NEW OTIS PRESIDENT

United Technologies Corp. (UTC) has announced the appointment of Pedro Baranda as president of Otis. Baranda succeeds Didier Michaud-Daniel, who will become the CEO of Bureau Veritas. Most recently, Baranda served as president of Otis’ South Europe and Middle East area.

2012 UNITED

The National Association of Elevator Contractors, the International Association of Elevator Consultants, NAESA International and the Canadian Elevator Contractors Association will join efforts for the 2012 United convention and exposition. To be held on September 10-13 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the event will showcase each association’s ability to serve its sector of the elevator industry and each will conduct their regular business meetings. However, the program will combine all standard activities of the four associations, and all educational, expositional, social and networking activities will be consolidated.

TWIFLEX WEBSITE

Twiflex Ltd., designer, manufacturer and supplier of advanced braking technology for industrial applications, has launched a new website (www.twiflex.com). The site provides information about the company’s product lines, white papers, and distributor and sales locators, in addition to braking calculations.

NEW OHIO STANDARDS

The State of Ohio recently notified elevator companies in its jurisdiction of new safety codes. For new and altered installations, the permits of which are obtained after March 15, ASME A17.1-2010, A17.3-2008, A17.6-2010, A17.7-2007, A18.1-2008 and A90.1-2009 will be the code applied. For all new elevators installed or altered under the A17.1-2010, a maintenance control program document must be approved and onsite prior to the installation being released for operation.

MAXTON IN TRAINING CONSORTIUM

Maxton Manufacturing Co. recently contributed its elevator control valve technical and training materials to the Elevator/Escalator Transit Consortium, a comprehensive partnership of five U.S. transit agencies, to develop and organize training materials and systems for a transit elevator/escalator maintenance apprenticeship program. The full content of the consortium is expected to be finished by August 2013.

IN MEMORIAM: GEORGE A. COX

George A. Cox of Orion, Illinois, passed away on February 14. He spent much of his career as vice president of Champion Elevators in Houston and, prior to retiring, transitioned to the role of vice president of Engineering and Marketing when the company became Alimak Hek. Cox was a member of the ASME A17.1 Rack & Pinion and Special Purpose Elevator code committees. He is survived by his wife, Joan, four children, five grandchildren, one brother and one sister.

MITSUBISHI OUTPUTS 100,000TH UNIT

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has announced that Mitsubishi Elevator Asia Co., Ltd., its elevator/escalator manufacturing operation in Thailand, recently surpassed a milestone with the production of its 100,000th elevator/escalator unit. Mitsubishi also announced plans to expand production in Thailand to better meet the growing global demand for vertical-transportation equipment.

U.A.E. PROJECTS

Abu Dhabi is currently undergoing construction of several projects, including commercial and office buildings. Among the projects is the 34-story Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, slated to open at the end of this year. In addition, Cleveland Clinic is opening a new location, which will mark its first branch outside North America.

SCHINDLER PORT

Schindler recently installed its Personal Occupant Requirement Terminal (PORT) technology on eight high-rise elevators at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. Each guest room is automatically programmed upon check-in and provides customized elevator access. When a guest uses his or her room key at the PORT device, an elevator is automatically called to take the guest to the appropriate hotel floor. In addition, Schindler recently completed a PORT installation for eight high-rise elevators for the 22-story 2 Hopkins Plaza in Baltimore.

NAESA EASTERN REGION WORKSHOP

NAESA International’s Eastern Region will hold a spring workshop on March 23-24 in Ocean City, Maryland. A total of 1.05 continuing-education units has been approved for certified inspectors attending the workshop. For more information or to register, visit website: naesai.org.

THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR GOES GEARLESS

ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas has announced a new gearless modernization package that allows existing geared elevators to be upgraded with gearless elevator technology. This “Geared to Gearless” solution includes a regenerative drive, which captures waste energy from the system and feeds it back into the building’s power grid.

LONDON STATION UPDATE

The Gatwick Airport Station in London has transferred its day-to-day operations management from Network Rail to Southern, despite being in the middle of a major renovation. The project includes the building of a new platform, a replacement stairway with an escalator and new lift on platforms five and six, all of which are currently under construction. The renovation is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

VIEEW MEETING

The Vertical Initiative for Elevator Escalator Women (VIEEW) is holding its first regional meeting on April 18 at Villa Barone Manor in New York City, in conjunction with the Elevator Conference of New York Showcase. The event will include a presentation on elevatoring.

UTAH PROJECT ON SCHEDULE

Downtown Salt Lake City is still on schedule for the March 22 grand opening of City Creek Center. Upon completion, the center will include approximately 700,000 sq. ft. of shopping and dining space and 536 residential units, among various other amenities.

NATIONAL ELEVATOR INSURANCE

JM Associates/Burnham + Co. announced that effective February 9, The Hartford would be the general liability carrier for its national elevator program. The offering will provide those in the elevator industry and elevator clients with coverage enhancements for general liability policies.

KONE SUPPLIES GOTHIA TOWERS

KONE will deliver 23 eco-efficient elevators to the Gothia Towers hotel in Gothenburg, Sweden, for the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre and Peab. The three towers will contain 1,208 rooms. Work has been underway since February and is expected to be complete by the end of 2014.

TOSHIBA ENVIRONMENTAL EXHIBITION

Toshiba Corp.’s 21st Environmental Exhibition for the general public was held at the company’s Tokyo headquarters on February 9-10. Toshiba promoted its “Environmental Vision 2050,” consisting of the themes “Greening of Process,” “Greening of Products,” “Greening by Technology” and “Green Management.”

MYANMAR HOSPITAL ELEVATORS

A Myanmar soccer club is planning to invest in building a hospital in Pathein. The three-story hospital will include two elevators and 50,000 sq. ft. of space on each level. According to The Myanmar Times, the project timetable is approximately eight months.

THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR, EROS VENTURE

ThyssenKrupp Elevator (India) Pvt., Ltd. and Eros Elevators & Escalators Pvt. Ltd. of Mumbai have formed a joint venture, which includes ThyssenKrupp Elevator acquiring 25.1% of EROS’ shares. The companies will combine their elevator products to serve customers across India.

CHICAGO TOWER

Construction has started on a 43-story luxury high rise located at 360 West Hubbard Street in Chicago. The tower is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® Silver certification and is expected to be completed in late 2013.

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CONTRACTS

Mitsubishi Electric has received contracts for two residential towers in London. The first includes three NexWay elevators and two Elenessa machine-room-less units for St. George Tower. The second contract includes three NexWay units; two Elenessa units; one 4500-kg capacity goods lift; five platform elevators; and one stair lift for Heron International in the City.

ELEVCON SPEAKERS

Organizers of the Elevcon congress, which will be held in Miami Beach, Florida, on May 22-24, have announced the list of speakers who will present papers at the event. Details and a provisional timetable for the event can be found at website: www.elevcon.com/2012_ELE_USA/05_SPEAKERS.htm.

KUWAIT CITY TOWER COMPLETE

The Al Hamra Firdous Tower, a major commercial complex in Kuwait City, Kuwait, was recently completed. Standing a quarter-mile high, the tower was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and is distinguished by its asymmetrical exterior and sweeping, torqued wings.

CHINESE HIGH RISE BUILT IN TWO WEEKS

China’s Broad Corp. recently built a 30-story hotel prototype using prefabricated materials in 360 hr. The new building is near Hunan Province’s Dongting Lake in China. No stranger to building fast, Broad once built a 15-story building in six days.

SOUTHAMPTON TOWER PLANNED

A 26-story apartment tower has been planned for Southampton, U.K., that will become its tallest building when completed. The tower is part of an approved scheme that will see three apartment towers, shops and restaurants built at Ocean Village, an abandoned waterfront development. Construction is planned to begin this summer.