“Building A” Details Emerge

Magellan Development has chosen Brininstool Kerwin & Lynch to design a new rental high-rise fronting Chicago’s Wacker Drive. Currently known as “Building A,” an official name has yet to be selected for the 49-story tower. The building will have 499 apartments, 18,000 sq. ft. of retail space and 18,000 sq. ft. of amenities. Providing views of the skyline and Millennium Park, the building’s façade will be comprised of clear, translucent and fritted glass combined with aluminum. Magellan is still working to secure financing for the US$150 million project, though groundbreaking was planned for June.

Ergodyne Named Supplier Of The Year

Evergreen Marketing Group has named Ergodyne as 2011 Supplier of the Year. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ergodyne has been a member of Evergreen since 2008, and specializes in industry work gear.  Evergreen partners with more than 80 suppliers of industrial and construction equipment, many of which provide a range of educational and technical services, including safety training, informational sessions regarding new regulations, and on-the-job product demonstrations.

Lund’s Adds Project Coordinator

Eklund’s, Inc., a custom cab manufacturer, has added a new project coordinator to its team – Brooke Greening, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design®  accredited professional. Greening brings to her position the ability to identify definitive standards for what constitutes a “green” building, and will help Eklund’s to identify and provide sustainable products and design. She has a bachelor’s degree in Construction Science from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

SIC Lazaro To Open Factory

Spanish company Sic Lazaro will establish its first North American factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sic Lazaro, established in 1978, manufactures counterweights for cranes, elevators and other industrial uses. The company expects to have around 30 employees during its first year, and could have 60 or more employees within three years, depending upon sales. The planned factory is the end result of a two-year effort by the Milwaukee 7 regional economic development group to recruit the company to the area. Sic Lazaro was attracted to Milwaukee due, in part, to the large number of industrial equipment manufacturers located in the Midwest. The 138,000-sq.-ft. facility is expected to open in the fall.

Detroit Elevator Launches Website

Detroit Elevator, one of southeast Michigan’s few elevator manufacturing facilities, has launched its new website (www.detroitelevator.com). The new site features a dynamic design and easy navigation to allow customers to find information quickly and efficiently. Founded nearly 100 years ago, Detroit Elevator continues to be a family business. The company offers an extensive line of common replacement parts for elevators.

FEC Named Inventor Of The Month

Federal Equipment Company (FEC), suppliers of military replacement parts for conveyers, elevators, dumbwaiters and hangars to the U.S. Navy, was named April’s Inventor of the Month by Autodesk, Inc. Working with defense contractor and shipbuilder Northrop Grumman Newport News (Virginia), FEC utilized Autodesk software to design a new type of elevator system for the Navy. The advanced system uses linear synchronous motor technology rather than cables to power elevators. Due to this magnet-based technology, the same type that powers many high-speed trains, elevators can travel at 150 fpm and accelerate to full speed in two seconds.

Using Autodesk software, FEC was able to develop a prototype model of the elevator, simulate its real-world performance, design the electrical control system, and manage the project’s data and share it with Northrop Grumman. The software allowed FEC to simulate and  analyze the elevator model’s response to shocks, such as those produced by underwater explosions, and simulations helped the company identify and solve potential problems before performing live tests that cost US$400,000. These digital simulations helped the elevator to pass live tests on the first attempt. FEC’s advanced system marks a significant performance improvement over the Navy’s legacy elevator systems and will enable more efficient transport of munitions onboard new aircraft carriers.

Massachusetts Subway Elevator Work

The Porter Square station of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began undergoing  vertical-transportation improvements in March. Walsh Construction Co. is being paid US$11,542,650 (around 80% of which is to come from federal funding) for the job, says MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. It consists of replacing three elevator cabs and related equipment, and constructing two new elevators.

One of the new elevators will approach a bridge crossing over the commuter rail and connect the sur-face to the mezzanine level. The second elevator will connect the mezzanine level to the Red Line platforms. One machine room will be configured, and the other will be new, according to Pesaturo. The project is a result of an April 10, 2006 class-action lawsuit, which is also to see MBTA construct additional elevators in other heavily traveled stations such as Harvard, State, Down-town Crossing and Park Street. The work at Porter Square is expected to be complete in March 2012.

NEII’S 2011 Board and Trust Committee

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) has an-nounced the election of its 2011 Board of Directors and Trust Committee. Effective April 26, the elections were held in conjunction with NEII’s annual meeting in Chicago. One of the main objectives of the Board of  Directors is to promote safety in building transportation for new and existing technologies. The Trust Committee will continue to administer the rights and obligations of the organization in regard to industry benefit-plan trusts.

The Board of Directors includes: Vance Tang as president. He is the North American Area director for KONE Corp. and president and CEO for KONE Inc. Michael Corbo will serve as vice president. He is the general manager/senior vice president of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics. Carolyn Gomez was elected treasurer. She joined KONE in 2008 and leads the financial planning, budgeting, control and analysis activities for the Americas.

Edward A. Donoghue will serve as secretary. He is the spokesperson and managing director for NEII. In addition, Randy Wilcox of Otis; Richard Hussey of ThyssenKrupp Elevator; Katsuji Okuda of Fujitec America, Inc.; and Jakob Züger of Schindler will serve on the board as well.

Street Renamed to Honor Industry 9/11 Hero

In honor of Charles Costello, an elevator constructor and 16-year member of the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) who lost his life in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the corner of 27th Street and 47th Avenue in Long Island City, New York, was renamed Chuck Costello 9/11 Memorial Way. The renaming took place on April 21 across the street from the IUEC Local One headquarters. It is reported that Costello was working at the World Trade Center during the attacks and died while helping others escape the burning towers.

Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer stated:

“Costello’s bravery on September 11 symbolizes his char-acter and dedication to helping those in need. I am hon-ored to be standing here with the Costello family and his

The Trust Committee includes: Gregory Garger of Otis who will serve as chairman and Bruce Brenizer of Mitsubishi Elevator who was elected vice chairman.  Timothy Grace of Schindler; J. Patrick Heaney of ThyssenKrupp Elevator; and Charles Moore of KONE will also serve on the committee.

Maxton Training Day at UVA

On May 5, Billy Shrum, technical manager at Maxton Manufacturing Co., provided hydraulic-elevator valve training to the University of Virginia’s (UVA) elevator maintenance department. Comprised of six technicians, the university’s elevator maintenance crew services 235 hydraulic elevators using mostly Maxton valves. The presentation was held in the Information Technology building on Pratt Drive near the campus. The mechanics received catalogs, a training outline, a UC4M cutaway valve and a control plate for hands-on visual aids. After assessing the crew’s normal operations and handling of the campus elevators, Shrum tailored the training to benefit the mechanics in aspects of product knowledge, diagnosing, adjusting and maintaining the highest level of elevator performance.

The morning session covered Maxton product knowledge, temperature, pressure and contamination. Shrum shared some tips and tricks Maxton often uses to assist mechanics on technical calls to solve problems that stem from the aforementioned issues. The mechanics dis-cussed previous elevator calls and how they would have done things differently had they been aware of this new information. Next, Shrum led the group through catalog specifications and valve-adjustment procedures. Through the use of digital product modeling, the valve cutaway and the control plate, the crew became more familiar with how adjustments to the valve can affect the performance of an elevator. Shrum then administered the training exam, which was followed by a group review of the answers.

In the afternoon, the group took a ride in the building’s elevator to assess its performance using a Safe Tach. This allowed the crew to see where elevator performance could be increased through valve adjustment. In the machine room, the mechanics made small adjustments based on the identified points given by the Safe Tach. Through this application of the day’s training, the hands-on and book exercises came full circle.

Schindler Introduces 3300 to North America

Schindler has introduced its 3300 machine-room-less (MRL) traction elevator to the North American market. An MRL specifically designed for the low-rise commercial and multi-unit residential market in the U.S. and Canada, the 3300 offers a range of design options and uses less energy. In addition, the system allows for more building and design space by eliminating the need for a machine room.

Each 3300 is equipped with Schindler Remote Monitoring™, a maintenance tool that monitors the system 24/7 and helps return equipment to service up to 22% faster than traditional troubleshooting methods.

Magazine Receives Accolade

ELEVATOR WORLD India received an honorable- mention award in the Best Essay category for the article “Reminiscences” by PVN Marar (EW India, 4th Quarter 2010). Elevator World, Inc. would like to thank Marar and all its other contributing writers for helping make its products the elevator industry’s go-to sources. The  winning article can be read in its entirety at website: http://elevatorworldindia.com/EWIndia_Magazine/FIEL DReminiscences.pdf.

Elevator Historical Society Museum

The Elevator Historical Society, Inc. was to open an elevator museum in Long Island City, New York, in June. Construction materials were donated by Tom Aveni of Elevator Cabs, Inc. Located at 21-03 44th Avenue, 2nd Floor, the museum is open by appointment only to the public and the trade industry. Displays include items ranging from the antique to the modern, including mem-orabilia, elevator books and literature, nameplates dating back to 1861 and more.

Pieces of elevator-industry history are being lost to demolitions on a daily basis. The society hopes to preserve these industry artifacts. Currently, Patrick Carrajat is the museum’s sole source of funding and materials. However, the museum has attained nonprofit status, and donations are now being accepted at The Elevator Historical Society, c/o Lir Group, Inc., 21-03 44th Avenue, Suite 206, Long Island City, New York 11101. For more information, con-tact Carrajat at phone: (917) 748-2328, e-mail: Patrick@ elevatormuseum.org or website: www.elevatorhistory.org.

Atlantic City Resort Progresses

Full-scale construction on Revel, a US$2.4-billion casino resort in Atlantic City has resumed. Once complete, the re-sort will include a 47-story, 710-ft.-tall hotel, with escalators connecting the casino, meeting rooms, lobby and porte cochere. It will also feature restaurants, retail shops, arena theaters and various other attractions. Revel Entertainment Group, LLC expects to welcome its first guests in mid-2012.