As 2021’s final months illustrate, a bottleneck in one corner of the globe eventually produces a logjam and compounds shortages in another. Port congestion, equipment shortages and extreme container freight rates are just the symptoms of a deeper problem. COVID-19 has stressed all links in the chain, and these issues take time to resolve. Global supply chain slowdowns provide uncertainty in delivery dates and pricing for any number of products and materials including lumber, aluminum, computer chips and steel. A lack of raw materials has slowed down manufacturing in Europe and has definitely pushed economic recovery into 2022.
Evidently, we live in an era of steel. Steel is in buildings, vehicles, desks and vertical transportation (VT). China and India are the main producers of steel at 1.053 billion tons and 99.0 million tons, respectively. Unless it can be produced by some other method than coal-fed heat, both countries may cut back on it to reach carbon neutrality in 2050. Prices are at extreme levels now, up 200% this year. Inflation may ease in some areas, but steel, probably not.
Steel producers are thinking about long-term sustainability and are working to make fossil-fuel-free steel a reality by completely removing coal from the metallurgical process. Recently, the U.S. and the EU agreed that “dirty steel” would be restricted from accessing their markets. Much of it is needed to build solar and wind farms that will replace carbon heavy electrical sources. One producer has developed and tested a new water atomized steel powder designed for 3D printing applications. The metal dust delivers mechanical properties superior to conventional metal manufacturing techniques, paving the way for advances in using 3D printing technology for metal parts. Already in our own industry, Schindler partnered with an additive manufacturing solutions provider to use 3D printing to design an elevator, thereby reducing weight and materials.
While perusing the last edition of Elevator World India, I came upon the word “Jugaad.” The source of this word is Indian, and it means a mentality or flexible approach to problem- solving in adversity or with limited resources. Adversity and limited resources really sum up the supply chain issue around the world, and we need some jugaad to solve it.
In this issue, we covered a number of events:
- Industry Meets for “Lift Experts’ Day” by Bulent Yilmaz. Moderated by Ulrike Lotze from the German Lift Journal magazine, the experts were glad to meet in person but also streamed it live on YouTube.
- Yilmaz also covered a group of 75 in Ukraine in Setting an Agenda, the 26th annual All-Ukrainian International Conference of Elevators. Those gathered discussed the needs of the country in the future.
- The 12th Symposium of Lifts and Escalator Technologies by Nick Mellor. Held virtually for the second consecutive year, this event was considered very successful with 120 attendees from 20 countries.
The focus this month is on VT in Historical Buildings. We have three entries in this topic:
- Revisiting History by Colin Craney. The author reflects on a lift modernization done 30 years ago at Victoria Square House in Birmingham, England. It is still in good condition 100 years after installation.
- The Montmorency Escalator in Le Havre by Dr. Lee Gray. Our historian describes an early 20th Century French transportation system.
- Historical Buildings, Modern VT by Konstantina Parisi. Doppler designs modern VT for the Newton Abbot Museum to improve accessibility while respecting the local heritage.
There is so much more in this issue – including the best of our industry’s photographers who were winners in Elevator World’s 2021 Photo Contest. Beyond that, we feature Maspero’s elevators in Monaco’s Mareterra; KONE’s double-deckers installed in Berlin’s EDGE; and a great article on The Smart Readiness Indicator and Lifts. They are all a step into the future.
Come along with us and enjoy the read.
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