Escalator Field Guide
Elevator Field Guide
Get the app — iOSAlberta's code skip, DOJ reviews Kone-TKE, and more — Aug 2026
This issue is heavy on regulatory and market structure: Alberta's decision to bypass the 2022 code edition means two editions' worth of requirements land simultaneously on 1 February 2027, while the Kone–TK Elevator deal (already the largest in the industry's history) is now under in-depth DOJ scrutiny. Alongside those headline items, a London, Ontario elevator outage with serious consequences for vulnerable tenants is a reminder of what's at stake when aging equipment fails.
Alberta refused a code edition — and two editions of change now land on one day
Alberta will not adopt the 2022 edition of the elevator code. A Municipal Affairs notice dated September 2025 states plainly that ASME A17.1:2022 / CSA B44:22 "will not come into force in Alberta," and that the 2019 edition remains in force until further notice. It had already been delayed once, in September 2024, over retroactive door lock monitoring requirements that would have reached elevators already in service. The consequence arrives on 1 February 2027, when Alberta is scheduled to move straight to the 2025 code. Skipping the 2022 book did not remove its requirements, only defer them: each edition builds on the one before, so the 2025 code already carries the 2022 changes inside it. Alberta's own notice describes the 2025 edition as "building on the changes introduced by the 2022 edition." The practical effect is that two editions' worth of new requirements become enforceable on the same day. From the 2022 edition that includes door lock monitoring extended to existing elevators, hoistway lighting, pit ladder safety switches and escalator handrail height. From 2025 it adds cartop fall protection, emergency responder radio coverage and substantial changes to inspection and testing. Alberta and Ontario are on the same edition today — that ends in 2027.
DOJ Opens In-Depth Antitrust Review of Kone's EUR 29.4 Billion Acquisition of TK Elevator
The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division has launched an in-depth review of Finnish elevator maker Kone Oyj's planned EUR 29.4 billion (US$34.4 billion) acquisition of TK Elevator, a deal announced in late April 2026 that would create the world's largest elevator manufacturer. The DOJ issued a formal request for additional information to both companies on August 11, 2026, triggering the expanded review, which can take a year or more to complete. Kone stated it has cooperated with the DOJ since the deal was announced and still expects the transaction to close no earlier than the second quarter of 2027; Kone's CFO had previously indicated the company is prepared to divest certain assets to address regulatory concerns.
Otis Worldwide positions itself as a defensive investment but faces stock headwinds
Otis Worldwide, the world's largest elevator company operating in more than 200 countries, generated over US$14 billion in revenue in 2025, roughly 13% growth since its 2020 spin-off from United Technologies. Despite pitching itself as a stable, long-term defensive play, its stock is down approximately 15% year-to-date, underperforming both the industrial sector and the broader market, partly due to a setback in its service business and investor appetite for AI-driven stocks. The article also notes that Finland's Kone agreed to acquire Germany's TK Elevator in a deal valued at nearly US$35 billion, which analysts say could benefit Otis by reducing the number of major competitors bidding for elevator contracts from four to three.
ATIS Acquires Buckley Belcher & Company to Expand Elevator Consulting and Managed Services
ATIS, a North America-based provider of elevator and escalator safety inspections, consulting, and managed services, announced the acquisition of Buckley Belcher & Company, LLC on August 5, 2026. Buckley Belcher is an elevator consulting firm with expertise in modernization, new construction consulting, contract strategy, and long-term asset planning, serving building owners, property managers, and architects across the United States. ATIS is a portfolio company of Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP), a private equity firm based in St. Louis. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Elevator outage at London, Ontario public housing building highlights urgent need for replacement, tenants say
Both elevators at 202 McNay St., an 11-storey London Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH) building in London, Ontario, were out of service for 24 hours over a long weekend, forcing LMCH to place 11 families in hotels. One tenant, a 71-year-old woman with pulmonary fibrosis who depends on a continuous oxygen supply, was taken to hospital by ambulance because she could not reach her sixth-floor apartment and her portable oxygen unit's battery was running low. LMCH attributed the outage to an unexpected mechanical issue and noted it has an elevator modernization program covering 15 buildings with 28 elevator cabs, with work completed in 10 buildings so far.
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