As we come to the end of our year, war rages in several places on Earth. Even Earth itself seems to be upset that humans are not paying enough attention to its needs. It can be hard to be hopeful, but all around there are signals of change for the better, at least in the building industry.
Europe’s construction industry will see real growth of 1.5% year-on-year during 2023 (underperforming the global construction industry), and has forecast a “modest” decline of 1% in 2024 for construction volumes. However, ING said it expected the renovation market to counterbalance a decline in the new building sector. The demand for renovation and maintenance, which accounts for more than 50% of total construction production, is less affected by economic cycles. ING also suggested that sustainability and energy-related factors meant that the market would show further growth. Government support for sustainability measures and high energy prices are likely to provide an extra trigger. In the past, much has been written about the carbon released from the manufacture of building materials such as cement and steel. I recently read in The Washington Post about a company that has found a way to capture and store carbon for as little as US$100 a ton. Stay tuned for more on that good news.
Perhaps the biggest reason for hope is the resurgence of well-attended elevator events in every corner of Europe. The biggest was interlift, enjoying its last year in Augsburg, Germany. In Big Show, Big Changes by Angie C. Baldwin, the expo was marked by visitors of almost 19,000, new and innovative products, more than 500 exhibitors and many international speakers. Six smaller events rounded out the fall months: Seelift Network by Bülent Yılmaz brought the Balkans together as lift associations of Croatia, Bulgaria and North Macedonia met; the Polish Lift Manufacturers celebrated 20 years while discussing the future. Süleyman Özcan wrote Rising Higher Together about KLEEMANN’s 40-year anniversary event. Lift City Expo in Jeddah served as Saudi Arabia’s emerging expo. The 14th Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies took place outside of London. There were 130 attendees and 20 papers given.
The Focus this month is Maintenance and Modernization, and we have three papers to offer. Incidentally, our cover also features a modernization: Torre de Collserola in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Norman Foster, with an elevator system being modernized by Alimak Group. Look for a short piece about that endeavor in this issue’s News section. The Focus section features:
DPR Nusantara, I Tower submitted by TKE Elevator. TKE modernized the elevators at the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, using their unique TWIN elevator system (two elevators in one shaft) to enhance the traffic of an increasing number of employees.
Advancements in Elevator-Specific VFD Technology submitted by Control Techniques. Control Techniques touts its new variable frequency drive with technician access that promotes enhanced maintenance.
A Special Kind of Heavy-Duty Elevator by Undine Stricker-Berghoff. The Niederfinow Ship Lift north of Berlin is quite famous and in its fourth life cycle with a new lift for larger ships. (ELEVATOR WORLD has written about this marvel in December 1998 and April 2000.)
Where are all the Startups? Israel’s Elevator Conundrum by Yuval Valiano-Rips. Our Israeli correspondent has written a market trends piece for us — months before the October 7 attack. He focuses on a profile of the vertical-transportation industry and the companies that dominate it.
We have several engineering papers this month: one by Dr. Albert So, who examines The Fundamentals of Traffic Analysis and explains why we should study it. Another, First Principles and Ropeless Lifts by Hongliang Liang, is a fascinating exploration of the process of learning what can and can’t be done. There are many more articles to enjoy and learn from — too many to highlight here.
We hope you enjoy this issue and if you have suggestions, please let me know at ricia@elevatorworld.com.
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