LATEST NEWS

The East Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is offering a seminar titled "Elevator Technology -- Where It's Been, Where It's Going" on March 10 at its chapter office in Oakland, California. John Miller and Kate Dalton of KONE Inc. will discuss such topics as deciding when hydraulic or traction elevators are best suited, machine-room-less elevators and the environmental impact of equipment. The AIA East Bay Chapter office is located at 1405 Clay Street in Oakland. For more information on the seminar, contact AIA East Bay at phone: (510) 464-3600.

Spanish lift-component manufacturers’ association AECAE and Spanish lift-industry magazine Ascensores y Montacargas have signed an agreement to make the latter “the official voice of the interests and concerns of the members of the association for the foreign promotion of the Spanish component,” according to the magazine. The agreement was officially signed on December 15, 2009 in the offices of the Technological Institute of Aragón (an AECAE member) by Gerardo Schumacher, president of AECAE, and Salvador Beltrán, publisher and director of SBN Prensa Técnica (publisher of Ascensores y Montacargas ).

According to The Expositor, the Casino Brantford in Brantford, Canada, is currently in the midst of an expansion. The first phase of the renovation was completed in December 2009, and work has moved into the second phase. Upgrades will include new escalators. The casino also has plans to convert to “green” power, and the entire project is expected to be complete in early 2011.

To update the industry on its activities, the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF) has posted its 2009/2010 interim report on the Foundation website (www.eesf.org/includes/downloads/20092010interimreport.pdf). The report provides information on both EESF and EESF Canada, including their safety-awareness programs, fundraising efforts, strategic plan and boards of directors.