Shenyang Brilliant Elevator Eyes Growth

Africa

Chinese company Shenyang Brilliant Elevator Co., Ltd. has opened additional dealerships in Africa and is eyeing the continent for further growth, China Daily reports. En-ergy, infrastructure and government projects are driving elevator demand in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Tan-zania. The company believes this will help it establish it-self in a continent dominated by bigger American, Japa-nese and European manufacturers. According to the China Chamber of International Commerce, more than 7,600 elevators were installed in Africa last year, repre-senting a 12% increase. Shenyang said it sold 245 units in 13 African countries in 2012, compared with 11,000 units in China. In its effort to grow African market share, Shenyang intends to focus on maintenance contracts, as well as continue to help clients conserve energy to keep units running during often frequent power outages.

Australia

Kone Logs Order For 23 Units At Brisbane Office Tower

ogy, the order includes KONE’s Polaris™ destination-con-trol system with touchscreen panels, 15 MiniSpace™ ele-vators with a top speed of 7 mps, four MonoSpace™ elevators and four TravelMaster™ 110 escalators with a rise of 11 m. The building’s 14 gearless passenger eleva-tors will have an energy-conserving standby mode, and the equipment will be managed by KONE’s E-Link remote-monitoring system. Scheduled for completion in 2015, 180 Ann Street includes a façade featuring an image of the Brisbane River.

Brazil

Ehc Global Establishes New Facility

In September, escalator handrail supplier EHC Global welcomed its new facility in Cambé with a grand opening that included speeches by EHC Global President Jeno Eppel and EHC Brazil Managing Director Uwe Fritz. Rep-resentatives of EHC customer Schindler and Cambé Mayor João Pavinato were also in attendance. Among the benefits EHC Global will bring to the marketplace, Fritz stated, are “the high quality of NT3000, EHC’s patented TPU escalator handrail and just-in-time cost effective-ness.” Praising Fritz for his work setting up the business, Eppel said EHC is excited about entering the market: “Brazil is a unique market and if you have patience, learn to adopt local practices and do it right, then you will prosper quickly and for years into the future.”

Canada 

Schindler Acquires Ontario Company

Schindler Canada has acquired elevator maintenance and repair company Skyline Elevator Inc. of London, Ontario. Founded in 1975 by Bill Rogan, Skyline will retain its name and employees, according to Schindler. Jeff Coles, Schindler Canada president, said the acquisition lays the ground-work for future growth in southwestern Ontario. “Each company stands to gain a good deal from the other’s par-ticular strengths,” he said.

China

Survey: Shanghai Lacks Inspectors

An October survey by the Shanghai Association for Quality found there are roughly two workers for every 100 elevators in the city, far short of what is needed to meet minimum safety standards, Global Times reports. Han Heying with the Shanghai Elevator Trade Association said each worker should oversee no more than 25 elevators. Lack of sufficient oversight has been in the spotlight lately, in light of several high-profile accidents over the last several years. Low wages make it difficult to recruit young workers to become elevator maintenance technicians, according to the association, adding that the number of elevators in Shanghai is growing at a rate of 10-15% annually. The city currently has approximately 160,000 elevtors.

Ctbuh Plans “Future Cities” Conference In Shanghai

Chicago’s Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is planning its next international conference, Future Cities: Towards Sustainable Vertical Urbanism, in Shanghai on September 16-19, 2014. Owners, developers, contractors, architects, planners, engineers, policymakers and others are invited to hear about and discuss topics such as im-proving tall buildings’ physical, environmental, cultural and social contributions; achieving a harmonious whole through maximizing urban infrastructure, sharing re-sources and storing energy; and defining best practices in the next generation of urban living. Activities will include networking events and tours. Abstracts on proposed pre-sentations are due January 14, 2014, and sponsorships and committee memberships are available. For more in-formation, visit www.ctbuh.org.

Elevator Companies Form Industrial Cluster

Elevator companies such as Shenyang Brilliant Elevator Co., Ltd. and Xizi Otis have set up shop in Liangjiang New Area to supply the burgeoning Chinese market, the Daily Economic reports. The area offers cost and logistics ad-vantages, allowing the companies to efficiently serve markets including Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi and Shanxi. Pointing out that China is the world’s largest elevator producer and consumer, the newspaper said the city of Chongqing alone is expected to demand 20,000-30,000 elevators each year.

Sjec To Purchase Fuji Elevator

In September, SJEC announced plans to buy Fuji Eleva-tor (Sichuan) Co., Ltd. to promote its company’s strategy in the southwest as soon as possible. SJEC intends to in-crease its capital or transferee equity to have a 60% stake in Fuji Elevator. SJEC said the measures will help the com-pany expand its production scale and market share, while reducing its logistics costs. Fuji Elevator has a registered capital of CNY20 million (US$3.27 million) and is a joint venture in Chengdu that manufactures elevators and es-calators, and operates installation, maintenance and sales.

France 

KONE TO SUPPLY 33 UNITS TO CRUISE SHIP KONE has won a contract to supply 33 energy-efficient elevators and escalators to Royal Caribbean Internation-al’s Oasis 3 cruise ship, under construction in France. The order represents the third time KONE has supplied an Oasis-class vessel for Royal Caribbean. “Marine elevators are among the most demanding to design,” Ari Winter, head of Marine Business at KONE, stated. “Our experi-ence of working with [shipbuilder] STX Europe and pro-viding solutions for the two older Oasis-class ships (ELE-VATOR WORLD, April 2011) gave us the insight we needed to understand the customer’s needs and to find the best possible solutions for this extraordinary vessel.” With a 6,000-passenger capacity, Oasis 3 will be outfitted with 13 MonoSpace® elevators, 28 MiniSpace™ elevators (in-cluding 12 panoramic units) and two EcoMaster® esca-lators. Its maiden voyage is scheduled in 2016.

India

Otis To Install 222 Escalators For DMRC

In October, Otis (India) Ltd. announced its escalator contract for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for 222 escalators. The 520NPE-L-model units are for Phase III of the Delhi Metro project. They are billed as environ-mentally friendly and capable of handling heavy traffic. A control panel allows for monitoring of actual working conditions, while interfaces allow for remote monitoring and control, providing safer operation.

Patrick Blethon, president, Otis Pacific Asia Area, said:

“Our experience with the Taipei Metro System, Shang-hai Metro Line 6, Singapore East-West metro line, Tianjin Subway, Beijing South Railway station, etc. will all help in delivering the best solutions for this prestigious project.”

Indonesia

Ehc Global Brings Products, Services To Region

Industry provider EHC Global has expanded its reach into the region with a licensee agreement with longtime business associate PT. Pillar Utama Contrindo of Band-ung. PT. Pillar now represents EHC products throughout the region, a market Jeno Eppel, president of EHC Global, described as “quickly on the rise.” Founded in 1995 as an elevator installation and maintenance company, PT. Pillar has more than 450 employees and offices in all major cities of Java Island. EHC Global manufactures and distributes products including elevator rollers and guide assemblies, and escalator handrails and handrail signage.

Iran

Iran Liftex 2014 Announced

IRAN LIFTEX 2014 will take place on February 6-9, 2014, at the Tehran International Exhibition Center in Tehran. This event is not affiliated with the Lift and Esca-lator Industry Association trade association or the event it organizes in London. This is the third such exhibition on elevators, escalators, lifts, conveyors and related compo-nents/equipment by the former “Lift Iran.” Though having taken place each year, the event will move to a biannual schedule in 2015. For more information, contact (98) 21-26206727, (98) 311-6633939 or www.liftex.ir.

Ireland

Kone Acquires Country’s Largest Lift Company

In October, KONE acquired Ennis Lifts Ltd., Ireland’s largest lift and escalator company, also serving Europe and the Middle East. Founded in 1979, Ennis supplies, installs, modernizes and maintains elevators, escalators and moving walks. It will continue to operate separately under the Ennis name. KONE Executive Vice President Ari Lehtoranta said the acquisition promises to strengthen KONE’s position in the challenging Irish market

Philippines

Ife Elevators Opens Cebu Office

Cebu, the Sun Star reports. Officials at IFE, exclusive dis-tributor for Guangdong, China-based IFE Elevator Co. Ltd., cited the province’s booming construction market as the impetus for expansion. IFE provides passenger, freight, hospital, panoramic and home elevators, as well as dumbwaiters. The Philippines business plans to ini-tially focus on the mid-rise market. According to IFE Ele-vator, the Philippines accounts for about 5% of the com-pany’s total overseas market and is one of its fastest-growing markets.

Singapore 

Kone Announces First Ultrarope Installation

KONE has announced the first installation of its Ultra-Rope™ elevator hoisting technology at Marina Bay Sands resort. UltraRope replaced steel ropes in a KONE Mini-space™ elevator that travels 195 m, from the ground to the 57th floor, in Tower Three of the hotel. Opened in 2010, Marina Bay Sands houses 146 KONE elevators and six KONE escalators. KONE is also under contract to maintain the equipment (ELEVATOR WORLD, October 2012). Consisting of a high-friction coating surrounding a carbon-fiber core, lightweight UltraRope is touted as providing energy efficiency and smoother transportation (EW, August 2013). The installation announcement oc-curred during the World Architecture Festival at Marina Bay Sands in October.

South Korea

Permit Granted For Seoul’s

In September, GDS Architects announced it was granted a construction permit for Tower Infinity, a 450-m-tall building just outside of Seoul near Incheon International Airport. GDS, Samoo Architects and A&U comprise a team that won an international design competition in 2011 to build a new national landmark. GDS Principal Charles Wee described Tower Infinity as “the world’s first invisible tower, show-casing innovative Korean technology, while encouraging a more global narrative in the process.” Scheduled for completion in 2014, the tower will boast a 392-m-tall observation deck and LED-screen technology that captures real-time images of its surroundings, in turn creating a camouflaging effect.

Sri Lanka

Landmark Towers Poised To Take Shape In Colombo

Condominiums in the mixed-use, four-tower Krrish Square in Colombo are now for sale, developer Krrish Group, based in New Delhi, India, announced in Septem-ber. Krrish plans to break ground before year’s end and has a targeted completion date of 2016. Covering 4 acres, the project comprises the historic Transworks House, which will be preserved; one 90-story and two 65-story

residential towers; and a 95-story tower containing hotel and office space. “The project is one of the most signifi-cant milestones in urban development in Sri Lanka,” Nimal Perera, chairman of the Urban Development Au-thority, told newspaper Daily FT. At US$460 million, Krrish Square is the largest foreign investment project in the country, the newspaper noted.

Switzerland

Changing Of The Guard Underway At Schindler

Schindler Group’s board of directors has appointed  Silvio Napoli CEO, effective January 1, 2014. Napoli as-sumes the duties of Jürgen Tinggren, who is expected to be elected to the Board of Directors during the annual shareholder meeting in March. Tinggren has been presi-dent of Schindler’s Executive Group since 2007 and was appointed CEO in 2011. Having been with Schindler since 1994, Napoli has been a member of the Group Executive Committee over the Asia/Pacific, CEO of Jardine Schindler Group, general manager of Schindler Hong Kong, vice president of Schindler South Asia, CEO of Schindler India and head of corporate planning.

Turkey

Gefran Establishes Istanbul Subsidiary

In October, Italian electronics company Gefran an-nounced a new Istanbul subsidiary offering onsite techni-cal support to local customers. Gefran entered the Turkish market 14 years ago when it established relationships with local distributors and lift-system providers. “Turkey has always been a strategic market,” the company noted. “It is among the top 20 emerging economic powers, along with China, Brazil and India, where Gefran [has been] present for years with numerous and strategic develop-ment programs.” Gefran provides an array of inverters used in passenger and freight lifts.

U.A.E. 

Striking Design For Mashreq Bank Tower Unveiled

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the architecture firm behind One World Trade Center in New York City and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, has released renderings of the 32-story Mashreq Bank Headquarters it is designing in Dubai, World Architecture News reports. The design features a cantile-vered deck landscaped with palm trees at the base of a rectangular void. High above, a boardroom hangs sus-pended. Besides its upper stories and an eight-story base containing a conference center, auditorium, banquet hall and parking, the remaining floors, due to the building’s design, are L-shaped and let in natural light. SOM Design Director Ross Wimer stated: “We designed the building to act as a quiet sculptural form within Dubai’s skyline. The building is environmentally appropriate, while using clear glass.”

U.K.

Magnetek Extends National Lift Tower Partnership

The U.K. subsidiary of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based Magnetek, Inc., provider of integrated digital mo-tion control systems for high-rise, high-speed elevators, has extended its partnership with the National Lift Tower in Northampton for a third year, which the company said will allow it to “advance its dynamic elevator software and hardware development schedule.” Built in the late 1970s, the privately owned testing tower stands 418 ft. tall and measures nearly 48 ft. around at the base, tapering to nearly 28 ft. at the top. It contains six lift shafts, including a high-speed shaft.

It was reoccupied in 2009 following 10 years of dormancy (ELEVATOR WORLD, February 2010). Following its resumption of use, major work on its eleva-tors was undertaken (EW, De-cember 2010). In announcing the extension, Brian Preston, general manager of Magnetek’s U.K. operations, stated:

“The lift-tower facility provides us with the opportunity and ability to test and prove out hardware concepts, install new products and analyze new software advancements in a working environment before they are released. We are pleased to continue our work at the lift tower and look forward to advancing our R&D partnership with this historic facility.”

Worldwide

Kone Bullish On Southeast Asia

Finland-based KONE believes major projects on the drawing board in Southeast Asia will fuel company growth, The Nation reports. Noud Veeger, KONE director for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, said during an October press conference in Singapore to introduce UltraRope™ that KONE production plants in China and India can sup-port demand that he expects will get a boost when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community takes effect in 2015. As a result of ASEAN, Veeger noted, Thailand plans a THB2-trillion (US$63.9-billion) infrastructure project expected to fuel elevator and escalator demand. In 2012, the Asian-Pacific market accounted for 35%, or EUR6.3 billion (US$8.6 billion), of KONE’s business, up from 27% in 2011. That puts it behind Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which was at 49%, down from 55% in 2011.

Otis Parent Combines Elevator, Climate Divisions

In September, United Technologies Corp. (UT), parent company of Otis, combined its elevator and climate, con-trols and security businesses in an effort to capitalize on urbanization in markets such as China, where UT reports Otis orders rose 39% in the second quarter. Including Otis elevators and escalators and Carrier heating, air-condi-tioning and refrigeration systems, the newly combined division is called UTC Building & Industrial Systems. Ger-aud Darnis, a 30-year veteran of UT, has been tapped to lead the division, which has 120,000 employees and an-nual sales of US$29 billion from its operation in more than 60 countries.