Mostly Ups

As I write this column, the economy seems to be looking mostly upward. Cities that lost population during the pandemic are gaining it back, according to the Census Bureau. Many workers who could telecommute left the big cities for suburban or rural areas when COVID struck, causing businesses and builders to wonder whether it was a permanent shift. The Washington Post writes that, according to an analysis by Brookings Institution, 11 of the 15 largest U.S. metro areas gained residents compared with the previous year, including the Washington, D.C., metro area, NYC, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.

In more good news, construction employment increased in 45 states in the first quarter of 2023 compared with a year ago, according to Associated General Contractors of America. Texas saw the largest number of jobs added, increasing by 37,900, or 5%, from 2022 to 2023. Commercial planning in February was bolstered by almost 20% growth in office planning activity, as data centers continued to steadily enter the planning queue. Institutional planning was driven higher by growth in education and healthcare projects.

There are a few “downs” – the price of gas is rising; inflation is stubborn; and some builders are dragging their feet. Rising interest rates are not just hurting banks; five to 10 office towers a month join the list of properties at risk of defaulting because of low occupancy, expiring leases or maturing debt that would have to be refinanced at a higher rate. Despite continued rumblings of recession, of surveyed civil contractors, 26% expect a significant increase in revenue, and 14% expect a significant increase in profit margins within the next 12 months, according to the Dodge report.

This month our focus is on Suspension Means and Materials, and we have two articles, plus a Continuing Education (CE) offering. 

• PU-Coated Ropes as Elevator Suspension Means by Nicola Imbimbo. Small diameter polyurethane-coated (PU) ropes can make a great difference as they allow for reduced traction sheave diameter and machine size.

• Vertical Transportation Space Era: From Science-Fiction to Viable Engineering Solution and an Emerging Market by Yuval Valiano-Rips and Maya Glickman-Pariente. A fascinating article that is a call to action for vertical-transportation (VT) engineers who will see future demand for VT in extraterrestrial places, i.e., the moon, Mars or space stations.

• The CE is A Versatile Solution by Pat Dreps and Joseph Thompson. The authors detail that PU-coated ropes are a high-performance rope with different traction results – plus, it is a lifetime decision.

Four feature articles are in this issue:

• WOW by Olga Quintanilla Marful, EW Correspondent in Spain. TK Elevator provides accessibility to a new WOW Concept Shopping Center, transforming the old Hotel Roma in Madrid, Spain.

• “Is There Even More?” by Undine Stricker-Berghoff, EW Correspondent in Germany. She interviews Oliver Simmonds, principal engineer at Schindler who expounds on how 3D printing will be used in the elevator industry. He asks, “Is it art or manufacturing?”

• Preserving The Past, Elevating the Future by Lindsay Fletcher. It has been a great honor to visit The Elevator Museum Inc. in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Founder Steve Comley is a one-man dynamo who finally accomplished what many before him have tried – saving much of the beautiful, rare equipment in our industry.

• Double-Deck Deep Dive by Kaija Wilkinson, with photos by David Fried. Citycorp Center, known by its address, 601 Lexington Avenue, is celebrating 45 years with some new double-deck elevators, a novelty even in NYC. VDA and Otis, who are doing the mod job, have some stories to tell about the original installation.

It is a packed issue: NEII talks safety, including the Safety Handbook revisions; and Dr. Lee Gray talks about the year 1973, when EW wrote about a new government agency, OSHA, and published the first Safety Handbook. We have product and project reviews, plus interviews with folks you know. There is just so much more, but I “runneth” out of space and time. Enjoy!