NEWS November 17 to 25, 2014 SINGAPORE RAIL CONTRACT A RECORD BREAKER FOR OTIS Otis has been awarded a US$120-million, 578-unit contract by existing customer Singapore Land Transport Authority, marking the OEM’s most valuable new equipment order in its 161-year history. The order consists of 411 escalators and 167 Gen2® elevators. They will be installed along the rail network’s Thomson-East Coast line and link northern Singapore to the central business district and Marina Bay area. The first phase is set for completion in 2019, with the entire project complete in 2021. 2015 EW PROJECT OF THE YEAR WINNERS ELEVATOR WORLD is pleased to announce the winners of its 17thAnnual Project of the Year contest. Winning projects, their location, companies that submitted (and their categories) are: “Macquarie Bank Headquarters,” Sydney, Australia, Schindler Lifts Australia, Ltd. (Elevators, New Construction); “Counterweightless Elevator” (CB Konzept), Madrid, Spain, ThyssenKrupp Elevator Southern Europe, Africa and Middle East (SEAME) (Elevators, Modernization); “Mount Tianmen Tourism Tunnel Escalators” Zhangjiajie, China, Canny Elevator Co. Ltd. (Escalators, New Construction); “SeaTac International Airport,” Seattle, Washington, KONE (Escalators, Modernization); “Dubai Mall Metro Link,” Dubai, U.A.E., ThyssenKrupp Elevator SEAME (Moving Walks); “Discovery Bay North,” Lantau Island, China, Achim Hütter Consulting (Inclined Elevators); “Helicopter Blade Lift & Safety Rails,” Corpus Christi, Texas, Gillespie Corp. (Platform Lifts & Stairway Chairlifts); and “Glass Elevator with Cove Lighting,” Toronto, Canada, UT Elevator Inc. (Private Residence Elevators). Winners will receive physical awards and have their projects featured in the January issue. EW appreciates all who submitted the record 36 quality entries. KONE TO SUPPLY 15 UNITS TO LUXURY PERTH HOTEL KONE has been hired to supply 15 units to Crown Towers Perth in Western Australia, a 22-story luxury hotel and convention center scheduled to be complete in 2016. KONE will equip the development with nine MiniSpace™ and four TranSys™ elevators, along with two TravelMaster™ escalators. In addition, three KONE service elevators will be used during construction. THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR LAUNCHES DIGITAL MAGAZINE During the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on November 10-12, ThyssenKrupp Elevator announced its new digital magazine, Urban-Hub. The publication focuses on how to achieve sustainable development amid increasing urbanization and is aimed at promoting dialogue about how people shape cities. Topics in the debut issue, available in English, German, Spanish, French and Portuguese, include elevator technology ThyssenKrupp Elevator incorporated into One World Trade Center in New York City and its new ACCEL moving-walk technology. The publication will be available in Chinese at a later date. November 24, 2014 SCHINDLER WINS BIG CONTRACT FOR VIETINBANK HEADQUARTERS Schindler has been awarded a 121-unit contract for the new VietinBank headquarters in Hanoi, Vietnam, a pair of 363- and 250-m-tall towers scheduled for completion in 2017. Designed by Foster + Partners, the towers feature glassy façades, with the taller, 68-story tower’s glass roof forming a “V.” Schindler will supply 75 elevators and 46 escalators, including six 10-mps, double-deck elevators that will be the fastest of their kind in Vietnam. The project is set to have 42 7000 high-rise elevators, 23 5500 elevators, 46 9300AE escalators and 10 additional elevators. ELEVATORS ENHANCE ACCESSIBILTY AT BRONX SUBWAY STATION A trio of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant elevators opened on November 18 at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Hunts Point subway station in Bronx, New York. The US$17.8-million project marks MTA’s 84th fully ADA-accessible station within the system and, according to MTA President Carmen Bianco, “provides a host of new travel options for customers with limited mobility.” BULGARIA STRIVES TO ALLEVIATE ELEVATOR WOES A top government official in Bulgaria told FOCUS News Agency that authorities are striving to address ongoing safety and inspection problems with elevators, some of which have resulted in injury and death. An investigation of the latest incident, in which a 66-year-old man was hospitalized after falling down a shaft, found the elevator among the nine out of 12 under the same ownership with disabled safety systems. Bulgaria is tightening inspection requirements and implementing harsher penalties for failure to comply with rules, such as having protective shields in place under elevator cabins. November 21, 2014 GT SUPPLIES MORE WEATHERPROOF ELEVATORS IN CANADA CKG Group awarded Global Tardif (GT) four additional NEMA 4X Weatherproof Traction elevators to K+S Potash Canada’s Legacy project north of Moose Jaw, Canada, as work has begun on two new mines. Legacy is a greenfield project for the setting up of potash production on the basis of solution mining in southern Saskatchewan. GT announced a contract to supply 10 waterproof elevators at a depth of 1 km below ground for the site earlier this year. THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR HANDLING US$428,000 TEXAS JOB The city of Waco, Texas, has hired ThyssenKrupp Elevator to replace the motors, controls and brakes on four aging elevators in its police headquarters, an 11-story tower that was recently renovated, the Waco Tribune reports. Although the elevators are more than 35 years old, they were found to be safe during inspections, according to the city, which is spending US$428,000 on the equipment replacement. Two elevators will remain open at all times as ThyssenKrupp Elevator technicians work on the units over a four-month period starting in December. GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW TOWER IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AREA A 470-ft.-tall, 31-story bank tower is expected to start taking shape soon in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Tysons Corner, WTOP 103.5 FM reports. A ceremonial groundbreaking was held for the project on November 17. Serving as headquarters for Capital One, the building will be the area’s second tallest behind the Washington Monument. It is expected to be joined by a hotel, residences, offices and retail on 26 acres, and officials believe the development will inject new life into the local economy. November 20, 2014 GEOCHANG R&D CENTER OPENS IN SOUTH KOREA Korea Testing Laboratory has opened Geochang R&D Center, intended to be the cornerstone of a global elevator-industry hub in Geochang County, South Korea, home to more than 20 elevator companies, The Korea Times reports. Approximately 1,000 industry and government officials attended a November 13 ribbon cutting for the facility, which is aimed at giving a competitive boost to small and medium-sized manufacturers that lack their own R&D and testing facilities. REPORT: MASSACHUSETTS ELEVATOR INSPECTIONS LAG Despite hiring more inspectors since a 2010 Massachusetts State Auditor report found 30% of state elevators lacked inspection certificates, the state Department of Public Safety has fallen behind even further, CBS Boston reports. According to the latest report released on November 18, 36% of elevators (14,000) in the state have expired certificates. The department disputes that, stating it is closer to 28%, but acknowledges performance needs to improve. ESCALATOR WORK CREATES FRUSTRATION ON LONDON TUBE Escalator repair work that is taking one of three escalators out of service at the busy Brixton station of the London Tube is creating crowd buildup and frustration among commuters, the London Evening Standard reports. Tube officials said work to repair two of the escalators at the station is necessary for safety reasons, since the units are more than 40 years old. They expect work to wrap up in summer 2015. In the meantime, they have added buses at Brixton and other stations. November 19, 2014 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC TO SUPPLY 15 UNITS IN BRAZIL Mitsubishi Electric subsidiary MELCO Elevadores do Brasil S.A. has been awarded a contract to provide 15 NEXIEZ elevators to a pair of residential towers in São Paulo, Brazil, Mirage Residencial and Plaza Mayor. MELCO will manufacture and install the units, part of a product line designed to be energy friendly, compact, safe and lightweight, for developer EMBRAPLAN ENGENHARIA LTDA. OTIS INDIA BUOYED BY SYNERGY OF UTC CONSOLIDATION The synergy created by consolidating United Technology Corp.’s elevator, air-conditioning, fire/security and building-automation divisions under one umbrella is proving beneficial to Otis India, ConstructionWeekonline.in reports. Consolidating offices has resulted in shorter response, reduced costs and shared sales leads. In addition to focusing on its energy-efficient, locally made Gen2® elevator, Otis India has doubled capacity at its Bengaluru manufacturing facility in expectation of increased urbanization. The Indian elevator market is expected to reach 70,000 units per year by 2017. ZIMBABWE INDUSTRY BEMOANS HIGH ELEVATOR REGULATORY FEES Members of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries say high fees such as those to register elevators and escalators and have them inspected are affecting their competitiveness, The Herald reports. Manufacturers are required to pay US$200 to register a unit and US$1,000 per unit for inspection. Such costs, along with other fees for such requirements as factory registration, can represent up to 3.5% of a manufacturer’s total expenses. November 18, 2014 HYUNDAI’S HRTS LINKS ELEVATORS, SMARTPHONES Hyundai Elevator Co. Ltd. has announced the debut of Hyundai Real Time Service (HRTS), a “remote-control system that not only gives customers the ability to check the status of their elevators online 24/7, but also enables service engineers to conduct safety checks and fix breakdowns in real time” using smartphones. The Internet-based application for service engineers was released in May and is being used by approximately 1,600 engineers. The customer application is scheduled for release on June 1, 2015. 2015 IRAN LIFTEX ANNOUNCED The next iteration of Iran Liftex will be held at the Tehran International Exhibition Center in Tehran, Iran, on May 16-19, 2015. Dubbed “The Fourth International Exhibition on Elevators, Escalators, Lift, Conveyors and Related Components and Equipment,” the event is expected to draw at least 200 active and reputable local companies and organizations from Iran, Turkey, China, South Korea, Italy and the U.A.E. to its 10,000-m2 floor. For more information or to register, visit websites: liftex.ir and iranfair. PLAN FOR NEW TALLEST BUILDINGS IN HARLEM REVEALED New York YIMBY has obtained specifics on the proposed East River Plaza redevelopment in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood. The plan consists of a trio of apartment towers built atop a pair of podiums. The towers would be 575, 515 and 455 ft. tall. Designed by TEN Arquitectos, they feature variegated façades and a pair of skybridges connecting them at elevations of 245 and 255 ft. No construction timeline was given, but the project was expected to be approved. November 17, 2014 SEMATIC HIRES REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS Sematic has hired two regional sales managers. Tobias Bloß is covering southern Germany and Austria, and Aurélien Travert is covering France. They are handling sales of Sematic’s automatic doors, cabins and components for passenger and goods lifts in their respective areas. Based in Nuremberg, Germany, Bloß has more than 14 years of experience with private and multinational companies, most recently serving as sales manager of components and complete lifts. Based in Paris, Travert has 10 years of experience, working for two multinational companies in France in sales. CTBUH OPENS WEBSITE, CALLS FOR PAPERS The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has launched a website for its 2015 conference “Global Interchanges: Resurgence of the Skyscraper City.” The event will be held in New York City on October 26-30, 2015. The deadline for CTBUH members to submit abstract presentations is January 30, 2015. 30-STORY NASHVILLE TOWER TO BE HOME TO BRIDGESTONE By 2017, a new, 30-story office tower in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, looks to be the new home of Bridgestone Americas, which announced on November 11 it plans to relocate from another area location to the new building, The Tennessean reports. Up to US$100 million in incentives paved the way for the deal, for which two other U.S. cities were competing. The tower will house approximately 1,700 employees, who will be consolidated from other locations, and be among the tallest buildings in downtown Nashville.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 11:35:41 +0000
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