Optimism and Apprehension

The end of 2024 can be characterized by a mix of optimism and apprehension. On the side of optimism, we have the many successful industry events that have occurred throughout Europe and around the world this quarter. At all the events reported on in this issue, a total of eight spanning from the U.K., Spain, Poland and the U.A.E. to the U.S., Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Serbia, there was a spark of excitement and enthusiasm for the work we do, the people we do it with and the health of the industry moving forward. Everything is not perfect; talent shortages are an issue for many of us, for instance, but we are coming up with plans to combat the problem and take hold of the future. Technology marches forward, and we are, though occasionally unwillingly, marching forward with it. There is a solidity to the vertical-transportation (VT) industry, and in Europe and beyond that is felt and relied upon. 

On the side of apprehension are the political and economic uncertainties that exist now and may continue into the near future. Wars persist. Elections happen, rocking the status quo. Economies struggle to recover fully from the havoc wreaked by the pandemic. To quell some nerves, one can look at recent construction reporting by ING, which said:

“We expect a decrease in EU construction volumes this year (-1.5%). However, the optimistic signs are becoming more visible. House prices are increasing further in many countries and the issuance of building permits has risen. In addition, at the beginning of the construction value chain, it looks like the producers of building materials (e.g. concrete, cement and bricks) have passed the lowest point of production volumes. …

“As the European economy is slowly recuperating and interest rates have decreased a bit, we expect that the outlook for the non-residential sector will also improve slightly. However, it always takes time before these growth rates become visible in building volumes. We therefore expect that the non-residential sector will start to grow in 2025 after some decline this year.”

Given this report, and others like it, maybe it is prudent to move into 2025 erring on the side of optimism. 

As mentioned, we report on many major VT events this issue, including:  

• A Warm Welcome by Angie C. Baldwin. The Elevator Show Dubai’s inaugural expo welcomes global crowd, exceeds expectations. 
• SEELift Network Belgrade Meetup by Bülent Yılmaz. Belgrade hosted the SEELift Network this year, connecting the Balkan countries for the fourth time. 
• The Third Lift City Expo Held in Riyadh. The event took place at The Arena Riyadh venue in Saudi Arabia’s capital. 
• Like a Tiger by Kaija Wilkinson. More than 220 exhibitors and nearly 4,000 attendees come together to make the 2024 United Convention & Exposition the best one yet. 
• SILC 2024 by Yılmaz. The second Santander International Lift City cements its status as a key event in the elevator industry. 
• Aspiring to a Safer Future by Yılmaz. Experts take a close look at lifts and earthquakes during 11th Lift Symposium in Izmir, Türkiye. 
• 15th Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies by Jason Halligan, EW UK correspondent. Industry leaders come together to share their expertise. 

Our focus this issue is on Escalators and Moving Walks, and we have several consequential articles on the subject, including: 

• The Most Important Escalator Safety Device by Anthony Boom. The evolution of escalator and moving walk braking systems. 
• New Blueprint for Urban Mobility? by Wilkinson. American startup aims to revolutionize moving walks. 
• Fujitec Modernizes Its Longest Escalator in Japan submitted by Fujitec. The escalator is equivalent to the height of a six-story building. 
• Innovative Technologies That Improve Escalator Passenger Safety by Rory S. Smith. Your author takes an in-depth look at these technologies and how they work. 
• Escalator Brake Failure Investigation by Boom. An expert look at what did and did not cause this escalator overspeed incident. 

Happy New Year to you and yours from EW. We wish you a prosperous 2025. As always, reach out to me with your ideas and comments at ricia@elevatorworld.com.