Elevator World

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast.

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

CTBUH 2019 GLOBAL WALKING TOUR PLANNED ON JUNE 27

At least 28 cities around the world will host the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Urban Design Committee’s 2019 Global Walking Tours on June 27. The tours have been held since 2014 and allow participants to “explore, first-hand, the aspects of urban habitat that make cities great.” In celebration of CTBUH’s 50th anniversary and 10th World Congress, this year’s tours will follow the 50 Forward|50 Back theme, reflecting on the recent history and looking to the sustainable future of cities that this year include Chicago, Copenhagen, Dubai, London, Mumbai, NYC, Sydney and Toronto. In addition to joining a tour, interested parties may follow along on Twitter or Instagram using #CTBUHWalks. More cities are to be added to the tour website along the way.

Image credit: Neil Dodhia 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.

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

GUSTAV WOLF SAYS IT’S READY FOR U.S./CHINA TRADE DISPUTE

Germany-headquartered wire rope manufacturer Gustav Wolf received a new production license from the Chinese government on May 8, observing it is ready for the "approaching dark clouds of the U.S./China trade dispute" with locations including three European, one American and one Chinese factory. Managing Director Dr. Ernst Wolf says his decision to open the facility in Rome, Georgia, is paying off, with it achieving ISO 9001 status and steadily increasing production capacity. The Suzhou, China, location has increased annual output to 10,000 mT and has supplied ropes to projects including Z-15 Tower in Beijing, at 527.7 m the tallest tower in Beijing, which has a KONE elevator system that includes UltraRope®. "Dr. Wolf emphasizes that Gustav Wolf is well aware of its local roots and certainly wants to remain loyal to the city of Gütersloh, Germany, on the one hand," the company said. "On the other hand, every day, we face global competition as we try to meet the challenges of tomorrow."

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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.

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

KONE DELIVERING 169 UNITS FOR TEL AVIV TRANSIT LINE

KONE has won an order to deliver 169 escalators and elevators to the Red Line of Tel Aviv, Israel’s Light Rail Network. The line will operate along a 24-km route, 12 km of which will be underground, and will have 34 stations. KONE will deliver 106 TransitMaster™ escalators and 63 MonoSpace® elevators through a contract that also includes 16 years of maintenance. The Red Line, scheduled to open in 2021, will serve up to 80 million passengers per year. It is being designed and built by NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System, Ltd.

Image credit: 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.

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

EHC GLOBAL OPENS SPAIN FACILITY TO SUPPORT EMEA GROWTH

Escalator handrail, component and services provider EHC Global has opened a facility in Seville, Spain, to support growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Located in the La Negrilla district, the three-story facility houses sales, project management, customer service and administrative offices, as well as provides space for production, assembly and storage. It joins EHC facilities in Santander and Madrid. EHC Global President and CEO Jeno Eppel and Managing Director, Central Region Norman Rosnersky presided over a ribbon cutting on May 17. Miguel Chías González-Blanch, general manager, Spain & Portugal, observed, "Our new facility will enable us to meet the growing demands and future needs of our customers in the region."

Image credit: EHC Global

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

PROPOSED MANHATTAN JAIL TOWER SPARKS HEATED DEBATE

A proposed 45-story jail tower at 125 White Street in Lower Manhattan sparked heated debate during public hearings earlier this month, with Tribeca, Chinatown and Soho residents raising concerns including cost, shadows cast by the structure and a loss of history, The Architect's Newspaper reports. Part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to close Rikers Island and replace it with four borough-based jails, the White Street structure would replace 13- and nine-story towers that make up the Manhattan Detention Complex, also known as The Tombs, which includes an Art Deco/Art Moderne tower. Together, the four new jails would cost roughly US$11 billion, while renovating Rikers, some tower opponents said, would cost only US$1 billion. Building a tower would result in larger inmate cells, better lighting and ventilation and additional programs. A de Blasio spokesman said Rikers, home to approximately 9,000 inmates, is "too archaic and old" to be renovated.

Image credit: Beyond My Ken

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

KONE, SCHINDLER REPORTEDLY EYEING THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR

In the wake of thyssenkrupp AG announcing plans to launch its elevator business in an initial public offering (IPO), rather than splitting the company in two, KONE and Schindler are reportedly exploring the viability of a bid, Reuters is among news outlets to report. The source observes thyssenkrupp’s EUR14-billion (US$15.7-billion) elevator division is its most profitable. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” Reuters says it is unclear if such a deal would face “significant antitrust hurdles similar to thyssenkrupp’s failed joint venture with [India’s] Tata Steel” or if KONE could fund an all-cash deal. That is why thyssenkrupp management, they say, prefer an IPO. KONE approached thyssenkrupp about an elevator merger in 2016, and KONE’s top investor Antti Herlin is now working with Bank of America to study options. Schindler is also expected to study options, but a source says antitrust issues would be more likely in that case, since thyssenkrupp and Schindler have greater geographic overlap than thyssenkrupp and KONE. “We’ve been saying for years that consolidation would make sense in our industry, and our thinking has not changed,” a KONE spokeswoman said.

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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.

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

NYC GRANTS SITE SAFETY TRAINING EXTENSION

An amendment to NYC Labor Law 196 has extended the deadline for the second compliance date of new construction site safety training to June 1, 2020 (previously June 1, 2019). The final date remains September 1, 2020. However, according to National Elevator Industry, Inc. Vice-President, Codes & Safety Kevin L. Brinkman, an OSHA 10 card (certifying the 10-hour class has been completed) is still required, and some local contractors are already requiring the additional training. The second compliance date will require an OSHA 30 card, with the final one requiring an OSHA 40 card, The Real Deal reported last week.

Image credit: Quinn Kampschroer 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.

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

ELEVATOR PROJECT DELAYS AT TTC STATION SPARK FRUSTRATION

Completion of a three-story disabled-access elevator at the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Dupont Station has missed three target dates — the first in late 2017 — leaving disabled-rights activists frustrated and disappointed, the CBC reports. Work is 54% complete on the Dupont Station Easier Access Project, launched in 2014. Located at a busy intersection in The Annex neighborhood, the job involves challenges such as fitting new elevators into an older structure, preserving the subway station’s trademark murals and minimizing impact on utilities. TTC says the financially troubled elevator installer is to blame for the delays and has barred it from bidding on future projects. The commission is working with the company’s insurer to determine a new completion date, which will be “sometime in 2020 at the earliest.”

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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.

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

U.K.-BASED KAPOK 88 GAINS A DISTRIBUTOR IN ESTONIA

Long Bennington, U.K.-based KAPOK 88, which provides custom and modular protective drapes for elevators, has gained its seventh distributor: Adduco OÜ of Tallinn, Estonia. Adduco became an official KAPOK 88 distributor after receiving positive feedback from private and corporate customers. "The Adduco team is forward-thinking and committed, and this has led to their becoming the second-largest removal company in Estonia, with ambition to continue their growth domestically and internationally, “ Richard B. Annable, managing director of KAPOK 88, said. “Becoming a KAPOK 88 distributor adds real value to their brand and, I hope, will contribute to their goal of becoming number one."

Image credit: courtesy of Adduco

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

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This week’s news podcast is sponsored by LIFTEX

IPO FOR THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR PART OF NEW STRATEGY

The executive board of thyssenkrupp AG has proposed to the supervisory board its elevator business be launched in an initial public offering (IPO), rather than splitting the company in two as thyssenkrupp Industrials and thyssenkrupp Materials. The move is part of what the executive board describes as a “fundamental strategic realignment” announced on May 10. The move is expected to end antitrust proceedings of the European Commission related to thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG’s alleged role in suspected cartel agreements. thyssenkrupp and India’s Tata Steel assume the planned joint venture will be blocked by the commission in light of concerns not resolved by a market survey done in the wake of several concessions by the steel giants. thyssenkrupp plans to reintegrate its Steel Europe business back into the group in the third quarter of this fiscal year. “The economic downturn and its effects on business development and the current capital market have led to the separation not being able to be realized as planned,” the company said. “Instead, thyssenkrupp will fundamentally realign itself to significantly improve operating performance.”

Image credit: thyssenkrupp

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

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