Current Position

Consultant to Peters Research

Career Overview

Rory Smith is a seasoned lift industry executive with more than 49 years of management and technical experience. He has recognized expertise in research, manufacturing, installation, modernization and maintenance of lifts. Strong communication and interpersonal skills have aided him in building effective and creative teams to maximize results

Academic Qualifications

University of Northampton

Engineering Doctorate for research in Vertical Transportation

University College Northampton

MSc in Lift Engineering

University of Phoenix

BSc in Business Administration

Professional Qualifications

EUR ING European Engineer 

Chartered Engineer 

Fellow, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers

California Contractors License,
C 11 Elevator Installation
C 10 Electrical (General)

Professional Experience

2019 – present

Consultant to Peters Research

2013 – 2019

Director of Strategic Development, Americas.  Responsible for ThyssenKrupp’s Internet of Things, a joint project with Microsoft

2009 – 2013

Operations Director, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Middle East.  Responsible for Installations, Maintenance and Modernizations.

1999- 2009

Vice President, Product Planning, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, North America Responsible for R&D product planning.  Manage scientists, engineers and technicians

1994 -1999

General Manager, Computerized Elevator Corporation, New York.  Responsible for operation of an Elevator Control System manufacturing company with 24 Million USD turnover per year.  Major Projects included:

• World Trade Center Modernization, New York
• Olympic Stadium, Sydney
• HSBC, London
• Federal Reserve Bank, Boston    

1975 – 1994

Director of Manufacturing and Engineering, Amtech Elevator, North America

Held various positions of increasing responsibility including sales management, construction management, and service management.

In last position, responsible for manufacturing and engineering for a 100 Million USD turnover per year corporation.  Manufacturing facility located in Baja California, Mexico.

1969 - 1975

District Manager, US Elevator, San Diego.

Responsible for branch operations including, installations, service and repair.

1969

Sales Engineer Trainee, Westinghouse Elevator Corporation, Los Angeles.  Sales Engineer Trainee

Other Roles and Responsibilities

2014 to present

Visiting Professor, Northampton University School of Science and Technology

2013 to 2014

Visiting Research Fellow, Northampton University School of Science and Technology

Awards      

The Carter Bronze Medal awarded by The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) for the paper "The Appraisal of Lift Passenger Demand in Modern Office Buildings”. October 12, 2012.  Co-authors: Dr. Richard Peters & Elizabeth Evans. 

Publications

Journal Papers

Peters R, Smith R, Evans E  The Appraisal of Lift Passenger Demand in Modern Office Buildings  Building Services Engineering Research and Technology Volume 32 No 2, May 2011

Smith R  The Divine Algorithm  Elevator World, February, 2003

Conference Papers

Smith R  Understanding GB/T 24476 - 2017 China's Technical Specifications for Internet of Tings for Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks proceedings of the 10th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2019)

Smith R  Robots, Non-human Passengers proceedings of the 9th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2018)

Smith R Robots a New Class of Passenger proceedings of the 8th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2018)

Smith R Key Innovations and Technologies in Vertical Transportation Systems since 1980  proceedings of the 7th Symposium on Mechanics of Slender Structures, Merida, Spain (December 2017)

Smith R  Understanding EN 81-77: 2013 & prEN 81-77: 2017 Lifts Subject to Seismic Conditions proceedings of the 7th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2017)

Smith R  The Role of Economic Factors in Traffic Planning and Selection of Lift Equipment  proceedings of the 6th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2016)

Smith R The Internet of Things, Big Data, Machine Learning, and the Lift & Escalator Industry proceedings of the 5th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2015)

Smith R  Under Lifted Buildings in the Middle East proceedings of the 4th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2014)

Smith R  Cabin Ventilation, Code Requirements and Experimental Results proceedings of the 3rd Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2013)

Smith R  Gerstenmeyer S  A Review of Waiting Time, Journey Time and Quality of Service proceedings of the 3rd Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2013)

Smith R  Traffic Analysis based on the Up Peak Round Trip Time method. Why it works and how it can be improved  proceedings of the 2nd Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2012)

Smith R  Designing Elevator Installations Using Modern Estimates of Passenger Demand and Currently Available Elevator Technologies  proceedings of the 1st Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technology (CIBSE Lifts Group, The University of Northampton and LEIA) (2011). 

Smith R Designing Elevator Installations using Modern Estimates of Passenger Demand Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technolgies, ELEVCON, Luzern, June 2010

Smith R Using Simulation for Lift System Design Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technologies, ELEVCON, Athens, June 2008

Peters R, Smith R Analysis of Elevator Performance and Passenger Demand with Destination Control Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technologies, ELEVCON, Athens. June 2008 

Smith R  Achieving Good Lift Ride Quality Symposium on Mechanics of Slender Structures (MOSS).  Northampton, UK. September, 2006.

Powell B, Smith R  Application of Two Elevators in the Same Hoistway Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technologies, ELEVCON, Helsinki, Finland, June 2006.  

Al-Sharif L, Peters R, Smith R  Elevator Energy Simulation Model Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technologies, ELEVCON, Istanbul, April 2004 

Peters R, Smith R  Enhancements to the ETD Dispatcher Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technologies, ELEVCON, Istanbul, April 2004 

Smith R  Desarollo de un Siestema de Traction Utilizando Cable de Aramid  Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technologies (Spanish speaking Unit), Barcelona, 2003

Peters R, Smith R  ETD Destination Dispatch and Booster Options Proceedings of the International conference on Elevator Technologies, ELEVCON, Milan, June 2002   Reprinted in Elevator World, June 2002

Presentations

Traffic Analysis Based on the Up Peak Round Trip Time Method, Why it Works and How it Can be Improved  2nd Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies.  University of Northampton.  Northampton, UK.  September, 2012. 

Designing Elevator Installations Using Modern Estimates of Passenger Demand and Currently Available Elevator Technologies Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies.  University of Northampton.  Northampton, UK.  September, 2011.

Designing Lift Installations Using Modern Estimates of Passenger Demand  CIBSE Lifts Group.  London, UK.  March, 2011.

The Evolution of Elevator Rope Test Apparatus  Symposium on Mechanics Of Slender Structures (MOSS).  University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA. July, 2008.

Trafico de Ascensores.  Nueva Methodologia para Diseno de Sistemas de Ascensores  Proceedings of the International Conference on Elevator Technologies (Spanish speaking unit), Barcelona, 2007  

Using Simulation for Lift System Design  CIBSE Lifts Group Open Forum.  London, UK.  May, 2007.

What Does the Future Hold?  National Association of Elevator Contractors, Annual Convention, Atlantic City, USA.  September, 2007.

Workshop: Elevator Traffic Design and Analysis Symposium on Mechanics Of Slender Structures (MOSS).  Northampton, UK. September, 2006.

TWIN A Revolution in Elevator Construction  Institution of Electrical Engineers, Seminar on Intelligent Environments, University of Essex, UK. June 2005.

Elevator Suspension Ropes Constructed of Aramid Fibers  Institution of Physics Stress & Vibration Group.  University College Northampton, Northampton, UK. September, 2004.

New Technologies for Elevators  National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities, Annual Meeting.  San Diego, 2003.

New Technologies for Elevators  National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities, Regional Meeting.  Orlando, 2002.

Machine Room-less Elevators  National Association of Vertical Transportation Professionals, Annual Meeting.  Atlanta 2001.

Elevators in the New Millennium  National Association of Vertical Transportation Professionals, Annual Meeting.  New York 2000.

Patents

Smith R  US 10,005,641 Elevator Dampener and Energy Harvesting Device and Method. (June, 2018)

Smith R et al US 9,896,306 Apparatus and Method for Dampening oscillations of an Elevator Car. (February 2018) 

Kaczmarczyk S, Smith R  US 9,868,614 Elevator System. January, 2018. 

Smith R et al US 9,114,954 Active Guiding and Balance System for an Elevator (August, 2015) 

Smith R et al US 8,733,507 Multicar Zoned Elevator System (May, 2014). 

Kaczmarczyk S, Smith R US 8,617,325 Actively Damped Tension Member.  (December, 2013) 

Peters R, Smith R US 8,534,426 Control for Limiting Elevator Passenger Tympanic Pressure and Method for the Same.  (September, 2013).  

Smith R et al  US 8,397,873 Zoned Elevator System.  (March, 2013). 

Peters R, Smith R  US 8,276,715 Method of Assigning Hall Calls based on Time Thresholds.  (October, 2012).  

Parker A, Phan C, Smith R US 8,162,110  Rope Tension Equalizer and Load Monitor. (April, 2012).  

Smith R et al  US 8,123,002  Elevator Rope Positioning Apparatus.  (February, 2012).  

Kaczmarczyk S, Smith R US 8,110,050  Actively Damped Tension Member. (February, 2012). 

Peters R, Smith R US 8,104,585  Method of Assigning Hall Calls based on Time Thresholds.  (January, 2012).  

Smith R et al  US 8,100,230  Elevator System with Virtual Landing.  (January, 2012).  

Parker A, Phan C, Smith R US 8,096,024.  Rope Termination Device.  (January, 2012).  

Peters R, Smith R  US 7,975,808  Saturation Control for Destination Dispatch Systems.  (July, 2011).  

Al-Sharif L, Peters R, Smith R US 7,967,113  Elevator System to minimize entrapment of Passengers During Power Failure.  (June, 2011).  

Smith R et al  US 7,841,450  Twin Elevator Systems. (June, 2010).  

Al-Sharif L, Peters R, Smith R US 7,540,356  Method and Apparatus to prevent the Entrapment of Passengers in an Elevator During a Power Failure.  (June 2009).  

Al-Sharif L, Peters R, Smith R US 7,374,020  Energy Efficient Elevator System.  (May, 2008).  

Smith R et al  US 7,334,665  Interlock Wiring Communication System for Elevator Systems. (February, 2008). 

Nguyen H, Smith R  US 7,246,686  Power Supply for Elevator Systems Having Variable Speed Drives. (July, 2007). 

Peters R, Smith R  US 7,032,715  Method and Apparatus for assigning elevator Calls to Minimize Energy Use.  (April, 2006). 

Smith R et al  US 7,032,371  Synthetic Fiber Rope for an Elevator. (April, 2006). 

Peters R, Smith R  US 7,011,184  Increasing Traffic Handling Performance of an Elevator System Based on Load.  (March 2006).

Nickerson J, Palazzola M, Parrish R, Smith R, Sweet R  US 6,923,065  Apparatus for Testing Aramid Fiber Elevator Cables.  (August, 2005).  

Smith R  US 6,668,980.  Elevator Car Isolation System and Method. (December, 2003).

Smith R  US 6,662,660.  Apparatus for Testing Aramid Fiber Elevator Cables.  (December, 2003).

Peters R, Smith R  US 6,619,434.  Method and Apparatus for Increasing the Traffic Handling Performance of an Elevator System.  (September, 2003).  

Smith R  US 6,439,349.  Method and Apparatus for Assigning New Hall Calls to One of a plurality of Elevators.  (August, 2002).