In the last part of the article series of our Asansör Dünyası archive, the magazine moves from the peak to the closing point.
Since it began its publication life in 1996, Asansör Dünyası magazine has made constant progress and managed to become the industry’s voice. However, this success story could not continue any longer with the sudden death of Muzaffer Baştakar. Failing to represent the industry adequately, the magazine was transferred to the international publishing company Elevator World, Inc. in 2014, and its publication life was ended. Elevator World, Inc. subsequently launched ELEVATOR WORLD Türkiye magazine independently in 2015.
100th Issue of Asansör Dünyası
The 100th issue (March-April 2011), which was pre-promoted and worked on for a long time, was almost the magazine’s peak. Since it coincided with the Asansör Istanbul fair, the 205-page magazine was also at its peak with the number of advertising pages it had. The magazine’s Editor’s page reads, “15 years, 100 issues, 700 articles, 13,500 pages, 250,000 magazines and countless friends… The life of the magazine you are holding in your hands can be summarized like this. We are joyful and excited to present to you our 100th issue.”
In this issue, many leading names of the Turkish Lift Industry and their opinions on Asansör Dünyası were featured. Ercüment Hızal, the CEO of Wittur Türkiye at the time, said, “When I look back from the 100th step of the long journey that started with the publication of the first issue, what I see is the Asansör Dünyası magazine’s continuous effort to increase quality and its devoted work. These efforts are of great importance for us to better understand Asansör Dünyası magazine’s place in the Turkish lift industry.”
The Most Successful Asansör Istanbul Fair
In the 12th Asansör Istanbul Fair held in 2011, Asansör Dünyası participated with a much larger stand compared to the previous ones for its 100th anniversary. Several pictures of the stand, which hosted many leading figures in the sector, were included in the 101st issue.
Death of Mehmet Ak
On May 8, 2012, the death of Mehmet Ak, founder of Mekisan and one of the doyens of the Turkish lift industry, deeply saddened the entire industry. The July-August 2012 issue featured various condolence messages on Ak’s death, as well as his expansive biography. Ak founded Mekisan Ltd. Co. in Istanbul Küçükyalı in 1979/1980. Mekisan grew rapidly in the lift industry. With the major investment it made in 1999, Mekisan put its Gebze factory into operation, established on an area of 26,300 m2, 11,500 m2 of which is closed. After his death, Ak’s children Atilla and Kevser Ak expressed their gratitude to their father with the following words: “He left us a legacy of honorable, honest living and love of country. Working was his greatest ambition. He was a man of principle and honest in his work. He always told us, ‘You should not be worrying yourself after selling a product.’ This statement is the most obvious indicator and proof of how MEKİSAN quality is formed. ‘Always compete with your own quality,’ he advised.”
Lift Symposium
The third Lift Symposium organized by MMO and EMO in Izmir was one of the largest symposiums ever held. The Lift Symposium and Exhibition 2012, held in Izmir between October 4-6, brought to the table the knowledge and technologies that shaped the future of the industry. The symposium, which attracted great interest from the industry, was attended by 1,180 people as registered delegates and invitees. With the support of 17 institutions and organizations, it was home to 30 papers presented in 10 sessions, one open session, one panel, and give technical courses. Therefore, we see that the symposium was given wide coverage in the September-October 2012 issue.
2013 ELA General Assembly in Istanbul
The European Lift Association (ELA) General Assembly was held in Istanbul on April 3, 2013. As part of the General Assembly, a Gala Dinner was held at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel on April 2, 2013, with the participation of AYSAD members. And the next day, in the morning, a conference titled “Safe and Smooth Lift Navigation for All” was held at the Grand Hyatt Regency Hotel, and in the afternoon, the ELA General Assembly Meeting was held. The traditional city tour held before each General Assembly was made by boat this time. The magnificent Istanbul landscape and the historical artifacts impressed the participants.
Akar Lift Introduced AKAR BELTSYS® to the Industry
Akar Asansör, which once again came to the forefront with its innovative identity at the Asansör Istanbul 2013 Fair, introduced Türkiye’s first gearless motor traction system, AKAR BELTSYS®, which uses a special polyester-coated belt instead of rope, on which it has been conducting R&D for a long time.
Interlift 2013: Italia Magnifica
The interlift 2013 Fair, which took place in Augsburg, Germany, between October 15-18, 2013, broke its own record that year, reaching 512 companies and 18,900 visitors. Participatory companies made positive comments on the fair. The presentation by Italia Magnifica at the sixth hall, organized by the Italian ANICA and ANACAM associations together with the Italian magazine Elavatori, was the most interesting part of the fair. Fabio Liberali, editor-in-chief of Elevatori and team leader of Italia Magnifica, said: “Tradition, passion and innovation… These three words perfectly define the essence of Italian industry. Italia Magnifica represent the implementation of this essence into the lift industry. Italia Magnifica aimed to show the history, avant-garde technology, style and superiority of Italian VT. This project has been realized thanks to the fruitful collaboration between Elevatori Magazine, ANICA (Italian Component Manufacturers Association) and ANACAM (Association of Lift Maintenance and Service Companies
Asansör Dünyası Now Under Elevator World, Inc.
In May 2014, the May-June Issue, the 119th issue of Asansör, was the first issue published under Elevator World, Inc. The editorial of the magazine stated, “In today’s rapidly changing world, companies have to innovate to gain sustainable competitive advantage. Based on this fact, innovations constantly advance the process of change and development. Accordingly, we have never hesitated to take new initiatives in team spirit. And now, starting in May, we have joined forces with the American ELEVATOR WORLD Magazine by making a radical innovation. Just like Asansör Dünyası Magazine, EW Magazine is not only the most important publication in the industry, but also a publication that carries its success to the world. The second-generation owner of Asansör Dünyası Magazine and the third-generation owner of the American Elevator World Magazine, together with all their employees, decided to merge both magazines under EW. Although the management of Asansör Dünyası Magazine has changed, the quality of its content will not change; on the contrary, it will always continue to raise its bar.”
Last Issue: January-February 2015
After the five issues published after Asansör Dünyası joined Elevator World, Inc., it was decided to continue with EW Türkiye magazine as of May-June following EW’s publication policy and quality standards so the magazine could continue on its way more independently. The change supported and accepted by the industry carried Asansör Dünyası magazine to the EW archive together with several memories. You will be able access the entire archive from elevatorworld.com/turkiye website very soon.
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