NEWS July 31/2014 to August 8, 2014 PEELLE ENGINEER MULLEN TAPPED FOR SALES TEAM Steve Mullen, a 19-year veteran of Peelle’s Engineering department, has moved to Sales, where he is part of a newly created Product Management department that works with customers to create custom packages. His experience as an outside engineer who conducted onsite surveys, support and training make him an excellent choice for Project Management, according to Peelle. Mullen speaks both English and French. He holds an Architectural Technology degree from Northern College in Timmins, Canada, and is earning a Sales and Market certificate from Sheridan College in Oakville, Canada. He resides in Brampton, Canada, with his family. LONDON’S CANARY WHARF MARCHES EAST Canary Wharf Group has won approval from local authorities to move forward on an eastern extension of London financial district Canary Wharf, consisting of 6.5 million sq. ft. of mixed-use property at Wood Wharf, World Architecture News reports. Set to begin construction in the fourth quarter, the plan encompasses 30 new buildings, including three residential and two office buildings, for which Hilson Moran provided vertical-transportation consulting. It also includes restaurants, more than 100 stores, public areas, a school, a medical center and a hotel. MTR USES ESCALATOR-ACCIDENT STATS TO STRESS SAFETY Mass Transit Railway Corp. (MTR), operator of Hong Kong’s rail-transit system, released escalator-accident statistics in conjunction with its annual safety campaign, South China Morning Post reports. MTR recorded 435 accidents in the first part of 2014, with approximately 40% due to passengers losing their balance and approximately 18% the result of carrying bulky items. There are approximately 1,000 escalators within the system, which serves 5.2 million passengers a day. August 7, 2014 UT: OTIS, CARRIER INTEGRATION PROMISES TO BE GOOD FOR INDIA United Technologies’ (UT) integration of Otis, Carrier and its security and building-automation divisions is aimed at achieving energy and cost savings over the long term, particularly in the Indian market, Patrick Blethon, president of Otis Pacific Asia Area, said in an interview with Businessworld. He describes Indian customers as cost-conscious but also aware that higher upfront “green” costs will pay off in the long term. He said bringing manufacturing closer to customers promises to lower costs, and that post-integration, there are approximately 250 engineers in Hyderabad, and 70 each in Bangalore and Gurgaon, all of whom are working toward energy-efficient solutions. TOWN SQUARE-INSPIRED TOWER PROJECT IN JAKARTA 7Point8, a pair of mixed-use towers, the tallest of which would stand 298 m, is planned in Jakarta, Indonesia’s central business district, World Architecture News reports. Inspired by the traditional town squares in cities on the island of Java, Broadway Malyan designed the buildings to have a walled courtyard that opens to the sky. Connected by a podium, the development is set to get started this year and include office, retail, commercial, residential and public space. ANOTHER PLAYER EYES CLOUD-BASED ELEVATOR SERVICE SYSTEM A cloud-based system to help technicians diagnose and service elevator malfunctions is among the uses Ottawa, Canada-based QNX Software Systems, a subsidiary of BlackBerry, envisions for its technology, similar to an equipment-monitoring system ThyssenKrupp Elevator is rolling out, Times Colonist reports. Sensors in devices used in people’s daily lives – cars, refrigerators and elevators, for example – can be linked to a network that gathers information, part of a trend known as the Internet of Things that is gaining traction. August 6, 2014 TOSHIBA ELEVATOR BUILDS ON INDIA PARTNERSHIP The partnership of Toshiba Elevator and Johnson Lifts to form Toshiba Johnson Elevators India (TJEI) in 2012 is yielding fruit in the form of 34 project orders as of this summer, The Economic Times reports. Among TJEI’s notable projects is One Avighna Park in Mumbai, for which eight elevators were installed and commissioned. The units travel at a speed of 6 mps, making them among the fastest in India. SINKHOLES NEAR SEOUL’S FUTURE TALLEST SPARK CONCERN Sinkholes, as well as a shrinking lake, near where the mixed-use Lotte World Tower is taking shape in Seoul, have sparked concern over safety and whether the foundation of the 1,821-ft.-tall building is secure, various news agencies, including CNN, report. The holes measure up to several feet in diameter. A number was not given, but there appears to be at least eight. Depressions were first discovered in June. In addition, the water level of a nearby lake has fallen approximately 27 in. Both local authorities and developer Lotte Group are investigating the incidents. EW PROJECT OF THE YEAR DEADLINE APPROACHING Think one or more of your projects has what it takes to be a winner in ELEVATOR WORLD’s 17th Annual Project of the Year Awards? If so, send us your submission(s) by August 31, and your successful project could be recognized and highlighted in the January issue of EW. Click here to download an entry form. Questions? Email editorial@elevatorworld. PROPOSED TOWER WOULD BE SF’S SECOND TALLEST A 910-ft.-tall tower is part of a proposed two-tower project at First and Mission streets in San Francisco (SF), the San Francisco Gate reports. Should it be built, it would stand taller than the 853-ft.-tall Transamerica building and second only to the 1,070-ft.-tall Salesforce Tower under construction. Designed by Foster + Partners, the development features a 606-ft.-tall tower, “futuristic” glass façades, ample public space and preservation of nearby historic structures. Developer TMG Partners hopes to have approval by the summer and start construction in early 2016. August 5, 2014 INDIAN RAILWAYS AIMS FOR 400 ESCALATORS AT 172 STATIONS As funds become available, Indian Railways plans to install 400 escalators at 172 stations, Orissa Diary reports. Priority will be given to stations most heavily used by tourists. Already, 126 escalators have gone in at 56 stations, the government entity reports. One of the largest railway networks in the world, Indian Railways operates more than 40,660 mi. of track and 7,172 stations. NEW YORK STREET-ART HUB GIVING WAY TO HIGH-RISE RENTALS A pair of 48- and 41-story stone and glass residential towers designed by HTO are set to start taking shape in the next three to five months at 22-44 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, New York, New York YIMBY reports. The buildings will stand 498 and 440 ft. tall, and replace a former graffiti-showcase area known as 5Pointz. The development is set to include retail, public space and affordable housing, and will help repopulate an area that currently has few residents. SINGAPORE RE-EXAMINING ESCALATOR REGULATIONS Singapore lawmakers are taking a closer look at escalator regulations in the wake of an August 3 incident in which a step on a unit carrying passengers from a children’s education area on an upper level of a shopping mall dislodged, leaving a gap approximately the size of a person’s foot, Channel News Asia reports. No one was injured, and the escalator is out of service. Singapore has an escalator maintenance code that states units must undergo maintenance once a month and testing once a year. Lawmakers are considering harsher penalties for noncompliance. August 4, 2014 NAESA HIRES ADMINISTRATOR, HAS NEW ADDRESS NAESA International has hired Amy Crass as its Education Program administrator. Crass has more than 10 years of experience in diverse customer-service-oriented positions. As Education Program Administrator with NAESA, she is responsible for the scheduling, maintenance and preparation of educational offerings and processes continuing-education requests and membership information. To contact her, email [email protected]. NAESA’s addresses have been updated as follows: P.O. Box 640, Rochester, Washington 98579. For correspondence, the organization’s street address is 4520 Intelco Loop Southeast, Suite 1E, Lacey, Washington 98503. KONE MAKES AFRICAN ACQUISITIONS KONE announced its acquisition of the elevator and escalator business of Marryat & Scott (Kenya) Ltd. and Marryats East Africa Ltd., its authorized distributors in East and Central Africa, in August. KONE believes the moves will help it expand its presence in the African market and improve the availability of its products and services in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. Marryat & Scott (Kenya) has operated in the African elevator and escalator market for more than 50 years and acted as KONE’s distributor in the country since 2003. Marryats East Africa has been KONE’s distributor in Uganda since 2003. Together, the companies employ more than 120 employees. NFPA FIRE-SAFETY SCHOLARSHIPS The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has awarded its annual scholarships to four students who have exhibited strong academic and leadership skills and have contributed to fire-safety efforts. They are: Brian E. Elias, a PhD candidate in Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts; Richard L Emberley, a PhD student in Fire Safety Engineering at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia; Catherine Hamel, a second-time recipient of the Arthur E. Cote Scholarship and who is pursuing a career in fire investigation at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland; and Meredith Hawes, recipient of the George D. Miller Scholarship who is pursuing an MS in Public Administration at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and is also fire and public safety instructor for the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department. August 1, 2014 KLEEMAN LIFTS U.K. ANNOUNCES TOP GROWTH RANKING Fueled by brisk sales in the U.K., KLEEMAN Lifts UK Ltd. announced it is the fastest-growing company among 274 in the industry, citing data from Plimsoll research. Published in May, the research shows KLEEMAN Lifts saw sales increase nearly 423% in 2013, with total sales of US$6.5 million (GBP4 million). The company’s current global market share is 4%, and its goal is to capture 10% by 2017. TRIO OF REMARKABLE MITSUBISHI UNITS DEBUT IN THE HAGUE On June 27, a trio of remarkable elevators built by Mitsubishi Elevator Europe were unveiled at an expanded Royal Dutch Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands. They include an expansive, transparent, glass cylindrical unit not supported by steel construction. The two-year expansion of the museum, which holds some of the world’s most famous art treasures, was overseen by Hans van Heeswijk Architects, and Mitsubishi states the elevators “give the visitors a unique experience and fit perfectly in the pleasant atmosphere of the museum as a whole.” FATAL ELEVATOR ACCIDENT IN BRONX, NEW YORK A 20-year-old man died as the result of falling from an elevator roof and becoming stuck between the elevator and shaft wall at approximately 4 a.m. July 28, the New York Post reports. The incident occurred in a public-housing complex in Bronx, New York, and the unit in question had last been inspected in January 2013. No foul play is suspected, but there are conflicting reports as to whether the man was riding on the top of the elevator as part of a game or had climbed there because the unit had become stuck. July 31, 2014 CHINA’S IFE ELEVATOR CO. EYES BRAZIL China’s IFE Elevator Co. is considering building a new factory in Brazil, to which it has been exporting since 2013, China Daily reports. Brazil has a large population and healthy economic outlook, which promises to result in continued strong demand, according to IFE, noting a factory in Brazil would cut out export costs. China’s elevator exports increased approximately 19% in 2013, with Russia, South Korea and Brazil leading the way. IFE is not alone in noticing Brazil: Otis, Hyundai and Anlev Lifts and Escalators are among those that have recently established or expanded presences there. LONDON’S APEX LIFTS HONORED FOR KEEPING EMPLOYEES SAFE In July, London’s Apex Lifts received a gold medal from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for achieving five consecutive annual RoSPA awards. The awards date back nearly 60 years, and recognize entities’ commitment to prevent accidents and poor health. Among factors considered when bestowing awards are accident records, health and safety management systems, leadership and workforce involvement. IN MEMORIAM: EARL McCLASKEY Earl McClaskey, a native of San Francisco, passed away on July 23 at age 76. In addition to being a member of the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local No. 8 for more than 50 years, he was a talented elevator adjustor and instructor to those coming up in the industry. A U.S. Marine, he took part in water landing helicopter rescues of the first humans and animals in space, including John Glenn and Sam the monkey. He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Marilyn; sons, Eric and Kevin; grandchildren Courtney and Cole; mother-in-law, Margaret Majuri; and siblings, Suzie, Kathy and Larry. A funeral is planned for August 2 at Christ the King Church in Pleasant Hill, California.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 08:43:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015