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ELEVATOR WORLD Europe’s January-February 2026 Issue |
Features: IEES 2025; GEE 2025; EW's 28th Annual Project of the Year...
Focus on the Future of VT Safety: Designing Future-Proof Safety in VT...
Columns: ISO/TC 178 Plenary Meeting
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Visit our website to read the
January-February 2026 Issue, latest news, events and magazine archives!
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EW EUROPE TO FOCUS ON FIXTURES
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The May-June 2026 issue of ELEVATOR WORLD Europe will focus on Fixtures (cab and hallway lighting, buttons, handrails, car panels, phones and more) with bonus distribution at ELEVEX Konya. Submissions will be accepted through April 30. The Advertising deadline is May 14. Contact Bülent Yılmaz for editorial submissions and editorial and advertising inquiries within Europe. Those outside of Europe may contact Angela C. Baldwin for editorial and T. Bruce MacKinnon for advertising.
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14TH ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST OPEN
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Submissions are open for ELEVATOR WORLD’s 2026 Photo Contest until May 15. This year’s categories include Projects In Action, Elevators/Lifts (Commercial), Elevators/Lifts (Private Residence), Escalators & Moving Walkways, Machines & Components, City Skylines and Tall Buildings, Historical/Legacy Equipment (pre-1965), Company Factories/Facilities, Hoistways and Industry Art/Illustrations (including sketches, blueprints, digital, AI and other). The nomination period will be followed by public voting, and winners will be featured in our August 2026 issue. Video submissions can be submitted for any category and links can be shared from any of the following platforms: YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, Wistia, Vidyard, BitChute and Mixcloud. Send us your best shots and be published in EW! We look forward to viewing the elevator world through your unique lens. Please email with any questions.
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TKE ANNOUNCES NEW COO AND NEWLY CREATED CLO ROLE
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TK Elevator (TKE) announced on March 23 that Brad Selleck has been appointed chief operating officer (COO), reporting to CEO Uday Yadav and filling a role previously held by Della Valle, who is retiring. At the same time, TKE announced the newly created role of chief legal officer (CLO), to which Lars Sjobring has been appointed. As COO, Selleck will oversee Operations, Global High-Rise P&L, Engineering, Supply Chain and Product Line management. Read more here
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SWECO ACQUIRES BELGIUM’S CONIX RDBM ARCHITECTS
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Sweco, a major engineering, architecture and consulting firm headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 4 announced it acquired CONIX RDBM Architects, which has offices in Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium. With turnover of approximately EUR7.6 million (US$8.8 million) in 2025, CONIX RDBM delivers architecture, interior design and master planning across the office, residential, education, healthcare and mixed-use sectors. Read more here
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SPAIN’S MP ELEVATORS ACQUIRES CZECH COMPANY VÝTAHY BESTLIFT
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MP Elevators, a European company headquartered in Seville, Spain, with more than 1,200 employees and operations in more than 100 countries, on March 17 announced the acquisition of Czech company Výtahy Bestlift. "This step marks the beginning of a new chapter while preserving the company's strong local roots and family spirit," MP stated. With the addition of Výtahy Bestlift, MP Elevators' elevator portfolio in the Czech Republic increases to 500 units, reinforcing its position in Prague and continuing its expansion in Brno. Read more here
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ZIEHL-ABEGG ELEVATOR MOTOR NOMINATED FOR HERMES AWARD
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Ziehl-Abegg’s newly developed elevator motor has been nominated for the Hermes Award 2026, one of the most respected honors in global industry, Machine Maker reports. This is the first time Ziehl-Abegg has been shortlisted for this award. Ziehl-Abegg’s nominated innovation is an electric synchronous elevator motor that operates without rare-earth magnets. The motor replaces these materials with ferrite magnets, which are widely available worldwide, and the motor delivers the same output and efficiency as existing rare-earth-based systems while maintaining identical dimensions. Read more here
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ESCALATOR OUTAGES AT BERLIN DB STATION SPARK OUTRAGE
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As of March 13, 35 of the 52 KONE escalators at Deutsche Bahn’s (DB) Berlin Central Station — one of Europe’s largest and newest interchanges that handles approximately 300,000 passengers daily — have been deemed defective and taken out of service, a situation sparking outrage from passengers, DB and city officials, Euro News is among outlets to report. Berlin Governing Mayor Kai Wegner “expects DB to rectify the problems with the escalators in Berlin as quickly as possible.” Read more here
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MOLDOVA TO UPDATE 40 RESIDENTIAL ELEVATORS AS PART OF PILOT PROGRAM
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Forty elevators in residential buildings across Moldova will be modernized as part of a national pilot program aiming to replace old and technically outdated equipment, IPN reports. Homeowners’ associations will be able to submit projects for the modernization of elevators, and the selection will consider the technical condition of the equipment, the degree of wear and tear, and the presence of vulnerable residents. The project aims to increase safety, improve accessibility and reduce operating costs and energy consumption. Read more here
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PANORAMIC ELEVATOR OPENS IN BRUSSELS
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A new panoramic lift connecting the Mont des Arts to the rooftop of the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) in Brussels was inaugurated on March 11, promising visitors an "immersive experience,” The Brussels Times reports. The lift ride is also designed as an auditory experience. During the ascent, visitors are accompanied by voices, music and sounds reflecting the cultural diversity of Brussels. This immersive experience continues on the rooftop, where an interactive installation invites visitors to discover different facets of the capital. Read more here
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ACQUISITION STRENGTHENS MP LIFTS’ PRESENCE IN ROMANIA
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Spain-headquartered MP Lifts recently announced the acquisition of Bucharest-based Koppel Romania Ascensoare, a lift maintenance, modernization and repair company that will be integrated into the Romanian branch of MP Lifts, MP IFMA. The move strengthens MP IFMA's presence in the Romanian market and increases the density of its lift maintenance portfolio in Bucharest — the company's main operational hub in Romania — by adding approximately 300 elevators. Read more here
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RIGERT TREPPENLIFTE AG EXPANDS HOME ELEVATOR SERVICES
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Rigert Treppenlifte AG, a leading Swiss mobility solutions provider with more than 60 years of experience and part of the Garaventa Group, has announced expanded installation services for residential elevators and platform lifts designed specifically for two-story homes throughout German, French and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland. The expansion addresses growing demand from Swiss homeowners seeking to enhance accessibility and maintain independence as they age in place. Read more here
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SCHINDLER CEO: KONE, TKE MERGER WOULD BE A “BLOODBATH”
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In a very short piece published on March 24, Reuters said Schindler CEO Paolo Compagna told the outlet the Swiss OEM would be ready to challenge a merger between rivals TK Elevator (TKE) and KONE before antitrust authorities. The merger, Compagna said, would be a “‘bloodbath’ bound to disrupt the industry, as the world’s third- and fourth-largest lift manufacturers would need to fit together overlapping customer bases, production sites and teams.” Read more here
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OTIS INTRODUCES VIVA MOBILITY SOLUTIONS FOR OLDER ADULTS
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Otis recently unveiled its new VivaTM solutions for new and existing buildings designed to promote safe, reliable mobility for older adults while benefiting all passengers. Showcased at the MIPIM real estate exhibition in Cannes, France, earlier this year, Viva solutions are designed to support longer, more independent and active living. Coming standard with new Otis Gen3TM and Gen360TM elevators, the solutions include easier entry and exit points, improved lighting, clear audiovisual signals and handrails for added stability. Read more here
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TKE TO JOIN MICROSOFT AT HANNOVER MESSE IN GERMANY
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TK Elevator (TKE) announced it will join Microsoft at Hannover Messe 2026 on April 20-24 for the Hannover Exhibition Grounds in Hannover, Germany. TKE Chief Digital Officer Matthias Gohl and Europe-Africa CEO Bora Gülan will be on hand to talk about how AI-powered digital innovation can transform the vertical-transportation industry. Dedicated press tours will be available on all three days, as well as one-on-one executive interviews throughout Hannover Messe. Read more here
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WARSAW METRO RENEWS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WITH MP LIFTS
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MP Lifts, a Spain-headquartered company with more than 1,200 employees and operations in over 100 countries worldwide, announced Warsaw Metro has renewed its maintenance contract. Covering nearly 200 lifts, escalators and platform systems, the initial contract was awarded in 2023 to MP Lifts' Poland branch. The new, 12-month contract became effective in February and has expanded in scope to cover nearly 400 units. Read more here
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ALIMAK CUSTOM GOODS ELEVATORS FOR ROYAL SWEDISH OPERA
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Alimak Group tells ELEVATOR WORLD it engineered, manufactured and installed two purpose-built goods elevators for the Royal Swedish Opera’s new facility in Flemingsberg, Stockholm, Sweden. The contract was awarded by developer Fabege AB and construction company MVB. Including a 34-m elevator shaft, the 12,000-m2 structure serves as a décor workshop and rehearsal studio for the opera. An ALIMAK TM 2000 FC elevator is 17 m long and 1.2 m wide with 2000-kg capacity. Read more here
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CIA BOD RE-ELECTED DURING EVENT IN GERMANY
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Members of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the Nuremberg, Germany-based nonprofit CAN in Automation (CiA) association were re-elected at the General Assembly during the recent CiA Member Days in Freising, Germany, CiA announced on April 2. Technical presentations during CiA Member Days included “CAN and AI,” “CAN XL,” “CANsec,” “Ethernetification in CAN” and “48-V Supply Systems.” The next General Assembly will take place on March 4, 2026, in Tutzing, Germany, as part of the 19th International CAN Conference. Read more here
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KONE LIFT DATA: LONDONERS ARE RETURNING TO THE OFFICE
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Data from KONE, which has monitored more than one billion lift journeys in 10 cities in seven countries over the past five years, shows Londoners are returning to the office faster than their European counterparts, The Times reports. The work-from-home trend brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is clearly reversing course in London, which was one of only two cities — the other is Paris — where year-on-year growth accelerated in 2025 versus 2024. In London, lifts were 11% more active in January 2026 than in January 2025. In Paris, that number was 8%. Read more here
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TKE UNVEILS DIGITALLY NATIVE HELIX HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-RISE ELEVATOR
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TK Elevator (TKE) on March 10 introduced HELIX, a digital-first, high-speed, high-rise single-deck elevator platform that is part of the Dynamic High-Rise by TK Elevator family. Powered by people-centered AI and data-driven decision making, HELIX is engineered to optimize uptime, availability and energy efficiency. It complements TKE's TWIN, Double-Deck and Shaft Climber Dynamic High-Rise solutions. For predictive maintenance, the TKE MAX offering is embedded natively. Read more here
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ALIMAK PUBLISHES 2025 REPORT
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Alimak Group has published its Annual and Sustainability Report for 2025. During 2025, Alimak Group continued to strengthen its position as a profitable and resilient industrial company despite a year marked by challenging market conditions. The Group continued to enhance operational efficiency while investing in people, product development and innovation. For the full year 2025, revenues reached SEK 6.9 billion (US$730 million), with an adjusted EBITA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Amortization) margin of 17.4%. Read more here
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BRUGG RECEIVES BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS (BIS) LICENSE FOR ROPES
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Brugg Lifting announced this month it reached an important milestone by receiving the BIS license for its Swiss-manufactured elevator ropes, certified in accordance with Indian standard IS 2365:2024. The certification confirms that Brugg ropes fully meet Indian regulatory requirements. The BIS certification enables the use of Brugg ropes in locally regulated projects, supports smooth approval processes and reduces compliance-related risks. Beyond the certification, Brugg continues to strengthen its long-term presence in India through a structured, phased market approach. Read more here
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HYUNDAI EARNS RECOGNITION FOR ESG EFFORTS
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Hyundai Elevator has received an A grade in the 2026 ESG Rating Assessment conducted by the global environmental, social and governance (ESG) evaluation agency Morgan Stanley Capital International, marking an improvement of one level from its previous BBB rating, The Asia Business Daily reports. In a corporate sustainability assessment by global rating agency S&P Global, the company scored 59 points — an increase of seven points from the previous year — ranking first among global elevator companies. Read more here
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Editorial submissions, reprint permission requests, subscription/removal requests should be sent to the EWEU News editorial staff: Angela C. Baldwin, Kaija Wilkinson, Lindsay Fletcher and Kathleen Farrell. The ELEVATOR WORLD Media Kit can be downloaded here. EWEU News is a registered trademark, and all rights are reserved. Copyright 2026 © Elevator World, Inc.
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