Issue 4/2004
07/02/04
Istanbul, a glorious setting
ELEVCON 2004
“For the first time ever, the Elevcon is gathering in a palace!” That was the essence of enthusiastic greetings extended by Joseph Stier in the “Ciragan Sarayi”, a former sultan’s palace converted into a hotel and located hard by the Bosporus. The International Association of Elevator Engineers (IAEE) had extended an invitation to Istanbul for the period from April 27 to 29. This was the 14th World Conference on “Vertical Transportation Technologies.” About 160 professionals from all around the world responded to the call. They were rewarded with an event which was excellently organized in terms of the number, presentation and quality of both the lectures and the events that flanked the speeches.
Category: Issue 4/2004
Posted by: Editor
The opening ceremonies alone, held on April 26 in the festively illuminated old sultan’s palace, were well worth making the trip. This event, like the conference as a whole, was sponsored by the ASRAY company, itself located in Istanbul. Meeting once again with friends from the industry who have made the journey from every corner of the globe is always a satisfying experience. Old contacts were rejuvenated and new ones made during casual talks.
As the chairman of the conference and responsible for the program, Ami Lustig had the pleasure of greeting an interested audience on the next morning. In the 19 years it has been in existence, the IAEE has organized conferences throughout almost all of Europe and has presented about 400 scientific and business-related lectures in all the topic areas which interest the industry. This year 37 speeches were made. Many of them should actually have been presented last year in Beijing. Whereas in the past the scientific topics were more in the foreground, today presentations by companies in the industry take the lead. The speeches delivered at “Elevator Technology 14” were first disseminated here and most of them were later reproduced in the worldwide trade press. Ami Lustig thanked all the lecturers, the sponsor and the Steering Committee for their capable help and support. Istanbul – lying at the interface of Asia and Europe – not only joins continents but divergent cultures and religions, as well. That is another reason why this was a good choice of venue!
Following Ami Lustig was H. S. Kuok of Hong Kong, who brought his listeners greetings on behalf of the “Hong Kong Brand of the IAEE.” Sefa Targit represented ASRAY in expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to hold the event in Istanbul.
Dincer Kara brought best wishes from the Turkish Ministry of Trade and Industry and expressed his hopes for a successful event.
The quality of the affair profited to a certain extent from the cancellation of the Elevcon in Beijing last year. Consequently Ami Lustig was able to select from a great variety of proposals which had been submitted in the years 2003 and 2004. Abstracts of the lectures had been published in advance in Lift-Report 2-2004 (pp. 66-76). Some of the lectures will be reprinted at full length in future issues. In addition to the excellent lectures, the organization for the event once again impressed visitors this year. There was a small exhibit in the entry lobby, where participants were able to collect information from firms or view items on display. Interesting discussions filled the breaks during the course of the days. And there were always snacks and beverages to keep spirits from flagging.
It was with a provocative question – “Do maintenance technicians have a license to kill?” – that R. E. Hawkins opened the workshop in Session 6. Using extraordinary photographs to illustrate his comments, he questioned whether maintenance exercise the required care and have the necessary experience. This is certainly a legitimate question, and there are great differences from one country to the next. The user and the owner do, in fact, expect perfect knowledge on the part of the technician who carries out maintenance and repair work. But are the people at elevator companies always properly trained? In most countries there are neither standards nor guidelines for maintenance. In the Netherlands maintenance every six months is mandatory. Often maintenance technicians are subject to both time and cost pressures (in London the time specified for a maintenance cycle is 35 minutes). There are inspection rules in Israel, but who handles inspector qualification?
Generally valid rules promulgated by Brussels for the EU would be good, but there they are concentrating on other things. In the USA the rules even vary from town to town, but there is a four-year training program for elevator maintenance personnel. In Turkey there are no rules for inspection intervals but everyone looks closely at costs. Elevators are almost always facilities which are accessible to the public so there is also public responsibility for instituting the necessary safety requirements. The TÜV in Germany is one example of such an agency.
There is a shortage of engineers throughout the industry and thus it is necessary to recruit qualified newcomers. This would be the task of the elevator associations in the individual countries.
Generally the owner is not prepared for the follow-up costs associated with maintenance and thus, when preparing the cost estimates for a system, bidders should also include from the very outset the maintenance costs for the next 10 years.
The speeches showed that uniform regulations for safety requirements are indeed most desirable but certainly not to be realized in the near future.
On Wednesday there was a tour of the rail fabrication plant established by Asray in the town of Gebeze in 1968. The participants were divided up into manageable groups and guided through the facility. This tour, too, was as informative as it was excellently organized. Everyone was impressed by the mill in which the handling of the incandescent red rails could be seen. Then busses took the visitors to a quay in Maltepe where they boarded an excursion boat for a cruise on the Bosporus, taking about 1?1/2 hours and ending at the KOC Museum of Industry. Many participants took advantage of the opportunity and toured the carefully renovated exhibit halls with their interesting displays. And it was in the middle of the valuable artifacts from an earlier age that the gala banquet was held, where once again several members were to be honored. Particular thanks was due to Sefa Targit, the president of Asray, the primary sponsor for the event at Istanbul, and to his team, as well.
On the closing day Joseph Stier and Ami Lustig had a date with the trade press. The international character of the event has been enhanced once again (participants from 21 countries), but regretfully there were only a few Americans. With its 60 attendees Turkey was naturally the best represented country. Fifteen came from Germany, thirteen from Switzerland, ten from Finland, six each from Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Great Britain and the USA, and four each from Spain, Greece and Italy. The bombing attack in Madrid had most certainly made many Americans wary of traveling.
Involved sponsors are essential to conducting an event at this quality level and often the venues are selected in part on this basis. The conference fees do not cover the costs and those fees could not be raised since for some participants they have already exceeded justifiable limits.
As always, Joseph Stier would like to reinforce the national activities of the IAEE. But active engineers and local organizations would be needed to do so. National events in the local language would be more than desirable. But who is willing to shoulder such tasks? Even workshops on the national level would help to enrich the mix of events.
When queried about the site for the next European Elevcon, central and northern Europe were mentioned. So, is it to be Cologne or Helsinki? The decision will be made in the next six to seven weeks. It is certain, however, that the next ELEVCON ASIA 2005 will be taking place in Beijing from June 22 to 24, 2005.
Dr. Peter Lauer
4/2004
