NAEC 2011 to be Held In New Orleans

On September 11-15, New Orleans will welcome the National Association of Elevator Contractors’ (NAEC) 62nd Annual Convention & 2011 Exposition and its participants. The convention will take place at the Hilton Riverside and include various networking opportunities. The President’s Welcome Reception will be held on the evening of September 12, and the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation will host its annual party on September 13-14. In honor of the host city, NAEC’s annual Dinner Dance will be transformed into a Mardi Gras celebration, complete with traditional colors and characters.

The convention will offer educational opportunities covering topics ranging from “Safety Crossfire” to “Worker’s Compensation.” Two roundtable discussions will also be held and feature safety-, code- and business-related topics. The exhibition will feature expanded educational opportunities on topics like “Operation and Control of Permanent Magnet Elevator Motors,” and “Safety Crossfire.” For more information, visit website: www.naecconvention.com.

Draka Elevator Distribution Agreement

Draka Elevator has been assigned exclusive distribution rights for Maxton’s SafeTach Elevator Performance Meter. SafeTach measures speed and forces felt during elevator movement and provides duration time of floor travel. Designed to provide immediate real-time performance information by merely riding inside the elevator, the meter supplies critical performance data and keeps personnel out of the hoistway during operation. It is suitable for hydraulic, geared traction, gearless and machine-room-less elevators.

Sterrett Lloyd, president of the Draka Elevator Business Unit, said:

“Draka Elevator is focused on providing the equipment and tools that our customers need to be more efficient. SafeTach is a wonderful addition to our extensive product line for measuring and improving elevator performance, while helping ensure technician safety.”

NEII® Trademark Notice

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII®) has announced that the association’s acronym and logo have been approved as federally registered trademarks through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices. With roots dating back to 1914 (when it was called the Elevator Manufacturers’ Association), NEII® is a national trade association representing the interests of firms that install, maintain, modernize and/or manufacture elevators, escalators, moving walks and other building-transportation products.

600 Brickell In Miami

In July, 600 Brickell at Brickell World Plaza in down-town Miami was on schedule for completion in August. Nicknamed “bright green,” the 40-story building has al-ready obtained one of the few Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® Platinum certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council in the world. Planners looked to the future when designing the 600,000-sq.-ft. facility, which includes a 30,000-sq.-ft. outdoor plaza builders have envisioned as “a modern Rockefeller Plaza.”

Designed for the future, 600 Brickell is to save three million gallons of water per year by cleaning and reusing the rainwater and water it uses from air conditioners. To withstand hurricane-strength winds, its windows can handle gusts up to 334 mph, and a backup power system will supposedly keep the building from losing power to utilities, including Internet (hardwired into the city’s Internet hub), phones, water and air conditioning. Strong digital connectivity throughout the building means that cell phones or laptops should not lose signals in the elevator or parking garages.

Formula Systems At Naec Convention

Formula Systems North America, Inc. is showing its entire range of door protection devices in booth 1403 at the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) Convention and Expo. The event takes place on September 11-15 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans. During the event, Formula Systems will be inviting NAEC attendees to explore its special emphasis on “sharing its vision.” The company also accentuates a ten-year warranty for its Safescreen(FCU47) door protection devices for the North American market. It also produces the Slimscreen and Safezone 3D brands and controller-less versions with reduced component count designed for quick and trouble-free fitting and reliability.

With solutions for all elevator door protection applications, Formula Systems’ products have relevant approvals and EN 81-70 compliance. It also supplies products such as statically mounted protection off the doors and two-in-one light curtains designed and built into mechanical safety edges (especially suited to Asian markets). The company’s Orator real-speech annunciation for elevators comes with a predefined library of the most common phrases, numbers and announcements. For special requirements, its PC-based editing system can provide flexibility for users to update their own announcements.

EDDIE Kane Steel Opens Alabama Facility

Carbon- and alloy-steel distributor Eddie Kane Steel Products, Inc. has announced the opening of a new distribution facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This sales, warehouse and distribution center will allow the company to better service its hot-rolled carbon steel plate customers in the South. Strategically located to allow faster delivery times to many customers, the facility intends to solidify Eddie Kane Steel’s presence in the South. The growth across the U.S. seen in the past three years is part of the company’s plan to establish and strengthen strategic relationships with mill suppliers and customers. Eddie Kane Steel has been increasing its inventory and processing capacities at each of its locations to create stronger relationships be-tween vendors and customers.

With the new Alabama facility, Eddie Kane Steel now has sales, distribution and processing centers in Masury, Ohio; Los Angeles; Hertford County, North Carolina; Chicago; and Tuscaloosa. The company’s processing capabilities include high-definition plasma and oxy fuel flame cutting, shearing, bending and light machining, among other processes and services.

38TH Pop/Joe A Success

The New York Elevator Community held the 38th-Annual Pop Frohlinger/Joe Marchese Memorial Invitational Outing on June 23 at the Middle Bay Country Club in Oceanside, New York. Kenneth Breglio, president of BP Elevator and Elevator Conference of New York, was this year’s honoree. The event, organized by Vinnie Moscato, saw 220 golfers, a new record, and another 36 attendees for the dinner, during which Breglio was roasted by Robert DeFrancessco and Ken Breglio, Jr. Elevator-industry members from the local community and as far away as Texas, Georgia, Minnesota and the U.K. were in attendance. The benefactor of the event was the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF). EESF’s largest fundraising function, this year’s outing raised around US$41,000. Pop/Joe has donated more than US$300,000 to EESF since 1999, which trans-lates to the education of 1.4-million children on the proper use of elevators, escalators and moving walks. The next Pop/Joe is scheduled for June 21, 2012.

Draka Raises Funds For EESF

Held on May 26 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Draka Elevator’s 26th-Annual Golf Outing raised US$830 to benefit the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF). More than 120 customers, industry manufacturers and Draka employees attended the event and were able to purchase US$5 raffle tickets for various prizes, including an Apple iPod Touch® and Amazon Kindle™ book reader. All proceeds from the raffle went to EESF for the development and distribution of safety programs to educate the public on safe and proper use of elevators, escalators and moving walks. Draka has been a member of EESF since February 2000.

Maxton, Neiep Join Efforts

In May, Maxton Manufacturing and the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) joined efforts and supplied UC4M valve cutaways, TA4M training units and digital valve modeling tools for use in NEIEP classrooms across the U.S. In June, NEIEP was preparing to ship cut-ways, which were to be used as visual reference aids to its apprenticeship and continuing education courses, to local training programs.

The partnership will contribute to the education of the potential thousands of elevator professionals to be served by NEIEP in the coming years. While NEIEP offers a series of courses in hydraulic installations that touch on the importance of the hydraulic valve, the collaboration with Maxton will introduce a specialized experimental learning component. The classroom training will focus on valve installation, repair and service processes. The controlled environment will provide an appropriate set-ting for students to learn about the complexities and sometimes dangerous aspects of hydraulic valve systems.

Pflow Personnel Announcements

Pflow Industries, Inc. has announced several personnel changes, including the appointment of Chuck Cobb as its new National Sales manager. He is responsible for managing the Regional Sales staff and sales of Pflow’s vertical material-lift systems. Cobb joined Pflow in 2004 as the Southeast regional manager and has more than 20 years of industry-related experience and is known for his expertise in materials conveyance.

In addition, Pflow has added two new Regional Sales managers and expanded the territory alignment to four regions. Fred Volkman is the Northeast regional manager and is responsible for sales from Maine to Washington, D.C., and New York to Pennsylvania. He has more than 20 years of elevator industry experience from a distributor, manufacturer’s agent and regional sales perspective. Ray Fuller is the Southeast regional manager, covering states from Texas to Florida, and Virginia and West Virginia. Fuller brings more than18 years of experience in distributor support.

Sandy Silverberg will stay on as the Western regional manager, where he will focus his efforts solely west of Colorado. Mark Beggs will move from the Northeast territory and become the Midwest regional manager, covering the states to Kansas.

Solus4 Sustainable Vertical Neighborhood

Architectural and urban-planning firm Solus4 has pro-posed a 950-ft.-tall sustainable vertical neighborhood to be constructed in New York City. The 50-story residential skyscraper would be comprised of four-bedroom apartments with 3,000 sq. ft. each, all of which would be accessed by a high-speed, destination-selection elevator system. Below the residential units would be restaurants, retail and other public space. The complex was designed under Solus4’s Sustainable Neighborhood Collaborative Initiative principles, which requires an innovative and environmentally sensitive design.

The tower’s distinctive shape is due to its innovative structure and energy-generating systems. The structural system, designed by LeMessurier Consultants, would be situated in concrete with flat slabs supported by columns and shear walls embedded in the extruded core shaft, leaving large portions of the perimeter free for 14-ft.-tall floor-to-ceiling glass. The exterior glazing comprises a hybrid double-glazed skin, which enhances the thermal barrier, controlling heat gain and loss throughout the year. Strategically placed mini turbines would utilize vertical air movement to generate supplementary power, while balconies act as rainwater collectors, which would be harvested and added to the gray-water-recycling system.

Mesa Golf Outing

The Massachusetts Elevator Safety Association (MESA) is scheduled to hold its fifth annual golf outing on September 7 at Olde Scotland Links in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The outing, held in memory of G. Gahr Finney and Marty McKown, is to begin at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start in team scramble format. The event features prizes and a barbeque luncheon. All proceeds help sponsor the Gahr Finney Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Museum Grand Opening

The Elevator Historical Society, Inc. held the grand opening of the Elevator Museum on June 29 in Long Island City, New York. The museum was founded by retired industry veteran Patrick Carrajat, a one-time supervisor at a local elevator-repair company and founder of Century Elevator, a repair business, in 1973. The museum showcases a collection of 4,000 pieces of elevator memorabilia and artifacts dating from the 1860s, ranging from advertisements to equipment licenses. Carrajat accumulated the items during his long career in the elevator industry. The facility is located on the second floor of the Taxi Building in Long Island City. Open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on select Saturdays, the free museum currently occupies 700 sq. ft., but Carrajat hopes to one day expand to around 5,000 sq. ft. His nonprofit Elevator Historical Society, Inc. (www.elevatorhistory.org) has begun raising funds to move into a larger facility, potentially one with enough room to offer antique elevator rides. Carrajat hopes elevator manufacturers and unions representing elevator workers will lend their support to take this museum to the next level.

FPA Codes as Pdf Files

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has announced that 2009-2011 National Fire Codes® Sets can be purchased and downloaded online (www.nfpa.org/catalog/search.asp?query=redline). In addition, NFPA codes are also available in redline editions, which identify code changes from one edition to the next through the use of color coding. The PDF format gives users off-line access to electronic versions of the codes anytime and anywhere. Documents are searchable and can be maintained as an electronic archive. All text, tables and images within the documents can be copied for reuse, and annex material is available via embedded links.

Redline codes include deleted code material in red strikethrough type, new material in blue type and up-dated content indicated by a vertical rule to help users stay up to date on changes between editions. Eleven red-line PDFs were initially available, with more scheduled for release in August.

Kencor Promotes Graham

Kencor Elevator Systems Inc. has announced the promotion of John S. Graham to vice president of Sales, effective May 1. Graham, with 43 years of experience in the elevator industry, has served as branch manager at Haughton Elevator and KONE, district manager at United States Elevator, district manager and corporate vice president of Sales at General Elevator Co. (Baltimore), regional manager at North America Elevator Services (Otis), regional president at ThyssenKrupp Elevator, and senior vice president at Amtech Elevator Services. For the past three years, he has held the position of Sales manager at Kencor.

Sea-Tac Airport Modernization

A US$55-million modernization project at Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport was scheduled to begin in July. The project will see 42 escalators in the Main Terminal, Concourse B and the South Satellite replaced, many of which date back to the early 1970s. Two new escalators will be installed in the South Satellite to address passenger growth. KONE will implement the escalators, 10 of which are KONE EcoMod® systems.

The new escalators will have more efficient drive systems and the capability to adjust the system’s power demand and speed based on load and usage. The new equipment is expected to improve energy efficiency by 20% over the existing escalators and save an estimated US$250,000 in annual repair costs, reduce maintenance downtime and improve customer serv-ice. The installation will be phased in over two years to minimize disruption. The project is expected to be complete in June 2013.

This is only one of multiple planned projects to improve the airport’s infra-structure. Seven elevators and six adjacent escalators in the main terminal parking garage were replaced last year. Between 2012 and 2015, an additional 12 escalators and 19 elevators are scheduled to be replaced in the terminal, along with the construction of two new elevators. Sea-Tac has a total of 79 escalators, 82 elevators and six moving walkways.

Otis to Modernize Empire State Building

More than 80 years ago, Otis completed the installation of the original equipment at New York City’s Empire State Building. Now, Otis will upgrade the iconic skyscraper’s 68 elevators, replacing and modernizing all equip-ment onsite. The new equipment will include high-speed elevators, ReGen™ drives and the Compass™ destination-management system. Otis expects the new systems to reduce elevator energy consumption by an average of 30%, while the Compass system will ensure tenants and guests reach their destination as much as 20-40% faster than conventional elevators during peak traf-fic. Included in the contract awarded to Otis is a 10-year maintenance agreement.

Hudson Donates Accessibility Elevator

Hudson Elevator Group announced in July that it donated and installed a fully automated elevator to Brendan Marrocco’s new two-story Staten Island, New York, home. Marrocco was 22 years old when wounded in Iraq while serving in the U.S. Army and survived quadruple amputation and other serious injuries. Homes for Heroes and The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation built the house, which is now Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

Fedotov Receives Qei Certification

Svetlana Fedotov, a vertical-transportation designer for Vertical Transportation Excellence (VTX), recently passed the test from QEI Services, Inc. in New Jersey. Based in VTX’s Philadelphia office, Fedotov is responsible for preparing the design of elevators, escalators, moving walks and related vertical-transportation systems, as well as consulting services. Fedotov has 16 years of experience in the elevator industry and has held various positions in drafting and designing.

Michigan College Receives LEED® Certification

Alma College in Alma, Michigan, has received Leader-ship in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for its renovated Hogan Center and new Art Smith Arena. The Hogan Center is the first LEED-certified building in Alma and received the status for its energy use, lighting, water and other sustainable design efforts.

Houston Office Development

The owner of the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa in Houston is planning to expand its business by adding a 22-story office building and possibly a residential tower. Redstone Real Estate owns the 6-acre site along Post Oak Boulevard and reported that the hotel project is contingent on financing. However, Steven Lerner, president and CEO of Redstone, announced in June that the BBVA Compass Plaza office tower is scheduled to be complete in spring 2013 and is the first part of the project, which is to be developed in phases. HKS Architects designed the tower, and it is to be built by Manhattan Construction. The property is designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® Gold certification.

Pentagon Renovation Includes Elevators

After 17 years of renovations, the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, is complete. Among the upgrades was the installation of 70 passenger elevators. The US$4.5-billion renovation program was considered one of the world’s largest reconstruction projects when it began. Originally constructed during World War II, the building had to be stripped to concrete columns and rebuilt from slab to ceiling, while remaining fully operational. Close to 15,000 people worked on the program over the years, and many were recognized for their work at a ceremony in June.

Harmar Education Forum

Harmar dealers from across the country attended the company’s first Technical Education Forum held at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on June 15-16. Eighty dealers from 50 companies received training that included in-depth product information in a conference environment and hands-on training via four technical break-out sessions with more than 20 different lifts on display. An opportunity to become Harmar certified at the conclusion of training was also offered.

This was the first in a series of National Education Forums launched by the company. The goal is to bring industry leaders together to discuss products, market trends and today’s mobility and accessibility customers. Also offered by Harmar are monthly Level II technical product training courses for mobility at its Sarasota, Florida, headquarters.

ASSE Safety 2011 Expo Sets Record

Illinois-based American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) officials reported a record number of exhibitors for its Safety 2011 expo held in Chicago on June 12-15. In conjunction with ASSE’s Professional Development Conference (PDC), the annual event took place at the Chicago McCormick Place Convention Center and featured nearly 500 exhibitors, compared to last year’s 400. Industry organizations and groups presented interactive displays and demonstrations on the latest safety products. In addition, educational sessions took place and focused on topics such as safety, hazard recognition and elimination, environmental issues and technical skills development. PDC 2011 also exceeded attendance records, with just over 4,100 people from more than 38 countries attending events in Chicago tied to the 100th anniversary of ASSE.

New ASME A17 Member

TÜV SÜD America Inc. announced in June that Dirk Schroeter, product manager of its Industry Service, has been appointed as a member of the ASME A17 Elevator New Technical Committee. The committee was established in 2003 to develop a binational (U.S. and Canada) performance-based safety code for elevators and escalators. Members assume leadership roles in developing new code requirements, standards and regulations, and in promoting the introduction of safe, innovative technology for the elevator industry.

NAESA International Scholarship Awards

NAESA International has awarded Melissa Carey and Samantha Gagle its 2011 scholarships. Carey is the granddaughter of Nickolas Ribaudo, who has been a member of NAESA International since 1997. She has plans to attend the University of Delaware to study engineering. Gagle is the daughter of George Gagle who has been a member of NAESA International since 2005. She plans to attend Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, to major in Biology with a focus on Pre Medical. According to the chair of the scholarship committee, 10 strong scholarship applications were evaluated for this year’s awards, making the selection process difficult.

Taukus Promoted at EDI/ECI

In June, Elevator Doors, Inc./Elevator Cabs, Inc.(EDI/ECI) promoted Chris Taukus from senior Sales and Marketing to vice president, Marketing/Business Development. Taukus has worked at EDI/ECI for 15 years. Following more than two years developing the company’s New England sales region from Boston, in 1999, he moved to EDI/ECI headquarters in Paterson, New Jersey.

In addition to his new role, Taukus will maintain a sales position at the company. He holds a BS from Drew University (New Jersey) and an MBA from Cornell University (New York). He is a member of the Elevator Conference of New York.

Schindler Renovates Headquarters

As part of an ongoing commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, Schindler has invested in sustainable technologies and the renovation of its North American headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey. Schindler has owned the 42-year-old building for approximately two years and felt a major renovation was needed to improve its overall efficiency, since one had not been done in over 12 years.

Some Energy-Saving Upgrades

The building has been equipped with new vertical transportation. The Schindler 9300® AE escalator with Ecoline generates energy savings of up to 20% per year. The building also features the Schindler 3300 machine-room-less elevator that is up to 60% more efficient than a hydraulic elevator, with eco-friendly features such as an energy-saving gear less motor to avoid power loss, frequency converter with standby power mode and LED lights. Furthermore, most internal and external lighting, including parking-lot and roadway lighting, will be fitted with energy-efficient T5 and LED light fixtures running on daylight sensors. These sensors automatically adjust the brightness of the light fixtures based on natural light entering the building so that illumination is not sacrificed.

The building features a new 21,000-sq.-ft. solar array, completed in March, comprised of 1,236 photovoltaic solar panels. Each panel will generate 230 W of renew-able energy, and the system is expected to provide approximately 11% of the building’s total annual power consumption (enough to power more than 90 houses for a month). Schindler is also replacing all 475 windows in the building with energy-efficient, insulating, dual-pane windows featuring coatings that help control heat transfer and reduce strain on the heating and cooling systems. Overall, the new windows represent a 6.7% reduction in electricity consumption and a 39.2% reduction in natural-gas consumption, providing a 17.5% overall reduction in energy costs for the building.

To monitor these features, a lobby kiosk provides real-time data on the energy savings, carbon reduction and environmental impact of the building’s new solar roof. For more information, visit Schindler’s dedicated website chronicling the benefits of the project: http://adema.kiosk-view.com/schindler.

Construction Of D.C.’S Citycenter Underway

After years of planning, construction on CityCenterDC began in March in downtown Washington, D.C., just east of the White House. One of the largest downtown projects in the nation, the US$700-million complex will consist of 2.5-million sq. ft. of office, residential and retail space, as well as a public plaza and park. The development will sit on 10 acres and be comprised of six buildings, each 10-11 stories tall, with retail space at their bases. An additional 110,000 sq. ft. is planned for phase two of the project, which also includes a luxury hotel. The complex’s two office and condominium buildings were designed by London architecture firm Foster + Partners, while the two apartment buildings were designed by Shalom Baranes, a local firm.

The project was initially stalled by the economic recession but was able to move forward because of a recent US$620-million equity investment by the real-estate arm of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. The Qatari Diar Real Es-tate Investment Co. is now the project’s principal owner. The bulk of the project is expected to be complete in late 2013.

Maxton’s Hydraulic Elevator Simulator

Maxton Manufacturing of Minden, Nevada, has finalized an order for its TA4M Field Training Aid to the Stamford Fire & Rescue Department in Stamford, Connecticut. The program offers firefighters a real working example of a hydraulic system by providing hands-on experience with manual lowering of the elevator prior to an actual fire situation.

Earlier this year, Maxton  reported seeing an online  inquiry about locating a hydraulic elevator simulator for use by fire departments as a training tool. After connecting with a fire/rescue consultant, Maxton shared its training aid as a solution for elevator training programs. The Stamford Fire & Rescue Department was scheduled to receive its first class using the TA4M on April 30 at the Stamford Regional Fire School.

CDP Achieves Gold Status

CDP Fastener Group, Inc. is one of the first Otis suppliers to achieve United Technologies Corp. (UTC) Supplier Gold status. CDP received the honor by demonstrating “best in class” quality and delivery performance, implementation of a lean culture, and strong customer satisfaction during the past 12 months. CDP supplies hard-ware and rail systems to Otis, a UTC business unit, and is a drop-ship supplier to Otis locations across North America. CDP has achieved 100% quality for more than three years on more than six million products with over 99%on-time delivery.

CDP is a leading distributor of military specification and special hardware products, as well as a distributor and manufacturer of a variety of elevator products. Earlier this year, CDP received AS9120:2009 and ISO 901:2008 certification, and, for the second year in a row, was presented with the “3 Star Award” by Raytheon in April.

Bronx Housing Buildings Get New Elevators

New York City officials have announced an agreement intended to improve living conditions for the more than 1,000 residents of the former Milbank housing buildings in the Bronx. Finkelstein Timberger LLC and its Principal Steven Finkelstein have agreed to pay US$27.75 million for the 10 buildings and have signed agreements with the city to rehabilitate and keep them affordable to the cur-rent tenants. The scopes of repair for each building are expected to involve work to the elevators. The 548-unit complex is the first to be addressed by the new Proactive Preservation Initiative, announced in January.

Unitec Appoints Manager

Unitec Parts Co., a provider of elevator and escalator replacement parts, has appointed Mary Beeson as manager. Beeson previously worked for Otis for 24 years, where she held numerous positions throughout the company, including service, modernization and new equipment sales, sales management and business development. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland.

Unitec offers over 150,000 Otis and non-Otis parts for repair and maintenance projects. The product line includes door panels, door operators, door operator rebuild kits, escalator steps, step chains and tracks, hydraulic modernization controller packages, hydraulic power units, wiring diagrams, layout diagrams, tracks and hangers, car and hall fixtures and worm and gear sets. Additionally, Unitec has an extensive printed circuit board purchase, repair and exchange program with drives. The brands offered, but not limited to, include: Otis, Motion Control Engineering controllers, Westinghouse, Montgomery, Dover, Armor, Swift 500 and U.S. Elevator.

ECA Membership Annual Meeting

The Elevator Contractors of America (ECA) has announced the dates and location for its 2012 Membership Annual Meeting. The event is to be held on March 4-6, 2012 at the Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande, Florida. Meeting details will be released at a later date.

Schindler’s Mid-Rise Modernization Solution

Schindler has introduced a new modernization solution geared toward older mid-rise buildings. With an integrated group of technology upgrades incorporating Schindler components, mid-rise elevators can now be modernized with shortened lead times and minimal downtime. The components for mid-rise modernizations are designed for quick and simple retrofitting of older elevators. Components include Schindler Miconic® TX in-telligent controllers, Power Factor 1 energy-efficient re-generative drives, Varidor 50A closed-loop linear door operators for safe and reliable door operation, and standard Schindler serial fixture packages.

Power Factor 1 regenerative-drive technology helps return energy back to the building’s power line. The option to replace older geared technology with gearless ma-chines and LED cab lighting with automatic shut off is also available to enhance energy savings. In addition, Schindler Remote Monitoring™, a proactive maintenance tool, helps return equipment to service up to 22% faster than traditional troubleshooting methods. Customers can also add Schindler Lobby Vision®, a building management system that provides real-time management of elevator groups and traffic statistics for performance reporting. Schindler ID® destination dispatching is also available, providing more efficient traffic handling, as well as access-control features and personalized service.

Michael Landis, vice president of Marketing for Schindler, states:

“Many buildings built in the 1970s and 1980s now re-quire newer technology to stay competitive in the market-place. With Schindler’s new modernization solution, building owners can bring their mid-rise buildings’ elevators up to today’s standards for reliability, efficiency and sustainability quickly and cost effectively with minimal disruption.”

Walkway Over the Hudson Upgrades

Poughkeepsie, New York’s Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park is undergoing improvements, including the installation of stairs and a 20-story elevator on the Poughkeepsie waterfront leading up to the bridge. Non-profit organization Walkway Over the Hudson led efforts to convert the former Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge into a pedestrian park of the same name, a project that cost US$38.8 million and made its debut in October 2009. An elevator was considered by planners when the bridge was originally converted, but they lacked funding. Construction was slated to begin in the spring and should conclude in 2012. 

The elevator will be built about 20 ft. from the Hudson River and will be accessible from Water Street. Constructed of glass and aluminum, it will give passengers a unique view of the area as they travel up to or down from the bridge. The elevator will have a capacity of 25 passengers, and a one-way trip will take 2.5 min. Currently, only one elevator car is planned, but the space can accommodate two more cars for potential future installations. The elevator will help further integrate the park with downtown Poughkeepsie and the waterfront, allowing visitors to access each area with greater ease.

Planners also expect to see economic benefits from the installation, hoping the elevator will lead more visitors to restaurants and other downtown businesses.

Minnesota Elevator Code Forces Work

Bids to bring 12 elevators in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota’s government buildings up to new state codes were higher than expected. Called “disappointing” by a county administrator, the lowest bid of US$635,480 from ThyssenKrupp Elevator in Minneapolis was far above the US$524,500 estimated earlier by a consultant.

The need to upgrade the elevators (including those in the courthouse, old jail, library, county office building, Health and Human Services building, Prairie Lakes Detention Center and two county-owned buildings on the MinnWest Technology Campus) reportedly came as a surprise to the county board earlier this year. Although the state adopted new safety codes in 2007, many public and commercial entities weren’t aware of the December 31, 2011, compliance deadline (ELEVATOR WORLD, March 2011). Thus, the necessary repairs were not on the county’s budget. Due to demand in the state to meet the codes, work on the county’s elevators may have to wait, and completion may not come by the end of the year.