10 July 2026:
One year of Elevatori Magazine’s Round Table
On 10 July 2026, we celebrated a particularly significant milestone for Elevatori Magazine: the first anniversary of our Round Table. Exactly one year after the first meeting, we gathered once again at the Politecnico di Milano, a place that symbolises a culture of craftsmanship passed down through the generations, where last year a project came to life, born out of a very simple yet ambitious need: to create a permanent forum for discussion, capable of bringing together around the same table all those involved in the future of Italy’s lift heritage.
Following the introductory remarks to the audience delivered by our publisher, Eng. Matteo Volpe, also on behalf of our Founder and Director, Eng. Giuseppe Volpe, the event began with a tribute to a person who exemplified the values of disseminating knowledge within our sector: Giovanni Varisco, who served for many years as Technical Director of Elevatori Magazine, whose recent passing has left an irreplaceable void in all of us.
Elevatori Magazine’s Round Table
Over the past twelve months, we have built much more than just a series of meetings.
We have built a community of professionals who, whilst coming from different backgrounds, share a common goal: to advance knowledge within the lift sector in order, in particular, to improve the safety, quality and efficiency of existing lifts, through dialogue, the sharing of expertise and collaboration amongst all stakeholders (companies, associations, notified bodies, the academic world, designers, manufacturers, maintenance providers, block of flats managers and institutions). The most significant challenges, in fact, cannot be tackled individually. And the modernisation of existing lift installations is, today, precisely one of these major challenges, because it is not only one of the most strategic issues for the lift sector, but also a genuine social issue aimed at improving users’ lives.
Italy, in fact, with around one million lifts, ranks second in the world for the number of lifts installed (after China), but (according to Anacam data) almost a third of lifts in operation are over 40 years old and, more generally, Italy’s lift fleet is among the oldest in Europe, with around 60 per cent of lifts over 20 years old.
These lifts therefore require measures to improve their safety, performance, accessibility and reliability. We are therefore talking not only about technology, but also about quality of life, the protection of people and the enhancement of the building stock.
The theme we have chosen for the meeting on 10 July 2026, ‘Lift modernisation and system safety’, addresses precisely these aspects from different perspectives.
During the morning, we discussed technological innovation, predictive maintenance, structural monitoring, regulatory updates, technical documentation, safety systems and the relationship between lifts and the built environment. These are diverse topics, but they are united by a single common thread: making existing lift systems increasingly safe, efficient and ready to meet the demands of the future.
Given the venue where it took place, the event began with a look at the academic world and the constructive collaboration it can foster with businesses, including those in our sector. It was for this reason that Eng. Claudio Bernuzzi (Full Professor in the Department of Architecture, Construction Engineering and the Built Environment (DABC) at the Politecnico di Milano), together with architect Ottorino Meregalli (technical manager of the ABC Labs at the Politecnico di Milano), highlighted the potential of the Politecnico di Milano and its laboratories, particularly in relation to the activities of companies in our sector.
Engineer Marco Simoncelli (Department of Architecture, Construction Engineering and the Built Environment DABC at the Politecnico di Milano) then took the floor to speak on ‘Structural monitoring and Artificial Intelligence systems for predictive maintenance’. Starting with a structural analysis of lift shafts, Simoncelli demonstrated how it is possible to integrate a series of sensors into the structures; the constant analysis of these sensors enables the structures to be monitored and, through artificial intelligence, provides the means to understand how the structures react to external factors such as temperature and weather conditions, and to detect in real time any significant deviations from normal conditions, thereby allowing for prompt intervention.
Professor Raffaella Lione (from the University of Messina, Professor of Technical Architecture in the Department of Engineering) then broadened the discussion, offering the audience a wider perspective on the building and its relationship with the vertical transport systems within it. Her argument, supported by numerous examples of buildings from different eras, highlighted the boundaries between innovation, technical innovation, technology and the user within the built environment.
In the second part of the morning, a number of lift experts (from within the sector and beyond) engaged the audience in a detailed discussion on the topic of improving the safety of existing lift installations through modernisation.
Our panellists included Maurizio Coretti (representative of Anacam, the National Association of Lift Construction and Maintenance Companies), Giorgia Feneri (President of UN.I.ON, the Italian Union of Notified and Authorised Bodies), Barbara Manco (Technical Councillor of Anica, the National Association of Lift Component Manufacturers) and Daniele Pavan (Chair of Technical Committee 019 ‘Lifts, goods lifts, escalators and similar equipment’ at UNI, the Italian Standardisation Body).
From left: Maurizio Coretti, Giorgia Feneri, Barbara Manco and Daniele Pavan during the Round Table.
Read more: The programme of the event
