate a takeover of thyssenkrupp Elevator. It added that the segment could be sold to the Finnish manufacturer or another rival OEM such as Otis before its initial public offering announced in May (ELENET 787). As its EUR14-billion (US$15.8-billion) potential stock valuation is almost double that of the rest of the parent company, cost savings a merger could bring would be substantial, the source reports. In addition to KONE having long been interested in buying the segment, it is called “underrepresented in North America and strong in China, a weak spot for thysssenkrupp.” Regardless, the projection is that the valuation gap with KONE and Schindler should narrow.

Image credit: Babs Muller from 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.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

EFESME GENERAL ASSEMBLY HELD IN ROME

The last European Federation for Elevator Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (EFESME) General Assembly and Board of Directors Meeting were held on June 19 at the headquarters of Confartigianato Imprese in Rome. Confartigianato Imprese President Bruno Venditti invited EFESME to the premises of the Italian organization of crafts and micro and small businesses. Representatives of EFESME-member national organizations discussed the numerous technical and political activities carried out during the first half of 2019 and expressed satisfaction with achievements so far. They also shared optimism for the projects to be developed in the coming months. Emphasis was again placed on digitalization, which will be the focus of the next Small Business Standards (SBS) Lift Seminar, on October 17 in Augsburg, Germany, during Interlift. The importance of EFESME’s collaboration with the European Commission and SBS was also stressed, and EFESME thanked Confartigianato Imprese for its hospitality.

Image credit: Kookay from 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.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

LIBERTY ELEVATOR EXPERTS EXPANDS

Liberty Elevator Experts, LLC, Newark, Delaware, has expanded nationally with a series of planned acquisitions over the past several months: QEI, LLC; Ron Farley, Inc.; Empire Elevator Inspections, LLC; and Vertical Transportation Equipment Solutions, LLC. Liberty provides design, engineering, consulting, inspection, contract compliance and educational services throughout the U.S. The company has also added new products, including remote monitoring, uptime performance tracking, automated inspection monitoring and reporting.

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

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

THYSSENKRUPP ACQUIRES LONGTIME DISTRIBUTOR O’KEEFE

thyssenkrupp Elevator has acquired Omaha, Nebraska-based O'Keefe Elevator, which has more than 120 employees and been led by members of the O'Keefe family for more than 100 years. The largest full-service elevator company serving Nebraska and Iowa, O'Keefe has been thyssenkrupp Elevator's exclusive distributor since 1947. Notable O'Keefe new installations in Omaha include First National Bank Tower, Union Pacific Center and Creighton University, while modernizations include WoodmenLife Tower and Kiewit Plaza in Omaha and Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines, Iowa. thyssenkrupp tells ELEVATOR WORLD that O'Keefe's existing management structure, including CEO Bret Abels, will remain in place. Announced on July 1, the news follows the recent acquisition of Nashville Machine Elevator (ELENET 789) as thyssenkrupp looks toward continued growth in the U.S. "both by acquisitions and organically."

Image credit: photo courtesy of thyssenkrupp

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

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

REPORT SHOWS INCREASE IN ELEVATOR ENTRAPMENTS IN NASHVILLE

A new report shows Nashville has an increasing problem of people getting stuck in elevators. An investigative story by WSMV looked at the 911 calls for the city from 2017-2019. There were 158 calls of entrapment in 2016, 231 in 2017 and 373 calls since the beginning of 2018. The area with the highest concentration of incidents was the downtown corridor. With a booming construction market, the city gets more elevators each year, and according to Steven Hawkins with the state department of labor, newer elevators have a “settling in” process and work more reliably after a few months. The building with the most elevator entrapments since 2018 (10) is the Public Square Garage on Church Street.

Image credit: Garrett Hill from 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.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

FRACO PARTNERSHIP BRINGS PRODUCTS TO CAROLINAS

A new partnership between Scaffolding Solutions, based in the U.S., and Fraco Products, Ltd., based in Canada, will provide more products to North and South Carolina. With locations in Charlotte, Greensboro and Charleston, Scaffolding Solutions offers estimation, erection, dismantling and project management. The supplier will now also offer Fraco products, such as work platforms, construction hoists, industrial elevators and transportation platforms.

Image credit: Fraco Products

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

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

HARD-HAT TOUR SHOWS PROGRESS ON NYC'S DAHLIA

Dahlia, a 20-story condominium building under construction at 212 West 95th Street on NYC's Upper West Side, opened up for a recent hard-hat tour that revealed floorplans and planned amenities, New York YIMBY reported on June 22. The topped-out tower will hold 38 residential units from two to four bedrooms plus penthouses that range from 1,074 to 2,327 ft2. All will have 10-ft ceilings and open floorplans. European porcelain panels cover exterior walls, and the building features landscaping along West 95th Street. Amenities include a fitness room and yoga studio, a children’s play space, a music room, a game room, a residential lounge, a pet spa, bike storage and a 5,100-ft2 elevated outdoor park that will be landscaped and furnished. The building was designed by CetraRuddy, with RKTB Architects as the architect of record and JRM as the construction manager. United Management worked in conjunction with Certes Partners to develop the property, which is expected to open in Spring 2020.

Image credit: 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.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

BOY’S FOOT FREED FROM ESCALATOR IN SINGAPORE INCIDENT

Singapore Civil Defence Force officers used drills and rescue tools to free a boy’s foot from the edge of an escalator on June 24 at Jewel Changi Airport, a retail/entertainment complex at Changi Airport on the eastern end of Singapore, Mothership is among news outlets to report. The child, whose age was not provided, was assessed by medical personnel onsite and treated at a local hospital. The source noted there have been previous incidents at Jewel Changi Airport, including one in which a 5-year-old boy got his shoe stuck in an escalator. “We advise all shoppers to stay vigilant at all times, especially with children, when riding on escalators,” a Jewel Changi Airport spokesperson told the source.

Image credit: Courtesy of jewelchangiairport.com

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

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Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast.

This week’s news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

OTIS TO OUTFIT WTC CHENNAI WITH COMPREHENSIVE VT PACKAGE

Otis India will outfit World Trade Center (WTC) Chennai with a vertical-transportation system that includes 54 3.5 m/s SkyRise® elevators, four escalators and the CompassPlus® destination-dispatch system. The contract was awarded by Brigade Group, which is developing the four-tower, 11-acre project with Government of Singapore Investment Corp. Rising in an established information-technology hub in the Old Mahabalipuram Road District in Chennai, India, WTC Chennai will include the 27-story WTC building — the tallest office tower in the city — a 19-story office tower, a four-story hotel/conference building and a two-story restaurant. Otis India President Sebi Joseph said his team worked closely with partners including NYC-based architecture firm HOK to realize the project, which also includes multimedia elevator interiors, ReGen® energy-efficient drives and the PanoramaTM elevator-management system.

Image credit: Courtesy of Brigade Group

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

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