Business News from around the World

A shakeup among U.K. firms headlines a section including Chinese market news and the founding of a magazine by a major OEM.

Lerch Bates and MovvéO in the U.K.

Lerch Bates Inc., based in Denver, has purchased London-based elevator and escalator consulting firm Dewar Partnership Ltd., marking its return to Europe after a split from its European partner Lerch Bates Ltd., which has changed its name to MovvéO Lift Consultants. Based in Surrey, U.K., MovvéO has developed several technological solutions in partnership with Kingston University, allowing it “to provide unique vertical-transportation design and maintenance services more effectively and efficiently than ever before.” Lerch Bates’ Dewar team, meanwhile, specializes in the vertical-transportation needs of the commercial, leisure, financial, retail, education, health, transportation and aviation industries in both public and private sectors. Dewar has appointed Steve Fall managing director and Matt Scanlan, previous Dewar owner, remains with the firm as an executive director and member of its board of management.

ThyssenKrupp Elevator Acquires LES

ThyssenKrupp Elevator has acquired Lift & Engineering Services Ltd. (LES), a 30-year-old, family-operated company with approximately 100 employees in Cradley Heath, U.K. ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s most significant acquisition since 1999, the move further expands the company’s modernization and service capabilities, which ThyssenKrupp Elevator states will become increasingly crucial as urbanization intensifies globally. With a strong presence in the London area, LES designs and manufactures an array of lift equipment and drive systems. Its team includes a group of engineers who focus on mobility/access equipment. ThyssenKrupp Elevator CEO Andreas Schierenbeck called LES “an ideal fit with our market plans in the region.”

Chinese Firms Gain Market Share Domestically

Chinese elevator and escalator companies are expanding their market share domestically, according to the China Elevator Association, China News reports. Chinese OEMs, product manufacturers and technology providers now possess more than 50% of the Chinese market, versus approximately 10% a decade ago. The world’s largest elevator market, China produced more than 633,000 elevators in 2013, representing an annual 20% increase. Elevator exports rose by 35% to 65,968. Chinese OEM Canny Elevator Co. Ltd. notes cost-conscious real-estate developers are helping drive demand for domestically produced items.

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.com. 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.

Canadian Construction, Convention

Large projects are promoted in Toronto, while CECA prepares for its annual convention.

Renderings of Concord CityPlace Towers in Toronto

The first renderings of what would be the tallest towers in the Concord CityPlace development in downtown Toronto have been released, UrbanToronto.ca reports. Standing at 64 and 75 stories, the towers would house residences and offices, and be linked by a 10-story podium with retail in an area bustling with pedestrian traffic due in part to the nearby Rogers Centre. The buildings were designed by Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects, and Concord Adex is the developer. No construction timeline was given. Should they be built, the towers would join approximately 20 other buildings ranging in height from eight to 49 stories in what is projected to be the largest residential development in Toronto once finished.

Parking Elevators among Toronto Condo Amenities

A pair of elevators to whisk residents to their cars is among amenities being touted by developers of Barrington Condominium Flats in Toronto, The Globe and Mail reports. Taking a cue from high-rise condos in New York City and Paris, the plan involves residents paying extra for a parking spot and remote-control key fob with which they summon an elevator to take them to their cars. Designed by EI Richmond Architects, the 18-story building will include 93 units starting in the CAD$300,000s (US$260,240). It is scheduled to open in fall 2017.

CECA Convention Registration Open

The Canadian Association of Elevator Contractors (CECA) has announced that registration is open for its 41st annual convention at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver on June 2-5. For more information, visit website: www.ceca-acea.org.

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.

Major Contracts for Majors in Australasia

Otis, KONE and Schindler strike it big in Singapore, China, Sri Lanka and Australia.

Singapore Rail Contract is 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.

Schindler to Outfit World’s Tallest “Vertical Garden”

Schindler will provide the elevator system for the world’s tallest “vertical garden,” 52-story Clearpoint Residences in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Four 7000 elevators with Power Factor One regenerative drives and PORT destination control comprise the package. The elevator system will be part of the first sustainable high-rise apartment complex in the country, with solar panels to generate electricity to power lights and elevators, wastewater recycling and planted terraces for each of the 164 apartments. The project marks the introduction of PORT technology to Sri Lanka.

51 KONE Elevators for Changsha, China, Complex

KONE has won a contract to provide 51 elevators plus two years of maintenance to the Changsha Kineer International Center in Changsha, China. The center consists of a trio of 220-m-tall office buildings covering 3.5 ha expected to serve up to 6,000 visitors daily upon completion in 2017. The buildings will be outfitted with 44 MinispaceTM and seven S MonoSpace® elevators, as well as the E-LinkTM traffic-monitoring system.

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.

U.K. Projects

Canary Wharf expands in London, while Manchester’s NOMA kicks off with 36-story edifice.

57-Story Tower to be Centerpiece of Canary Wharf Expansion

London Mayor Boris Johnson has approved Wood Wharf, a 30-building expansion of the city’s Canary Wharf development, and a cylindrical 57-story residential tower designed by Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron is to be the centerpiece, Construction Enquirer reports. Herzog & de Meuron is the firm behind the design of such striking buildings as the Tate Modern art gallery in London and the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic Games stadium in Beijing. In addition to retail, parks and other public amenities, Wood Wharf is set to include more than 3,000 new homes and 1.9 million sq. ft. of office space. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2018.

New 36-Story Residential Tower for Manchester

A new 36-story residential tower is planned as part of NOMA, a mixed-use redevelopment taking shape in Manchester, U.K., Manchester Evening News reports. Near the new headquarters of the Co-Operative Group, codeveloper of the 20-acre site, the tower is set to include amenities such as a rooftop tennis court and theater. It has dark cladding to contrast with adjacent low-rise buildings. Work isexpected to start this year with the building ready for occupancy in 2017.

Turkish Authorities Seal Unsafe Elevators

Inspections revealed more than half of the 2,690 elevators in Erzurum, Turkey, have safety issues such as nearly severed cables and malfunctioning brakes, Hurriyet Daily News reports. In December, 1,579 elevators, including those in the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) building, had been shut down and sealed. TSE officials oversee elevator inspections and are using red labels to indicate units that should not be used until they are standardized.

Moscow Skyscraper Block Eyes 2018 Completion

Moscow officials are eyeing a 2018 completion date for Moskva City, a block of office skyscrapers just outside the city center, Sputnik News reports. Much transportation infrastructure is complete, and additional road connections are projected. Among noteworthy buildings in Moskva City are the 48-story Evolution Tower, designed by RMJM Scotland Ltd. and boasting an interesting double-helix shape, and the 95-story Federation Tower East, which, upon completion later this year, will be the tallest building in Europe. Evolution Tower was topped out in 2014.