Continued Growth Momentum

Amit Gossain, MD, KONE India. Amit Gossain, MD, KONE India points out that the goal of 100 smart cities by 2020 looks to be slow owing to a number of reasons- lack of technical training and skill building, and lack of proper clarity of smart cities framework. Smart cities are seen as the future with

Continued Growth Momentum
Amit-Gossain-246-164

Amit Gossain,
MD,
KONE India.

Amit Gossain, MD, KONE India points out that the goal of 100 smart cities by 2020 looks to be slow owing to a number of reasons- lack of technical training and skill building, and lack of proper clarity of smart cities framework.

Smart cities are seen as the future with the government revising the number of smart cities periodically. Your comment on the opportunities

The Smart Cities Mission, as launched in 2015, had much in store with an aim at upgrading 100 cities. However, In India, the progress towards achieving the goal of 100 smart cities by 2020 looks to be slow owing to a number of reasons- lack of technical training and skill building, and lack of proper clarity of smart cities framework, amongst all.

While there have been ambitious talk of technologies like smart lighting, smart waste and water management, better surveillance, smart traffic management, the conversion of a regular to a smart city is still a scenario, which needs more focus to be completed at the paramount speed to meet the expected targets.

With latest technology, proper planning and citizens' support, the State government can achieve this immense success. Sustainable infrastructure will remain an integral part of the Smart Cities Mission with focus on technology integration to ensure that the cities are liveable and sustainable. As digital connectivity and ease of living continues to be one of the key themes of the government, I really hope that these two schemes are available for supporting a larger number of cities.

Which segment do you see the maximum demand coming from?

This year the Indian real estate market has been showing positive signs of stability. For the last three years, the residential market is well on its track of revival with growth in demand as well as supply during H1 2019, marking the third consecutive half yearly period of year-on-year growth. Government has also formed a committee to find a fix for better and more transparent financing to real estate sector, given the financial sector troubles like the liquidity crisis in NBFCs; it's now the time to see tangible signs.

Reiterating its aspiration to create a New India, the government's thrust on alleviating the stress on the housing sector, finalisation of modern tenancy to promote rental housing,  increase demand for low-cost housing units, FIIs & FPIs investment in debt securities issued by NBFCs as a default cushion, simplification of GST for NBFC sector and, capital boost to PSU banks will provide the necessary impetus to real estate and construction, which is the second largest employer and one of the largest sector in the country. 1.95 crore houses will be constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) from FY20-22 and the time for completion of houses under the scheme has been reduced from 314 days in 2015-16 to 114 in 2017-18.

Commercial realty, especially the office space and rental market, is going well for micro markets, and has grown due to long-term investors and increase in demand from the IT/ITeS sector. The rising popularity of co-working is also aiding commercial real estate scenario in many ways, from new leasing models to use of cutting-edge technologies, the prevalence of shared spaces has been growing steadily in the office markets, and has seen prolific growth recently.

 

How was the Q1 FY20 for the company in the Indian market?

We made good progress on many fronts during the quarter, and have continued our positive growth momentum.

Safety features are a significant factor when it comes to elevators. Could you elaborate on the key and the new features of the products?

At KONE, we have always believed in Safety first. It is one of the highest priority areas that is embedded in our strategy. Our Elevators are designed to both maximize passenger safety and enable easy inspection of the equipment to ensure safe operations at all times. KONE aims to provide safety in general to everyone. We ensure that our safety policies are clearly communicated to the employees, sub-contractors to preclude deviations in any process. Risk Assessment and regular safety audits are done at every stage. We want all our employees, users of our equipment and partners to return home safely every day.

Taking a step further in safety, we are in the process of launching KONE Care 24/7 Connected Services in India where the system enables vast amounts of data from elevator sensors to be monitored, analyzed and displayed in real-time, improving equipment performance, reliability and safety. If a problem occurs, detailed information tells us what's causing the issue and how urgent the matter is. By keeping constant watch 24/7, we can respond quickly in case of sudden failures.

 

Energy efficiency and sustainability are being talked about as key for any product. Comment on the steps taken by your company in this direction.

Sustainable urbanization and eco-efficiency are embedded in KONE's strategy. We support the ongoing green transformation of the built environment into smart eco-cities, low-carbon communities, and net zero energy buildings. Reducing the impact on theenvironment remains among our top priorities and we firmly believe that sustainable business practices are a requirement for long-term growth and success. We aim to be a leader in sustainability. Increasing energy and resource efficiency is among our top priorities and has an important role in making the most sustainable offering a reality.

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