Building completion, training and other industry news from Dubai, Egypt and Iran

TELME NLP Training at Dubai Chamber of Commerce

Toshiba Elevator Middle East LLC (TELME) employees took part in a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) session at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce as part of TELME’s corporate social responsibility efforts on December 6, 2020. Conducted by NLP practitioner Chitra Pillai, the 2-1/2-h session included an overview of how NLP is useful for self-understanding and connecting and managing one’s emotions. TELME team members engaged in experiential activities, such as connecting with their inner children, to promote healing. Participants received materials and certificates after the session. Pillai explained:

“NLP is the link between the neuro (how we think), linguistic (how we communicate) and programming (behavior patterns and emotions). It is a communication model that leads to a methodology of modeling top performers to achieve excellence.”

First Tower in Egypt’s NAC Completed

Egypt’s New Administrative Capital (NAC) C08 building, built by China State Construction Engineering Corp. (CSCEC), is the area’s first tower to complete, Middle East Monitor reported in January. The C08, a twin high rise to C07, had the final piece of its curtain wall installed in early January. CSCEC launched the work in 2017 after it won a US$3-billion contract from Egyptian officials to collaborate with the Ministry of Housing to build 20 towers in the NAC’s business district, including the Iconic Tower, which, when it tops out at 385 m, will be the tallest building in Africa. By the end of this year, all Egyptian ministries are scheduled to be transferred from nearby Cairo to the NAC. Some 50,000 employees will make the move after being evaluated for “skills in Arabic and English, personal skills and computers through international programs,” reported the Egypt Independent.
Separately, it has been reported that Egypt has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Germany’s Siemens for the construction of a US$23-billion high-speed train line connecting Ain Sokhna, on Egypt’s Red Sea, to New Alamein, on the Mediterranean coast. The route will pass through the NAC.

Iran Elevator Industry Boosts Internal Production

Iran, currently facing economic sanctions, has improved its internal production of elevator parts, while reducing its imports to about US$100 million worth of materials, parts and manufacturing equipment, Financial Tribune reported in January. Abbas Abrishami, president of Iran’s National Elevators, Escalators and Related Services Union, said the country has improved its internal production, noting, “At present, we have succeeded in manufacturing 75% of the industry’s required spare parts domestically.” Imports for Iran’s elevator production are about 50% of what the country brought in during 2018-2019. Abrishami expects elevator industry exports to reach US$200 million by fiscal 2025-2026 but said this will require Iran’s Institute of Standards and Industrial Research to introduce standards in the field to exporters or allow foreign standards offices to be established in Iran. The country’s elevator production capacity is 80,000 per year, but recession has forced a significant decline in output. The source said Iran has about 750,000 elevators operating, with about 250 million riders each day.