SYMPOSIUM ON LIFT & ESCALATOR TECHNOLOGIES

Following the success of last year’s Lift & Escalator Symposium in Northampton, the organizers decided to extend this year’s event to two full days. The symposium will be held on September 26-27 in Northampton. Several presentations have been announced with additional announcements to follow. Complete abstracts are available at website: www.liftsymposium.org.

NEW ORLEANS TOWER PROPOSALS

The New Orleans Building Corp. has received three submissions to its competition to revive the city’s currently empty World Trade Center Tower on Canal Street. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, two of the recommendations include renovating the building, while the third suggests demolition and constructing a new tower. The 124-m-tall tower opened in 1968 and was the city’s tallest building at the time. Designed by Edward Durell Stone, it featured a revolving rooftop lounge known as “Top of the Mart” from the 1970s to 2001. The proposals include plans for residential units, office space, a hotel and a “sky wheel,” similar to the London Eye.

AT LEAST 10 INJURED ON SAN ANTONIO ESCALATOR

My SA reported on a May 15 escalator malfunction that left 10 people “seriously hurt” at the San Antonio Convention Center. According to a convention-center spokesperson, one person had injures that were possibly life threatening, and nine others had serious injuries. All were taken to area hospitals shortly after the incident, and five others refused hospital treatment. It was not clear what caused the accident, beyond a malfunction and shutdown of the unit.

E-MOTIVE, TL JONES AND MEMCO BECOME AVIRE

Avire Ltd. is the new corporate identity of E-Motive, TL Jones and Memco. The conglomerate offers an extensive range of safety and communication products. Its manufacturing locations are in Singapore, China, India and the Czech Republic, and it operates sales offices in 13 locations worldwide. Avire’s products include light curtains, electronic displays, emergency telephones and LED lighting. Avire company contact Faye Wilson can be reached at phone: (44) 0-1628-540161, fax: (44) 0-1628-621947 or e-mail: faye.wilson@avire-global.com. More on the company can be found at website: www.avire-global.com.

THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR SOUTH KOREA LAUNCHES PROJECT

Invest Korea recently reported that ThyssenKrupp Elevator Korea introduced a project called “BMW in Elevators” at its headquarters in Mok-dong, South Korea. The company is striving for differentiation in the market to develop “an instantly recognizable brand,” as opposed to a more industrial-styled product. The company has operated in South Korea since 2003, supplying passenger and freight elevators, escalators, moving walks and other equipment. Its main businesses involve production, domestic sales, maintenance of the 60,000 elevator units installed in the country and the export of products to more than 60 other nations.

KONE TO EQUIP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT

KONE has received a contract to supply elevators, escalators and moving walks to the Amsterdam Airport Schipol in the Netherlands. The order includes 43 MonoSpace® elevators, 28 TravelMaster® 110 escalators, 12 TransitMaster® 120 escalators, one TransitMaster® 140 escalator, and eight TransitMaster® 185 moving walks. Thirty-two of the escalators and moving walks will be powered by KONE’s Direct Drive™, which is 20% more efficient than conventional worm-gear solutions. Installation is scheduled to begin this year with the equipment being open to the public in 2015.

EW TO FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

The August issue of ELEVATOR WORLD will focus on communication systems. The issue will include a continuing-education article, coverage of the Canadian Elevator Contractors Association Convention in Niagara Falls, Canada, and the winners of EW’ Photo Contest 2013. The deadline for contributions is June 17. To participate or for more information, contact the EW Editorial Department at phone: (251) 479-4514, ext. 30 or e-mail: editorial@elevatorworld.com.

ZHUHAI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT CONTRACT

According to the Shanghai Elevator Trade Association, Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator has signed a contract with Zhuhai HuaFa Group for the Shizimen Central Business District project in Zhuhai, China. Its work includes 137 Mitsubishi elevators of various types. The district is considered architecturally modern and is to include a hotel, office and meeting center across 270,000 m². One of the buildings is reported to become the tallest building in Zhuhai once complete.

OTIS’ GOALS IN SOUTH KOREA

According to its Asia Pacific President Patrick Blethon, Otis expects to expand its presence in South Korea by increasing investment and sales. Blethon said the firm will seek to pursue sustainable growth by capitalizing on a highly competitive maintenance portfolio and deeply rooted localization strategies. In a Korea Times interview in Seoul, he explained that as elevators have gotten older, maintenance and technology have become the industry’s new trend, making it possible to capture more revenue in the service business. In 2012, Otis achieved 100,000 maintenance units, which Blethon said is one of the biggest maintenance portfolios, globally. He expects the company’s South Korean segment revenue to grow by double digits this year.

ST. PAUL TO UNDERGO MULTIPLE REBUILDING PROJECTS

More than 50 rebuilding projects are underway or planned in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to Twin Cities, more than US$2 billion in development is planned, and the city’s mayor has a slogan for it: “Pardon the inconvenience, we’re rebuilding.” The largest of the projects is the US$957-million Central Corridor light-rail line. The 17-story central post office building on Kellogg Boulevard is being redeveloped for residential space, and the 32-story Kellogg Square building will also see improvements. Additional projects include parking garages, museums, plazas, retail and residential space, parks, and medical facilities.

MESA REQUESTS PARTICIPATION, ANNOUNCES EVENTS

The Massachusetts Elevator Safety Association (MESA) has announced it desires more participation for its May 14 Firefighting Academy tour and lunch, to take place on May 14. It has also announced its annual boat cruise and golf outing, to take place on July 25 and August 28, respectively. For more information, contact MESA at e-mail: mesassoc@hotmail.com or website: mesassoc.com.

GC CHOSEN FOR KAKAAKO HIGH RISE

Forest City Hawaii has chosen Honolulu-based Nordic PCL Construction Inc. as the general contractor (GC) for the US$500-million 690 Pohukaina mixed-use project in Kakaako, Hawaii. According to Pacific Business News, the project may include Hawaii’s tallest building at 650 ft. Benjamin Woo Architects LLC, also based in Honolulu, has been tapped as architectural firm for the 800-unit rental project. The development is to rise on state land under a 65-year lease. An 18-month-long development process, which includes an environmental assessment, is underway.

KONE SAFETY WEEK

KONE is having its annual Safety Week May 13-17 in the U.S. Being delivered in eight states, the event is designed to promote the safe use of elevator and escalator equipment. KONE is providing training and education to different stakeholders, with activities ranging from Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation Safe-T Rider© presentations to employee training sessions.

ELEVATED STATIONS FOR QUEENS PROGRESSES

Renovation work at six elevated subway stations is set to take place in Queens, New York. Plans to restore a line above Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park and Richmond Hill, and install an elevator at the Lefferts Boulevard station, are moving forward after a delay, writes the Queens Chronicle. The project is in the final stages of development and will be up for bid this year. The elevator, a panoramic unit, will be installed at the line’s terminus at Rockaway and Lefferts boulevards. The stations originally opened in 1915 and have not seen major work since 1999.

INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION FOR BAHAMAS

The Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corp. (BAIC), a public/private partnership including Bahamas Elevator Systems, has announced there should be a minimum of 50 qualified elevator technicians and inspectors in the Bahamas. A BAIC study prompted the founding of a new training initiative at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute to expand its curriculum and offer international certification. The partnership found it challenging to locate qualified trained elevator technicians to meet the demands of certain projects and wishes to train young Bahamians to fill the need of serving the commonwealth’s elevator industry, which The Freeport News reports is predominately staffed by non-Bahamians. This is ostensibly because most local technicians do not carry internationally recognized certification.

ELEVCON 2014 DETAILS ANNOUNCED

The International Association of Elevator Engineers (IAEE) has announced its next Elevcon event will take place at the Novotel hotel in Paris on July 8-10, 2014. Sponsored by Otis, next year’s iteration will be the 20th edition. It will include a reception, exhibition, paper presentations and more. For more information or to respond to its call for papers, contact IAEE at website: www.elevcon.com.

BOISE STATE ELEVATOR ENTRAPMENTS

According to its student media outlet Arbiter Online, Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, has received 119 service calls for elevators on its campus since July 2012. It has 84 elevators in operation. The most recent entrapment at the school was in April, in which five people were trapped for at least 1.5 hr. due to a unit’s broken second brake. However, the university reports most elevator malfunctions are caused by users, specifically citing abuse to the doors and overloading. A certified elevator technician regularly inspects the equipment.

QEI TRAINING COURSE

NAESA International is holding a QEI training course and certification exam in Champaign, Illinois, on June 10-14. This will be the last scheduled QEI training/exam until this fall. Deadline for applications is May 20. For information, contact NAESA at website: www.naesai.org.

IAEC ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

The International Association of Elevator Consultants (IAEC) will hold its annual fundraiser cruise on August 22. Attendees will be able to board the world yacht Princess at 5:30 p.m., which will sail from 6-10 p.m. Among the evening’s activities will be casino gambling. For more information, contact Melissa Aponte at phone: (845) 708-5560 or e-mail: Melissa@lift-techltd.com.

XIZI OTIS PROMOTES ELEVATOR SAFETY

Xizi Otis recently held an event to promote elevator safety. According to the Shanghai Elevator Trade Association, Ma Jing, manager of Xizi Otis’ Public Relationship Department, declared the release of To Ride Elevators with Mr. An, an elevator-safety book. The company plans to promote safety by having public activities themed around safety in more than 20 cities.

SCHINDLER TO SUPPLY TEXAS PROJECT

Schindler will supply and install 27 400AE machine-room-less elevators for an improvement project in San Antonio. The elevators will be installed at a new six-story clinical pavilion and a new 10-story tower at University Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center. Schindler will also provide maintenance for the elevators. The energy-efficient elevators will contribute to the project achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification.