In the Beginning

It seems if you live long enough you will not only have many birthdays but will also enjoy watching organizations you care about do the same. This year, the Canadian Elevator Contractors Association (CECA) is celebrating its 50th year in service, while contractors below the border at the National Association of Elevator Contractors are ramping up for their 75th. Your author’s father was intimately involved in helping these two groups (and others in the U.K. and Europe) organize. He was an avid student of history and of this industry. He figured that one way to learn and stay informed was to bring groups of “like” people together (and listen to them)! Soon he just had to spread this information and education, and so a magazine was also born 71 years ago. Our issues this year promise to be full of beginnings.

This month, we celebrate Canada, known as our “good” neighbor, in a Special Regional Section with eight articles and a feature:

• CECA Strong by Kaija Wilkinson. While CECA celebrates 50 years, it continues to bring members together on codes, safety and training.
• Educating the Next Generation of VT Technicians by Kathleen Farrell. Mohawk College’s Elevating Devices programs have introduced more than 100 students to the Canadian vertical-transportation (VT) workforce in four years.
• Delivering Excellence by Wes Powers. Atlantic Lifts delivers massive freight elevators to the Stellantis electric car assembly plant.
• Impacting the Industry by Farrell. Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario, has been delivering apprenticeship programs for the VT industry for 20 years and is adapting to meet the needs of the industry.
• From the Rockies to the Prairies by Wilkinson charts the growth of GUNN Consultants, with 10 years in Calgary and 40 years of service across Canada.
• Catching Up With The Peelle Co. presents the latest updates for the nearly 100-year-old Canadian operation.
• Seismic Requirements for New Elevator Installations by Michael Chadney. The author forwards advice on when and where seismic devices are needed.
• “Inflection Point” by Wilkinson. This is an excellent market trends piece that shows a vibrant VT industry from Montreal and Toronto to Vancouver, and a serious high-rise country with tall and supertalls rising.
• Just a touch more on Canada, we have Evolving “Sweet Spots,” an interview by Wilkinson with Schindler Canada President Lisa Konnry, who says, “We’re seeing a strong resurgence in retail investment.”

Our Focus Topic this month is Safety Components and Procedures and at least eight authors have contributed to the subject. Because of the focus on components, there are five Product Spotlights including: Vision Plus (safety edges by Formula System); PitSafe (system and lighting by ECI); SafeRise (a barricade for use in construction); a new pit ladder to meet 2022 code (by Smart Elevator Tech); and a range of safety products by Mayr. Also, under the focus topic, we have:

• A Balancing Act by Tijmen Molema. The author notes that as equipment complexity increases so does the chance of faults. He describes how they must be balanced.
• Prioritizing Elevator Safety and Accessibility Standards by Mary Pulliam. The author views upgrades through the lens of helping everyone comply with changing Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
• Toward Smart Elevators – the KLEEMANN Experience by Dr. Giorgos Georgiadis. This paper was presented at the IEES in Edinburgh, Scotland, last December. It features four innovations: a fall detector, a shaft measurement system, a braille user interface and an air quality monitor.

This writer is almost out of breath from all those features, but I also must mention the National Elevator Industry, Inc. article by Amy J. Blankenbiller, Elevate Her. It suggests our industry could help solve the labor shortage by training more women. Thanks, Amy, I needed that! Enjoy this issue, we have worked so hard on it. Let me know your thoughts at ricia@elevatorworld.com.