Elevator World

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com NIPPON OTIS TOUCHLESS ELEVATOR BUTTONS FOR SAPPORO FACTORY As a COVID-19 infection-prevention measure, operators of the Sapporo Factory in Hokkaido, Japan, selected Nippon Otis to install touchless elevator buttons in the retail complex's elevators, Otis announced in October. Infrared sensors enable visitors to call elevators, open and close elevator doors and select destination floors by bringing a finger up to 2 cm in front of the sensor. Containing approximately 160 stores and restaurants, Sapporo Factory is a large commercial complex built on the site of the former Sapporo beer brewery, founded in Hokkaido in 1876. A top tourist attraction, its seven buildings feature brick architecture from the factory days and soaring atriums. Image credit: courtesy of Sapporo Real Estate Co., Ltd. To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscrib

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com NYC DoB PROPOSES MAJOR PROJECTS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM NYC Department of Buildings (DoB) has proposed the voluntary Major Projects Development Program aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of tall-building and other major projects throughout the five boroughs, New York Construction Report was among outlets to report in October. Since the program was conceived under the DoB’s rule-making process, which relies on public input, a public hearing is set to be hosted by the department on November 22. Provided on a first-come, first-served basis and involving an unspecified fee, the program would be open to developers of proposed projects of at least 20 stories or 500,000 ft2 and alteration projects that add at least 100,000 ft2 to an existing structure, along with any others deemed eligible. Participating projects would receive help with zoning and code-compliance planning; phasing

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com KONE ELEVATORS FOR TALLEST RESIDENTIAL SKYSCRAPER IN EU Intempo, consisting of a pair of towers joined at the top by a cone-shaped structure and representing the tallest residential skyscraper in the European Union, has made its debut in Benidorm on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, KONE said in October on various social media platforms. "We're proud that we got to be a part of the development of this 47-story building. . .providing nine KONE elevators. Talk about amazing views!" the company said on LinkedIn and Facebook. Designed by Pérez-Guerras Arquitectos & Ingenieros and developed by UNIQ Residential, Intempo houses 256 residences. The project had a bumpy beginning (at one point a rumor circulated that it lacked elevator shafts) and changed ownership in 2019 after construction had halted. New owner SVP Global hired Dragados to handle construction, and the project was delivere

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com KONE TO MODERNIZE SAN FRANCISCO TOWER'S 16 ELEVATORS KONE has won an order for the modernization of all elevators and the installation of KONE Office Flow solutions in San Francisco’s historic Russ Building, a deal that represents the largest modernization in KONE Americas history, the company announced on October 27. It also includes California’s first installation of the Office Flow feature. The Russ Building, considered a San Francisco landmark, is located in the heart of the city’s Financial District. Standing 32 stories, the iconic tower contains a mix of 16 low-, mid- and high-rise elevators, all scheduled for modernization. With Office Flow, the elevators will employ a modular, connected solution that provides touch-free access with predictive elevator call. KONE Destination will improve the elevators’ convenience and efficiency. The company, which has had a long-standing

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com TOSHIBA JOHNSON ELEVATORS (INDIA) TO SUPPLY 168 ELEVATORS Toshiba Johnson Elevators (India) won orders to supply 168 elevators at three flagship projects of RMZ Corp., Telangana Today reports. Toshiba Johnson will install, maintain and operate 63 elevators at Nexity in Hyderabad, 35 elevators at RMZ Spire in Hyderabad and 70 elevators at RMZ Ecoworld 30 in Bengaluru. The company will supply its compact machine-room ELCOSMO-III-L elevators and machine-room-less SPACEL-III and SPACEL-III-L elevator series that incorporate various energy- and time-saving technologies. The company will also offer air purifiers in every lift, turnstile-mounted displays, integration with RMZ software for touchless car calling for the Destination Control System (DCS), and LCD displays with live-feed servers for all passenger lifts. The Elevator Management System allows for monitoring and controlling of

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com IEES IN AMSTERDAM HAS ONE BOOTH AVAILABLE; REGISTRATION OPEN The International Elevator & Escalator Symposium (IEES), scheduled on December 6-7 at Hotel Okura in Amsterdam, has one booth spot available as registration continues. Organized by Liftinstituut and ELEVATOR WORLD, IEES includes an expo and vertical-transportation (VT) experts presenting papers on “The Future of Vertical Transportation in 2030.” International VT executives from KONE, Otis and Schindler are among those scheduled to speak, as well as engineers and VT consultants from Europe, Japan, the Netherlands, North America, Turkey and the U.K. The event will culminate in a panel discussion on the future of VT moderated by John Van Vliet, managing director, Liftinstituut, and composed of Louis Bialy, founder of consultancy Louis Bialy & Associates; Rob Jue, director of New Installations, Schindler; Hilkka Hämäläinen,

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast is presented by Matot Dumbwaiters and Material Lifts. Visit www.Matot.com to learn more SAFETY AWARD PRESENTED TO DAVID COOPER The 2021 Sir Moir Lockhead Safety Award, awarded by the Society of Operations Engineers, has been presented to Eur ing Prof. David Cooper in recognition of tangible improvements in safety, according to an announcement by The Lift & Escalator Consultancy (LECS) (UK) Ltd. According to the release, “Cooper has dedicated an excess of 30 years of his 40-year engineering career to improving the safety of lift and escalator passengers and engineers. His research, analysis and recommendations have had far-reaching impacts and resulted in the implementation of new safety measures around the world.” Cooper’s research into “falls over the sides of escalators by minors” prompted a hugely important change to the European standard, EN 115, where all escalator installations have new designs of guards installed. He also conducted detailed

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast is presented by Matot Dumbwaiters and Material Lifts. Visit www.Matot.com to learn more NEW YORK-BASED USSG ACQUIRES NEW JERSEY-BASED TRANSCOPE US Services Group, LLC (USSG), an industrial services company based in Deer Park, New York, announced on October 7 the acquisition of Randolph, New Jersey-based Transcope Services, LLC, a carrier specializing in transportation, warehousing, rigging and logistics, primarily for manufacturers and installers of elevators, escalators and moving walks. Founded in 1964, Transcope partners with domestic and international vertical-transportation (VT) companies on projects throughout the New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas. The company receives VT equipment from manufacturers in a climate-controlled warehouse for storage and timely delivery to jobsites. Transcope President Mark Elfant plans to remain with the company on a consulting basis. Led by founder Steve Laganas, USSG is a national rigging and machinery

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast is presented by Matot Dumbwaiters and Material Lifts. Visit www.Matot.com to learn more ONTARIO TEACHERS’ TO BUY MAJORITY STAKE IN VANTAGE Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board announced on October 13 it has agreed to buy a majority stake in Bronx, New York-based Vantage Elevator Solutions from San Francisco's Golden Gate Capital (GGC), which acquired Vantage in 2017. GGC will retain significant minority ownership. Terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of 2021, were not disclosed. Composed of eight business units including GAL Manufacturing Company, GAL Canada, Hollister-Whitney and Courion, Vantage is the latest high-performing industrial business in which Ontario Teachers' has invested. Through five strategic acquisitions, Vantage has "driven exceptional growth. . .while maintaining its over-90-year legacy of delivering superior products and outstanding service to its large base of longstanding customers," GGC Managing Director Felix Lo

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com HOOVER’S ROLE EXPANDS TO PRESIDENT OF BRONX-BASED ELTECH C. Mark Boulhouwer, president of American Elevator Group (AEG), announced on October 11 the appointment of Michael Hoover as president of Bronx, New York-based Eltech Elevator, in addition to his current role as president of American Elevator & Machine Corp. (AEM). Hoover’s new role becomes effective on January 1, 2022. Patrick Kiely, Eltech’s incumbent president and co-founder, recently announced plans to step back from his current duties after 36 years. Kiely said he is “absolutely delighted” that Hoover is taking the leadership reins. Boulhouwer added that, “We are fortunate to have a wealth of talented leadership to draw upon to continue the work that Patrick and his co-founders began.” Eltech joined AEG in January 2021. AEM, founded in 1902 and based in Long Island City, New York, was acquired by Hoover’s father, Bob,

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com TKE PROVIDES 15 ACCESSIBILITY UNITS TO IRISH RETAILER IN SPAIN TK Elevator (TKE) provided six evolution elevators and nine velino escalators to the new, four-story Primark shopping center in Bilbao, Spain. At 4,550 m2, the store, in the heart of Biscay’s capital, is one of the largest operated by the Irish retailer in Europe. Manufactured at the TKE factory in Mieres, Asturias, Spain, the velino escalators can adapt to high-traffic conditions with expected use of 20 hr a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. TKE also responded to the retailer’s needs for custom escalator finishes and features, including 1.1-m-high balustrades with pladur® cladding, LED base lighting and fall-arrest barriers. Elevators are outfitted with high-traffic-operation, front-facing doors, high-resistance stainless steel door sill plates, vandal-proof push buttons, pre-installed security cameras and con

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com URBAN ELEVATOR ANNOUNCES THREE NEW PRESIDENTS Urban Elevator has named Thomas E. Cook, Justin Richards and Edward J. Pleban as regional presidents, the company recently announced. Cook will lead the U.S. South/East region; Richards is taking on the U.S. Central area; and Pleban is in charge of the U.S. West. Cook has been at Urban Elevator for approximately 10 years, prior to which he spent time in senior sales roles at thyssenkrupp and Cintas. He earned a BS degree from Northern Illinois University and lives in Frankfort, Illinois. Richards, with Urban Elevator for more than three years, previously spent 10 years with TK Elevator, first in sales and business development, and later as a branch manager. He holds a BA from Western Michigan University and lives in Elgin, Illinois. Pleban, with more than 30 years’ experience in the elevator industry, recently joined Urban Elevator. H

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com TILTING SAN FRANCISCO TOWER FACES NEW PROBLEM San Francisco’s Millennium Tower, a 58-story residential high rise that has been the target of numerous lawsuits over its sinking, tilting foundation, is facing new problems: the building’s lean is changing the angle of some of its sewer lines, causing sewage backups, NBC CT reports. The sewer lines must slope at least 1/8 in. per foot for proper flow but, according to the designer of the project repairing the tower’s tilt, lines opposite the lean “will experience decreased slope and may become a problem.” The issue was raised when the building continued to tilt after work began to stabilize the foundation. The lean, now 22 in. — it was 17 in. when work started in May — is flattening the angle of some of the sewer lines by as much as 25%. The suggested solution is to adjust the level of hundreds of pipes, but that should wait until th

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com TKE ESCALATOR, ELEVATOR SOLUTIONS SERVE EXPO 2020 DUBAI "Smart and future-oriented" elevator and escalator systems from TK Elevator (TKE) are serving several national pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai through March 31, 2022. The main site of the global event, set to begin on October 1, is a 438-ha area near Dubai's southern border with Abu Dhabi, where more than 190 nations are showcasing architecture, culture and innovations. Among TKE's best-selling products, velino 200 and velino 300 escalators are installed at the Kazakhstan, Russia and Saudi Arabia pavilions. velino series escalators are customizable, outfitted with various sustainability features and more than 50 intelligent safety features. At the German and Saudi Arabia pavilions are tugela escalators, which TKE describes as heavy-duty and highly customizable. In addition to escalators, TKE machine-room-less (MRL) elevators ar

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com 2021 ELLIES WINNERS ANNOUNCED Elevator World, Inc. President T. Bruce MacKinnon announced the 2021 Ellies Awards winners during a live Zoom event on September 23. MacKinnon and the EW staff thank all for their participation in a fun and exciting program that has only grown during each of its four years. Ellies are 100% voted on and chosen by the industry, and provide an outlet for customers and peers to show their respect, trust and appreciation. This year, there were more than 25,000 verified votes, 110 nominated companies and 19 company-type categories. Each winner receives a custom Ellies trophy, and EW will have an official trophy presentation during the National Association of Elevator Contractors 2021 Convention & Exposition in New Orleans on October 4-7. Winners not attending will be mailed trophies, and photos of all winners will be featured in the December issue of EW.

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com TKE JOINS PROGRAM TO REDUCE EMBODIED CARBON IN PROJECTS TK Elevator (TKE) announced in a press release it has joined materialsCAN, a program committed to acting on the smart, sustainable prioritization of embodied carbon in building materials as well as driving better understanding of the carbon footprint of projects across the industry. Established in 2018 by non-profit Building Transparency, materialsCAN includes a group of sustainability leaders in the built space who are committed to bringing awareness to the importance of embodied carbon. The group works to provide those who own, lease, design or construct spaces with education and tools to better understand the carbon footprints of their projects, specifically through measuring the embodied carbon of specified materials. Earlier this year, TKE announced it was partnering with the Department of Energy through the Better Buil

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com KONE SUPPLYING 106 VT UNITS FOR SHENZHEN PROJECT KONE has won a contract to deliver 106 vertical-transportation (VT) units to the Dayan and Huang Mugang transportation hub in Shenzhen, China, the company announced on September 23. The hub, located in the Futian Central District, will serve the existing line 7, the new line 14 and a planned line 24, and is designed to give travelers easier access to different transportation modes through convenient transfers. KONE is providing 25 MonoSpace® elevators and 81 TransitMaster™ escalators. The elevators will have KONE’s Destination Control System, which will help reduce waiting and traveling times. The contract includes two years of standard maintenance. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2023. Image credit: courtesy of KONE To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com OTIS NAMES HEAD OF ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE IN APAC REGION Mekhla Basu, director and corporate counsel for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region at the U.S.-headquartered software firm Splunk, Inc. is set to join Otis as senior director and head of Ethics and Legal Compliance for the APAC region, The Economic Times reports. After graduating from ILS Law College in Pune in 2005, she started her career in private practice. In 2008, she joined Hindustan Unilever before holding various leadership roles, such as general counsel and ethics and compliance head, for companies like GE, IBM and Intel for both India and the Greater Asia region. “Basu’s knowledge and expertise in the regulatory requirements, corporate governance, antitrust, IP, IT, privacy and data security, labor and employment, FCPA, anti-bribery and other laws applicable to multinational companies made her a fitting choice for the

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com OTIS LAUNCHES ZWTL PROGRAM AT SOUTH CAROLINA FACILITY The Otis manufacturing facility in Florence, South Carolina, has begun a pilot “Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL)” program that will help reduce the plant’s carbon footprint and be scaled up to other Otis plants next year, the company has announced. Metal, cardboard and packaging make up most of the waste at the Florence plant. And, while the site already recycled much of its production waste, the facility recently conducted a sustainability analysis to help reduce its carbon footprint and obtain ZWTL certification. Zero waste is a principle focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource lifecycles so that all products are reused. This program also promotes conservation of resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse and recovery of all products — packaging and materials — without burning

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com FEAR OF COVID LEADS TO ESCALATOR FALLS IN LONDON Officials with the London Underground report that passengers are falling down Tube station escalators because fear of catching COVID-19 is making them reluctant to hold onto the handrail, Evening Standard reports. London Underground chiefs say a spike in accidents is also being blamed on intoxicated passengers celebrating the end of lockdown. Twelve deaths or serious injuries have been reported on the Tube between April and June, and 23 on buses — an increase compared to the same three-month period last year. Transport for London (TfL) plans to expand a trial, launched last year, that attaches ultraviolet (UV) light devices to handrails to eradicate the COVID-19 virus. A TfL spokesman said 93 escalators had been fitted with UV virus-busting units by September, and a further 340 were due to be installed by the end of 2021. Image