ELA Newsletter Spring-Summer 2024
New President & Vice-President for ELA !
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my predecessor Roberto Zappa for six years of leadership of our European Lift Association. Under his leadership, the ELA has evolved further and good results have been achieved, for example in the field of European regulation. Time moves on and over the next three years my goal is for the ELA to emphasize inclusion and unity. ELA is there for all companies in the elevator and escalator industry and through ELA we can further strengthen the representation of interests. As far as I am concerned, alliances will be sought also outside our industry. Modernizing buildings not only concerns elevators and escalators, but goes much further. So the possibility of cooperation in that area with, for example, the construction industry is at least worth investigating. The great thing about an association like our ELA is the enormous potential for knowledge. The executive work within the ELA is done by dozens of experts with different backgrounds in the working groups and committees. It is important that we further strengthen relationships and involvement within and between these groups. Knowledge resides in people and my goal for the next three years is to bring the knowledge together, work on a good strategy and implement it step by step. Ultimately, the ELA represents the interests of its members. Contact with these members is important and in addition to showing the benefits of ELA membership, listening carefully to our members is essential. Together with 16 members of the board, I am very motivated to continue to contribute to the ELA and look forward to the future. Kind regards,
Wim Koster
ELA President
Dear Colleagues, As we navigate an increasingly complex and volatile landscape, our organization must bolster its capacity for adaptation and agile response. We are in an era marked by unprecedented change driven by innovation and sustainability. The lift industry faces numerous challenges, including the integration of digital technologies, the push for energy efficiency, and evolving the safety regulations even further. I am firmly convinced that the European Lift Association will continue to evolve together with its members to meet these challenges and future demands. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone involved in ELA for your participation and dedication. Your commitment is essential in reinforcing ELA’s role as the key representative for our industry at the European level. I am proud to be part of this team and look forward to continuing our work together towards our common future. Kind regards,
Lars Gustavsson
ELA Vice President
New Faces at the Board
Poland LiftEXPO 01-03.10.2024
Poland has emerged as one of the European Union’s economic powerhouses, boasting a stable economy and a leading role in utilizing EU structural funds for infrastructure development. This favorable environment has greatly contributed to the stable development of the lift industry. Since joining the EU, Poland has doubled its operational lifts.
New ELA Committees & WG members
- Fabien Hauret (EEA), new member of the Statistical Committee
- Nicola Imbimbo (AssoAscensori), new member of the Codes & Standards Committee
- Svenja Lemke (EEA), new member of the Legal Committee
- Yves Gregnanin (FAS), new member of the SRI Working Group
- Sandra Cuevas (EEA), new member of the Digitalization & Cybersecurity Committee
- Paolo Airaghi (AssoAscensori), new member of the Codes & Standards Committee
- Ana Rodriguez (FEEDA), new member of the Codes & Standards Committee
- Elisabetta Gasperini (AssoAscensori), new member of the Components Committee
- Thomas Meerschaut (EEA), new member of the Budget Committee
Escalators are safe… except when they are not used safely…
And that is precisely the sticking point. We have noticed that many escalator users are still unaware of the do’s & don’ts of safe escalator use. Reason enough for Agoria and its member escalator companies to set up an awareness-raising campaign about safe escalator use. A Word from the President Agoria developed an Escalator Game under the motto ‘catch them while they’re young’. Discover it on escalatorsafety.agoria.be. Target group: 8 to 18-year-olds. But believe us, even adults will have fun playing this game. And learn something from it too! » “Instead of opting for the umpteenth video or instruction note, we chose a unique game formula in which the participants learn the 12 main rules of safe escalator use,” says Dirk De Moor, responsible for the lifts and escalators business group at Agoria. “We are convinced that learning by doing sticks better than just reading.” And… don’t forget to try the Escalator Game yourself. We’re curious to see your score! 😉 Maybe you’ll beat the top score!
Notified Bodies listed on the NANDO list to be used to certify products under the Lifts Directive
At the meeting of the European Commission’s Lifts Expert Group (November 2023), the President of the Notified Body Coordination raised an issue concerning certificates for safety components that were issued by a certification organization that was ‘not listed’ in NANDO for such tasks. A Word from the President It is important that manufacturers of safety components and installers for lifts always consult the NANDO list for the references of the Notified Body of their choice to make sure that the Notified Body is listed in NANDO and for the intended conformity assessment procedure task(s). Certificates issued by certification organizations not listed in NANDO may be considered as void. Directive Indeed, only the certification organizations listed on the EU Commission NANDO (for the Lifts see following link) are considered as the EU Notified Bodies.
Harold Bussing (KONE The Netherlands) passes VLR chairmanship to Reinier Geradts (DLR Eurlicon)
At the end of 2023, Reinier Geradts, director of DLR Eurlicon, was appointed as the new chairman of VLR, the Dutch trade association for lifts and escalators. The gavel was officially passed on by his predecessor, Harold Bussing of KONE, on March 15 during the first VLR General Assembly of this year. Bussing had been a VLR board member since 2016 and became chairman of the association two years later. Geradts has been working in the elevator and escalator industry since 1985, where he gained work experience at Schindler and ThyssenKrupp and held various positions. In 2005 he decided to start his own business and founded the Lift and Escalator advisory group, after which he became a member of VLR at the end of 2012. Geradts has been part of the VLR board since 2015. VLR is pleased that Geradts will manage the association and, in his own words, will further position VLR as a centre of competence for lifts and escalators. With Geradts as new chairman, VLR will move forward in the coming years.
Olivier Rouvière, new elected President of the French Federation
Olivier Rouvière, 61, graduated in microelectronics from INSA Lyon, holds a postgraduate degree in integrated electronics from the Ecole centrale de Lyon, is an engineer by training. He has over thirty years of experience at Otis. He was Managing Director of Otis Switzerland between 2010 and 2019, and Managing Director of Otis France from January 2019 to January 2022. On the occasion of its General Assembly on April 23, 2024, the Fédération des Ascenseurs, representative of 90% of the economic activity of the sector in France, elected Olivier Rouvière President. As part of his new mandate, he will deploy the profession’s CSR roadmap, to meet energy and demographic challenges, and give even more visibility on the know-how, trades and training in the sector.
FAS : Winner of the ELA Award 2023 !
On the occasion of our ELA General Assembly in Istanbul this year, we were honoured to give the ELA Award to the Fédération des Ascenseurs for their outstanding performance in 2023.
Congratulations !
ELA General Assembly & Conference 16 & 17 May 2024 – Istanbul
In the magnificent setting of the Turkish city, the ELA Annual Conference (2024) dedicated to the topic of ‘sustainability’ took place.
As usual, it was well attended by both the international audience and the excellent speakers (representatives of European institutions, university lecturers, and experts from the lift industry).
The General Assembly took place the following day and renewed all Board members. Wim Koster (NL) was elected President for the three-year period 2024-2027.
At the first Board meeting Lars Gustavsson (SE) was elected Vice President.
Articles about our event!