Shorts Open Day in London

Bradford, U.K., manufacturer holds busy showcase near Canary Wharf.

Shorts’ first London Open Day was an important statement for the company, which has supplied the lift industry with equipment for more than 65 years. The invitation to attend was gratefully accepted by the Gales, as it afforded an insight into this well-respected company and a chance to see some of its current products and meet its sales and technical teams. The March 19 event was valuable, not only for these reasons, but also because it gave attendees an overview of what has happened at the Canary Wharf development in London, which we have observed over many years.

Shorts Marketing Manager Hannah Hosanee said that when the opportunity to hold an event at this venue presented itself, it had to be taken. This was widely agreed upon, as East Wintergarden is certainly an impressive venue, with a giant glass canopy enclosing the space between two office towers on the old Heron Quay adjacent to Canary Wharf. This area has also been closely watched over the years, as it has developed into what is now a high-rise financial and information hub east of London.

Shorts Managing Director Paul Welsby was keen to point out that the open day was to support Omar Marfoua, Shorts Southern general manager, and his team. Considering the company’s growing range of lift products, it was important to show and inform clients on what the company can offer. Welsby added:

“At a convenient location like this, we can listen in an informal way to what our clients and potential customers want for the future; we believe this to be very important for a company such as Shorts.”

Marfoua then demonstrated key Shorts products:

• The A3 uncontrolled-car-movement package certified under a TÜV certificate
• The talk2lift elevator voice-control system that uses speech recognition to enable passengers to control the lift by verbalizing the floor number or related information.
• BKG Goods and Service lift packages

Complete passenger lift packages, available in traction or hydraulic

At the end of the day, Hosanee reported that the Shorts controller range proved to be particularly popular with London Open Day visitors. When it came to discussing the stock control packages for both traction and hydraulic applications, the demonstration of it was invaluable. The range covers 5.5-, 7.5- and 11-kW variable-voltage, variable-frequency controllers, stock hydraulic controllers and stock A3-ready LRV hydraulic lift controllers.

It was also announced that the company will be running a Northern Open Day on June 25 at the Shorts head office and warehouse in Bradford. This will be based on a Tour de France theme, titled “Tour de Shorts 2014,” a nod to the Grande Départ from Yorkshire, U.K., this year. This event will include a few cycling-based competitions to get guests in the spirit of the Tour de France, including a circuit around the Shorts premises (on foot) with checkpoints at certain Shorts products with staff on hand to answer questions and a time trial on a static bicycle for the guests to enjoy.