Sematic Lift Doors For Brisbane Building

Australia

Sematic has installed lift doors for Brisbane’s tallest office building, One One One Eagle Street. The company supplied its 2000 B-HR automatic lift doors in a wide range of opening types, dimensions and configurations, including framed glass executions. These doors are specially designed for high-rise elevator systems and to be in compliance with the most stringent safety regulations. The 195-m-tall, 54-floor skyscraper cost AUD700 million (US$726.17 million) and features such equipment as fully panoramic elevators with speeds up to 8 mps and destination-control systems. It is located in the city center and designed by Cox Rayner with emphasis on sustainability.

Brazil

Canny Elevator Exhibits At Expoelevador

Canny Elevator Co., Ltd. participated in the fourth Expo-Elevador, a biannual Brazilian expo dedicated to the vertical-transportation industry (ELEVATOR WORLD, November 2012). The event took place August 7-9 at the Centro de Exposições Imigrantes in São Paulo. Canny sells products in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. ExpoElevador is one of the region’s largest international exhibitions and provided a platform for Canny to network with worldwide customers. 

Mitsubishi Electric Founds Sales Company

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has established a new sales company in São Paulo. Named Mitsubishi Electric do Brasil Comércio e Serviços Ltda, it began operations on October 1. Including sales by this new company, the overall Mitsubishi Electric Group is aiming to raise total annual sales to approximately US$160 million in Brazil by the fiscal year ending in March 2014, mainly through expanded sales of factory-automation equipment to manufacturers. Mitsubishi Electric also includes the group’s elevator and escalator business.

Mitsubishi Electric do Brasil will strengthen links with distributors and build sales channels. In addition, the new company will provide Mitsubishi Electric Group with market information and business knowhow on such topics as taxation, labor, legal affairs, regulations and customs in Brazil. “Brazil’s rapid industrial expansion makes it an attractive market for Mitsubishi Electric,” said Kazuo Kurokawa, designated president of the new company. “With our new, integrated sales company, we will work to further develop Mitsubishi Electric’s presence here. . . .”

Canada

Toronto Convention Center Towers

A proposed CAD3-billion (US$3.02-billion) overhaul of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre includes two new mixed-use towers, a hotel, park and casino. The “integrated resort” for the downtown area has seen interest from both MGM and Caesars. The towers are to primarily house office space and include residential units. The proposal is from Oxford Properties Group, which would build the towers, hotel, retail and park. The city council is expected to formally debate the issue early next year, as it must approve the site for plans to continue. Controversy focuses on whether residents want a casino in the area and, if so, whether it should be built on private or public property.

Kone Receives Contract For Toronto High Rise

KONE has received an order from Tucker HiRise and Great Gulf to supply elevators and escalators to the 75-story One Bloor residential building in Toronto. KONE will begin work in 2014 and expects to be completed by 2016. The contract includes six EcoSystem MR™ elevators, two of which will feature KONE’s JumpLift; three MonoSpace® elevators; and two escalators. JumpLift can accelerate construction work and increase safety at construction sites. It uses temporary machine rooms within the building’s permanent hoistways, which are moved up as work progresses. KONE will also provide its Polaris™ destination-control system to help optimize the building’s traffic patterns. Though KONE has previously worked with Tucker HiRise, this project marks the first North American project to receive a JumpLift installation.

Kone Selected For Marine Gateway Project

KONE has received an order from Ledcor Construction and PCI Development to supply 33 elevators and escalators for the Marine Gateway mixed-use project in Vancouver. The equipment includes 11 EcoSpace™ machine-room-less elevators, five hydroelectric freight elevators, 12 MonoSpace™ units and five escalators. The EcoSpace and MonoSpace solutions will feature KONE’s regenerative drives. In addition, KONE will provide its Polaris™ destination-control system to optimize each building’s elevator traffic patterns. Installation is scheduled to be completed by 2014. The 76,000-m² complex is designed for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification and will consist of 461 residential units, a supermarket, restaurants and a movie theater.

Nationwide Lifts Launches Website

U.S.-based elevator company Nationwide Lifts has announced a new website (NationwideLifts.ca) to coincide with its continued expansion across the U.S. and into Canada (ELEVATOR WORLD, April 2012). Along with the company’s new Vancouver office, the site is intended to help reach Canada’s market on a greater scale, featuring home elevators, dumbwaiters, stair lifts and wheelchair lifts. This includes the Freedom elevator line, ranging from residential hydraulic systems to commercial options to environmentally friendly elevators. The Vision line of contemporary elevators, custom-built Apex wheelchair lifts and Indy stair lifts are also on the site. Dumbwaiters for both residential and commercial installations are also offered, in the form of the Jeeves models.

China

Guangzhou Guangri Opens Branch In Shanghai

The Shanghai Branch of Guangzhou Guangri Elevator Industry Co., Ltd. was officially inaugurated at a September 12 ceremony in Shanghai. Its parent company, Hitachi Elevator Group, considers the new branch a pioneering enterprise and an important manifestation of Hitachi’s comprehensive strength and rising brand influence in China. At the proceedings, Shanghai Elevator Association Secretary Zhi Xifeng explained cooperation with the branch should help deepen the communication and collaboration with the association and company, while expanding its markets. They should come together to create a positive industry environment and promote the prosperity of Shanghai elevator industry. Guangzhou Guangri has been formally listed in the Shanghai Stock Exchange since August 31.

Elevator Program Expands

The Shanghai Senior Citizen Foundation plans to expand a current program into next year that installs elevators in apartment buildings to help the city’s elderly population. According to The Global Times, there are 3.5 million elderly residents in Shanghai, half of whom live in buildings without elevators. The program, which is currently in a pilot phase, plans to install elevators in seven residential buildings this year. As of September, only residents from two buildings had given their approval to participate in the program, which requires unanimous consent from apartment owners. Under the program, construction costs are shared by the local government, the Shanghai Senior Citizen Foundation and the building’s residents.

Otis Opens Leed Plant In Chongqing

Otis has opened its new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold standard plant in Chongqing. The facility has the capacity to manufacture more than 15,000 elevator units annually. This opening demonstrates Otis’ customer-focused manufacturing strategy to follow the market and a pattern of continued growth and capital investments in key markets around the globe (ELEVATOR WORLD, October 2012). Otis plans to open three additional factories in Florence, South Carolina; Bangalore, India; and Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 2013. 

Europe

ELA Announces New President

The European Lift Association (ELA) board has elected Philippe Lamalle as its new president. Lamalle is an engineer and began his career with Otis. He has been active in the French elevator industry, chairing the technical committee (TC) of the French association. Prior to joining ELA, he was president of International Organization for Standardization TC 178. In addition, Lamalle has chaired the Codes & Standards Committee of ELA for years and is now in charge of Ethics for Otis.

Finland

Kone To Modernize Kamppi Metro Station Escalators

Helsinki City Transport (HKL) has selected KONE to modernize three high vertical-rise escalators at its Kamppi metro station. The contract also includes a five-year maintenance agreement. The project is expected to begin in January 2013 and be completed by February 2014, with one escalator being modernized at a time. KONE previously modernized escalators at the Rautatientori, Sörnäinen and Hakaniemi metro stations, and, as of October, the modernization of Ruoholahti metro station was near completion.

Ghana

Schinlder, Altra Electricals Partnership

Schindler and Altra Electricals Co. Ltd. have joined forces to serve the industry in Ghana. Altra is headquartered in Osu Badu Link in Dzorwulu Accra and specializes in power distribution and energy-efficient technology. The formal announcement was held on October 17 at the Le Magellan Restaurant in Accra and attended by various members of both companies. In addition, a two-day workshop was held, introducing Schindler’s S3300 product line. The workshop also aimed to equip local architects with knowledge of lift designs and how to incorporate them into building design.

India

Agnel Industrial Training Centre Launched

An initiative by Father Agnel Institute called the “Agnel Industrial Training Centre” has been undertaken to counteract a perceived future shortage of trained industry personnel. Father Agnel runs government-recognized engineering-college and diploma courses in multiple disciplines. It also trains apprentices. Sematic Re, Concord Elevators, Sagar Constructions Lifts Pvt. Ltd., Mas Industries and former Director of Jindal Steel and Lift Systems (I.) Pvt. Ltd. Jugal Tandon are helping in the recruitment of trainers, provision of faculty, training the teachers, and financing workshop material, samples and stipends.

For syllabus drafting, lift-mechanic guidance was taken from the Government of India’s Ministry of Labour, Central Staff Training and Research Institute in Kolkata. The institute will train students both in the classroom and onsite, with an emphasis on safety. So far, there is no structured government-recognized vocational/training institute for the country.

Bhendi Bazaar Redevelopment Project

The Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project has begun in Mumbai, with demolition beginning on two buildings, the Mohammedi building and Ebrahim Nuruddin Chawl, in October. The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT) project aims to move 3,500 families into 350-sq.-ft. apartments from their current smaller, dilapidated flats; create modern, better-equipped spaces for 1,200 businesses; and free up nearly one-sixth of Bhendi Bazaar’s 16.5-acre sprawl for open, recreational areas. More than 150 elevators ranging from 1-8 mps and capacities ranging from 680-3,000 kg will be included, and around 50 escalators are earmarked.

Launched in 2009, the project is to provide a blueprint for cluster redevelopment across the city and provide an ideal for how high rises must not only aim at accommodating more and more people, but also help create more space on the ground. Demolition of another 249 four-to-six storied buildings is to take place before completion of the project. SBUT has already acquired 200 of these buildings. An unspecified number of towers, averaging 40 stories each, are to replace them. Sixteen of these will be sold on the open market to recover project costs. Existing religious structures and the township’s Raudat Tahera centerpiece are to be retained.

Abbas Master, CEO of SBUT, said the redevelopment project has been divided into eight clusters. He explained, “Work has begun on the first phase that includes 12 buildings. All the families from these buildings have been relocated to transit camps, which we prefer to call ‘training camps.’” Master is optimistic construction will begin in early 2013.

Japan

Toshiba Announces English Edition Of Environmental Report

Toshiba Corp. has published an English edition of its Toshiba Group Environmental Report 2012, which documents the company’s accomplishments of its fourth environmental action plan, covering the period from fiscal years 2005-2012. The new plan will detail Toshiba’s visions and strategies, greening of process and products, greening by technology and green management. Through the plan, Toshiba aims to increase its overall ecological efficiency tenfold (from its fiscal 2000 level) by fiscal year 2050. The report is available for download online (www.toshiba.co.jp/env/en/report).

Latin America

Mitsubishi Electric Launches Elevator Line

In November, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. launched its NEXIEZ-GPX, a new line of NEXIEZ-series elevators for Central and South America. The new line is designed for low- and mid-rise buildings and features load capacities of 450-700 kg and speeds of 1-1.75 mps. Additional features of the new line include permanent-magnet gearless traction machines, which reduce power consumption by 20% compared to that of conventional systems and LED down lighting. Mitsubishi Electric hopes to expand its business through local production and engineering and sell 800 units in 2013.

Russia

Lift Expo Announced

The International Exhibition Center MosExpo has announced Lift Expo Russia, an international expo to be held on June 6-8, 2013, in Exhibition Hall A, Pavilion 75 of the All-Russia Exhibition Center in Moscow. This event’s sixth edition is expected to include various exhibitors, as the last show (in 2011) hosted more than 150 companies from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and 16 other countries across 8,000 m2. More than 5,000 attended in 2011, and a higher number is expected in 2013, as Russia has increased government financing for elevator modernization.

For more information, contact Evgenia Filippova at phone: (7) 495-974-7777, ext. 1067, e-mail: filippova@lift-expo.com or website: www.lift-expo.com/en.

Moscow High Rises Planned

Crocus Group Holding has launched a project to build 14 skyscrapers at the 66-km mark of Moscow Ring Road next to the multifunctional Crocus City complex. The first phase of the project, scheduled to be completed in 2015, is to include three high-rise buildings – a 51-story office skyscraper (137,000 m2), residential complex (50,000 m2) and Holiday Inn Hotel (81,000 m2). The property is also to feature a restaurant, fitness center, spa and parking for 900 cars.

Crocus’ own architectural firm and American counterpart KlingStubbins created the concept for the development, which is to eventually contain 1 million m2 of realty. Investment in the initial phase is to be approximately US$3 billion. The major realty asset of Crocus Group is the multifunctional complex Crocus City, including the exhibition center Crocus Expo, concert hall Crocus City Hall, shopping center Crocus City Mall, metro station Myakinino and under-construction Vegas-2 shopping mall.

Singapore

South Beach Development To Receive Kone Equipment

KONE is to supply elevators and escalators to South Beach, a mixed-use development in downtown Singapore. The project is expected to be completed in 2015 and includes the conservation of four historic buildings and two towers standing 45 stories and 34 stories, respectively. KONE was involved in the early stages of the project planning and customized a design to accommodate the development’s passenger traffic.

The order includes 31 MiniSpace™ elevators, six of which will travel at 8 mps; 21 MonoSpace® machine-room-less elevators, three of which are scenic models; 16 TravelMaster™ and five TransitMaster™ escalators; and Polaris™ hybrid destination-control selection. In addition, KONE will supply five small home lifts to improve accessibility in the towers’ penthouse apartments.

South Korea

Canny Elevator Continues Metro Line Projects

In October, Canny Elevator Co., Ltd. announced its continued effort to serve the country’s metro line by supplying elevators and escalators to Uikeongbu, Daeband and Sindorim stations. Since 2006, Canny has provided approximately 350 heavy-duty vertical-transportation units to various metro stations and, over the years, has become a major supplier for the country’s metro line. In addition, the company reports it has had a 0% accident rate since it began supplying equipment to the public-transportation industry.

Switzerland

Sematic Lift Doors In Zurich Tram Tunnel

The complete renovation of Zurich’s tram tunnel network includes the redevelopment of three underground stations, Tierspital, Waldgarten and Schörlistrasse, and their compliance with disability standards. Because of their age, elevators and escalators at the existing station accesses are often broken and require replacement. All-new underground platforms will be easily accessible due to the installation of several elevators, which will be equipped with 1,100-mm X 2,000-mm Sematic 2000 B, two-panel, center-opening car and landing doors. Intended for installation in demanding environments, these doors are designed for long-term quality and safety performance, such as adherence to EN 81-58 E120 fire-resistant regulations, yet still feature such aesthetic properties as framed glass, hidden bottom tracks and American Iron and Steel Institute 304 stainless-steel finishes.

Ukraine

Kiev Elevator Updates

Authorities in Kiev are to replace 8,000 of the city’s elevators, each at least 25 years old, within four years. According to Alexander Popov of the Kiev City State Administration, one-third of the city’s elevators needs to be replaced or overhauled. Authorities are to check all elevators in the near future to determine which need repair or replacement, with 500 replacements planned for this year. Popov added, “In order to replace the elevators quickly, we ask Kiev enterprises that manufacture or repair elevators provide appropriate assistance on leasing terms.”

The “Cultural Stratum” art project was held on July 10 in Kiev, featuring the hanging of 50 copies of famous paintings by artists from MMM Group in the elevators of the city’s residential buildings. After several weeks of observing the reactions of people to the project’s effects, organizers reported about half of the paintings were taken down. Those that remained were predominantly landscapes and portraits done prior to the Renaissance.

U.K.

Nostel Announces Lift And Escalator Market Review

Nostel Services Ltd. has announced the release of its 2012 U.K. Lift & Escalator Interactive Market Review, which is created and delivered in a format similar to that of the Microsoft® Excel program and comprised of six key sets of data. Each set has various options, which offer more than 400 different data combinations.

The sets of data include: economic indicators directly and indirectly influencing the lift and escalator market; market size, which includes an evolution of the total Lift and Escalator Industry Association markets from 2005-2011, with forecasts to 2014; company profiles covering more than 200 relevant companies in terms of turnover, profit, offer, regions, ownership, type, etc.; company rankings, which show the industry’s top 40 companies for each period by turnover, profit and loss; market shares analyzing the top 20 companies; and market segmentation, which organizes the market by activity, usage, product type and technology, as well as an analysis of installed base.

The review is available for purchase at www.nostel.co.ul/interactive.html and www.elevatorbooks.com.

Victoria Tube Redevelopment Project

A redevelopment project is underway at the Victoria Tube station in London to double the size of its ticket hall. According to the Westminster Chronicle, the project is part of a GBP700-million (US$1.13-billion) redevelopment of the station. Nine escalators and seven lifts will be installed to provide step-free access between street and platform levels. Work to refurbish the escalators connecting the District and Circle and Victoria line platforms was planned to begin in October.

Zimbabwe

Mandatory Maintenance Of Elevators Ignored

Investigations in Zimbabwe have shown that no one is responsible for ensuring mandatory maintenance of elevators in high-rise buildings to enforce safety regulations. According to The Herald, there are 1,328 elevators in Zimbabwe, and 170 of them are not working. Harare has 50 nonfunctional elevators. According to the Factories and Works Act, the person(s) whose name(s) appear on the certificate of permission to use the elevator are responsible for its maintenance. The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) plays a regulatory role through its Occupation Health Policy, and it monitors the safety of the elevators once a year. NSSA spokesperson Agathar Kubvaruno said, “NSSA has no jurisdiction over owners of elevators that are not working.” The Herald investigations in Harare revealed some elevators have lacked service for 10 years. Investigators also found the elevators have old hoist ropes, nonfunctional door sensors and door-closing issues.