EW PROJECT OF THE YEAR WINNERS
ELEVATOR WORLD is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Project of the Year contest. Winning projects, which will be featured in our January 2021 issue, are (with category):
- “Collins House” in Melbourne, Australia, submitted by Otis (Elevators, New Construction)
- “Whiteface Mountain Historic Elevator” in Wilmington, New York, submitted by Architectural Resources, P.C. (Elevators, Modernization)
- “Yitzchak Navon Train Station” in Jerusalem submitted by Otis (Escalators, New Construction)
- “Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway Systems” in Hong Kong submitted by Anlev Elex Elevator Ltd. (Escalators, Modernization)
- “Parc Turistico Observatorio 1873” in Mazatlán, Mexico, submitted by Hill Hiker, Inc. (Inclined Elevators)
- “Pasărea Măiastră Passenger Platform Lift” in Craiova, Romania, submitted by ELMAS SRL (Special-Purpose Lifts)
- “Stainless Steel Glass Elevator” in the Florida Keys submitted by UT Elevator (Private-Residence Elevators)
- “Mechanical Ramp of Gran Via Vigo” in Vigo, Spain, submitted by thyssenkrupp Elevadores S.L.U. (Moving Walks).
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KAIZENLIFT ELEVATOR MARKET OPENS
On November 21, Kaizenlift Elevator Market opened in Trabzon to provide elevator equipment for the Black Sea Region. Yasemin Bulut, a founding partner of Kaizenlift Elevator Market, which will operate within Önder Elevator Group, says, “Kaizenlift Elevator Market is important as it will meet the needs of the sector through incorporating the important brands of the industry and will provide a better location for the export business with the eastern border countries, especially Russia. Our initiative, which we believe will bring a new impulse to the industry during the pandemic process with which we are struggling in the whole country, has also been welcomed by our stakeholders.”
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AKE EMPLOYS YOUNG ENGINEERS
AKE Elevator and Escalator, which opens its doors to young engineers who have just graduated from university, employs 16 new graduate engineers within the scope of the Vocational Training Project (AKE-MEP) started three months ago. The company, which opened its doors to young engineers who have recently graduated from university but who do not have the "experience" required by prospective employers, has trained 18 newly graduated engineers within the scope of the AKE-MEP project. Young engineers received a total 276 hours of theoretical and practical training, including 90 hours of welding, 27 hours of machining, 45 hours of general manufacturing, six hours of paint shop, 90 hours of installation, 16 hours of plain transformation, and two hours of personal development training for business life in order to gain experience in these fields. At the end of the training,
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GEN2 CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY
The OTIS Gen2 elevator family, which was developed for providing a quiet and comfortable ride in low and mid-rise buildings, celebrates its 20th anniversary. Gen2, powered by a machine-room-less belt system, has sold more than 1 million so far. To provide security and design flexibility, polyurethane-coated flat steel belts and gearless permanent magnet synchronous machines are used in Gen2 elevators.
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LABELING BUILDINGS LIKE ELEVATORS
Ender Yorgancılar, Board Chairman of the Aegean Region Chamber of Industry (EBSO), who issued statements following the Izmir earthquake, said buildings could be labeled like the elevators. Emphasizing the importance of the measures that should be taken before an earthquake hits, Yorgancılar explained that the safety of the buildings should be investigated and the buildings should be given red, blue and green labels to indicate if they are safe and stable, like elevators. Hasan Küçükkurt, Board Chairman of Izmir Industrialists and Business People Association (IZSIAD), stated that he fully supported Yorgancılar's advice. Underlining that elevators are inspected every year, Küçükkurt said that the same process should be implemented quickly, starting with the older buildings.
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MITSUBISHI CHINESE JV PRODUCES 1 MILLIONTH VT UNIT
Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric announced on November 10 that Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator Co. (SMEC), a joint venture (JV) operating in China, produced its 1 millionth vertical-transportation (VT) unit earlier in the month, a milestone reached after 34 years of operation. Mitsubishi Electric says it became the first Japanese company to directly manufacture, sell, install and service elevators in China when, in January 1987, it entered into the JV with Shanghai Electric Group to launch SMEC. The company has 89 offices across China.
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EUROPEAN LIFT SME CONGRESS
The first European Lift SME Congress was held online on November 18-19, 2020, with the contributions of EFESME, ANACAM, VMA, FEPYMA, ANPA and the Bulgarian Association of Lift Manufacturers. In the three sessions on the first day of the event, the situation of the SMEs in Europe, market shares, trends and maintenance issues were discussed. In the four sessions on the second day of the event, risks and opportunities, market sizes and transnational differences were discussed, and European Awards for SME Lifts, which will be held for the first time, were introduced. Being the official media sponsor of the congress, ELEVATOR WORLD Europe shared information and data.
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MMO REASSUMES THE INSPECTION OF ELEVATORS IN MERKEZEFENDI
Denizli Merkezefendi Municipality, which commissioned a private company for the periodical inspection of elevators within the district in previous years, announced that MMO will carry out periodic inspections of the elevators for four years within the scope of the protocol signed with the Denizli Branch of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers. The four-year periodic maintenance protocol signed between Merkezefendi Mayor Şeniz Doğan and Prof. Dr.Harun Kemal Öztürk, Denizli Branch President of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers will take effect as of January 1, 2021. Mayor Doğan emphasized the importance of the periodic inspection protocol with the Denizli Branch, and said, “All of the elevators within the boundaries of the district will be inspected for the safety of our citizens.”
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AUDIO COMMANDS IN ELEVATORS FOR VIRUS PROTECTION
Pendik Municipality has become the first to use the audio command feature in elevators produced by local software developers in the Silicon Valley. With this implementation, contact in elevators is minimized, and the possibility of virus infection is reduced as riders will not have to touch the buttons. The people were surprised when they saw the audio command system in the elevator, but they were glad afterward. Pendik Mayor Ahmet Cin gave information about the audio command implementation and said, “We experienced some problems during the pandemic period. We have managed to implement the system that powers the elevator with audio commands, without any contact. Citing this project, hopefully, we will implement similar projects in other public enterprises.”
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LIFTINSTITUUT PRODUCES VIDEO, OFFERS ELEVATOR SAFETY TIPS
To mark Safety Awareness Week (November 9-15), Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Notified Body Liftinstituut produced a video in which a young father, Reinout, recounts an incident involving his 4-year-old son, Ezra, whose arm became trapped in an elevator door. "At a moment like that, the world collapses," Reinout says. "Yes, the arm is stuck, and there's not much you can do, so you definitely feel a bit of panic." To prevent such incidents in the future, Liftinstituut offers a section on its website with tips on teaching children to use elevators safely. Child psychologist Tischa Neve notes, "Lifts have a magical attraction for young children," which is why they must learn to use them safely from an early age. She goes on to explain the best ways to talk to children about staying safe when riding an elevator. As for Reinout, he was able to free Ezra using a claw hammer and a piece of steel pipe to open the door.
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LIFT EXPO ITALY POSTPONED TO 2022
Lift Expo Italy, which has been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been postponed again, as the number of cases increased with the second wave. The fair, which was scheduled for January 2021, is rescheduled to October 19-21, 2022.
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OTIS NAMES CALLEJA PRESIDENT OF EMEA OPERATIONS
Otis has named Bernardo Calleja president, Otis Europe Middle East & Africa (EMEA), the company announced on November 9. Calleja has been interim Otis EMEA president since October 1, replacing Mark Eubanks, who left the company in September. An industrial engineer by training, Calleja began his career as an engineer at Otis' San Sebastián factory in 1989 and progressed through several leadership positions before being named president of Otis South Europe & Africa in 2018. He will continue to lead this subregion and maintain his role as the president of the board of directors of Zardoya Otis, a publicly traded subsidiary in Spain. In his new role, Calleja will report directly to Otis President and CEO Judy Marks.
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EWT FOCUSES ON NEW AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY IN JANUARY-FEBRUARY ISSUE
The January-February 2021 issue of ELEVATOR WORLD Turkey will focus on New and Emerging Technology. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2020. To participate or for more information, contact the EWT Editorial Department at phone: +90 216 348 48 76, Email: editorial@elevatorworld.com.tr.
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