Increasing energy and resource efficiency is among our top priorities

At KONE, sustainable urbanization and eco-efficiency are embedded in our strategy.

- Amit Gossain, Managing Director, KONE Elevator India

Smart energy management has become a must in high rise / smart buildings. Brief us on your initiatives and solutions with regard to the same?

At KONE, sustainable urbanization and eco-efficiency are embedded in our 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 the environment remains among our top priorities and we firmly believe that sustainable business practices are the requirement for long-term growth and success.            

Environmental responsibility is a combination of offering our customers innovative and eco-efficient solutions and reducing the environmental impacts of our operations. Ssustainability is all about how we treat each other and our stakeholders, how we take the environment into account in all of our actions, and how we foster economic performance now and in the future. Indeed, sustainability is a source of innovation and a competitive advantage for us. 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.         

We are the first elevator company to achieve the best A-class energy efficiency classification for elevator installations, according to the ISO 25745. We also introduced the first-ever gearless elevators that have been substantially saving energy. KONE's current volume elevator, which is up to 90% more energy efficient compared to KONE elevators from the 1990s, as well as our other energy efficient solutions like 33% of all electricity consumption at KONE facilities coming from renewable sources, and 4% being the overall relative operational carbon footprint, make us a pioneer in eco-efficiency. Most recently KONE has been recognized as one of the most sustainable companies in the world by Corporate Knights Inc., ranking 32nd in their 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking. KONE improved its position on the list by 11 compared to the previous year, when it ranked 43rd. We aim to further reduce the environmental impact of our operations, particularly with regard to our operational carbon footprint as well as energy, material and water efficiency.               

To enable a sustainable built environment, our state-of-the-art elevator manufacturing facility is designed as per the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) norms. The facility has been designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.      

IoT, artificial intelligence and embedded technologies have had a huge impact on all verticals. How KONE elevators has been able to leverage the advantages of these in your product offerings?

The Internet of Things (IoT) has certainly captivated the attention of the technology and business community, alike. Interestingly, technology has also changed the way buildings are controlled today - they are a lot smarter and more efficient now.   

At KONE, we launched safe, transparent and intelligent 24/7 IoT connected elevators and escalators, leading the way in technology and innovation. Using the latest technology, the elevators and escalators can now speak their minds and keep technicians one step ahead of what's happening. In collaboration with the recognized leader in cognitive computing, IBM Watson, this is yet another breakthrough innovation that will result in fewer faults, faster repairs and peace of mind for the customer.          

Data relating to key operating parameters, usage statistics and faults is gathered from the elevators and escalators. All the information is sent in real time to cloud service, where the analytics are located. If the system identifies the need for maintenance, it either alerts a technician immediately, or contacts technical support or customer service, according to how critical the problem is. Customers are provided with clear notifications and reports of all the actions taken to keep their equipment running. The 24/7 Connected Services are remotely monitored to ensure less equipment downtime, fewer faults and detailed information on maintenance tasks. With round-the-clock monitoring, you can think of it as a digital technician always on the site monitoring your elevators, safety and user experience of the residents. When equipment stops, an urgent service call is made automatically. The probability of entrapments overall will decrease as the elevator is monitored 24/7 and preventive actions can be done before anything major occurs. KONE has indeed revolutionized elevator safety and maintenance with its cutting-edge solutions.             

What about back up support and maintenance aspects? 

Service is the core competence when it comes to products like elevators or escalators. Our 24/7 KONE customer care center handles all queries and complaints guiding it to the concerned department and to the right people, promptly. Our experts and well-trained service technicians on the field leave no stone unturned when it comes to addressing customer concerns. Success in service is not just about complaint handling but providing the right solution too. At KONE, we put safety first as safety for us means more than just conforming to the local laws and norms. KONE Care Maintenance is designed to detect issues before problems arise, reduce hazards, and prevent accidents from taking place. We use the KONE Modular Based Maintenance (MBM), the most advanced preventive Maintenance method in the industry. Every KONE Service Technician takes ownership of Quality and is driven by continuous Quality initiatives and training.

Could you brief us on the people flow intelligence solutions?

With the introduction of advanced technologies the manufacturers have been able to satisfy latent needs and unspoken customer requirements. Therefore, the customer preference has transformed. The way we combine our products and services will create more value and benefits to the end user. KONE People Flow Intelligence is a comprehensive and flexible suite of solutions for access control, destination guidance, information communication, and equipment monitoring. People Flow Intelligence solutions enable optimization of People Flow from the entrance to the building to the final destination of the person. This is achieved by enhancement of user-experience combined with functional efficiency improvements. Additionally, People Flow Intelligence solutions are seamlessly integrated into building management systems. They address the key global trends and challenges of growing cities and provide authorized, efficient, safe and sustainable ways for people to move within the buildings.          

• Access Control System – KONE AccessTMenables automatic access to build entrance doors, turnstiles, elevators and office doors just with a smart access card
• Destination Control System – KONE Destination handles the elevator traffic intelligently, guiding to nearby cars, shorter travel time and fewer stops
• Advanced Monitoring System – KONE E-LinkTMmonitors, configures and remotely manages elevators from anywhere inside the building
• Information System – KONE Infoscreen provides building-related information from the facility manager through the display screen in the elevators

From horizontal growth, there is a perceptible shift towards the vertical growth of cities. How this changing scenario has positively impacted the elevator and escalator industry? 

High-rise buildings are truly emerging as a viable solution to overpopulation, and the concept of vertical cities could be the answer to high-density urbanization. All segments are expanding and the need for cities going vertical has become a necessity. For increasingly tall buildings that outline smarter cities around the world, vertical transportation and elevator technology are the key enablers. Currently, the speed at which urbanization is taking place in India, the scope of growth for the vertical transportation business is bound to increase. The design and construction of such buildings and their vertical transportation systems need to be balanced with the latest People Flow Intelligence solutions while increasing convenience and efficiency. It is the improvements in elevator safety, comfort, speed, quality, space efficiency, and performance that have become challenges as well as opportunities in vertical transportation. There should be safer and faster solutions for access and destination control, information communication and equipment monitoring.

What contributory role is played by Kone Elevators India?

Increasing building intelligence, new technology and connectivity provides opportunities for builders, architects and building owners to be more competitive. At KONE, when we design and conceptualise such elevators, we design them for the future. This is why the process always begins with research to understand customer and user needs over the lifespan of a building. Through design, we can offer solutions that can adjust to the possible changes, and this is a differentiator for us. When we begin the design process, we first look at the external environment and also look at human behaviour, changing values and cultures, and how we can incorporate our findings on these into the design. Working closely with our customers and the people who use our solutions is extremely valuable for us. We work on location, where the actual service or product will be used.

Please brief us on the R&D efforts?

Innovation has been one of the most significant elements of KONE and there is always a lot of focus on research and development. While designing our products for the Indian market, we provide a unique mix of global expertise and Indian requirements.

KONE's global technology and engineering centre in Chennai, called India Technology and Engineering Center (ITEC), which is one of the eight global R&D centres, is a testing and research hub, which supports the latest technology and development for KONE's future solutions. It works with customers, suppliers, strategic partners and research institutes in providing the best-in-class people flow solutions. An extension of ITEC Chennai is the technology and innovation function in Pune, which focusses on enterprise monitoring, service management for IT Solutions and digital development competencies for smart people flow solutions. ITEC has been a key location for competencies in Technology and Engineering serving various global units in KONE, and the Pune center will further strengthen its capabilities in this direction.

In November last year, KONE's new elevator manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu, the largest in this region was inaugurated. Itis equipped with the latest technology in production, reinforcing KONE's customer focused strategy to provide the most competitive, highest quality products with short delivery time. 

Though the new plant will majorly focus on the Indian market, KONE will be exporting to neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This unit aims at leveraging digitalization opportunities and speeding up development in a changing business environment. It will tap exciting and unique ways to improve customer and user experience as well as the quality and productivity of KONE's operations.”        

What are the major challenges that you now face in terms of production / delivery/ supply chain management and back up service activities?  How do you address these challenges?

The unforeseen coronavirus outbreak has severely affected most of the companies due to the lockdown. Companies that are heavily dependent on China had a bigger issue initially and now of course, it's spread across. At KONE India, most of our components are produced locally and we are not heavily dependent on imports from China or elsewhere, but we also have the liberty of importing from any of our factories for business continuity. In the long-term, “Make in India” will be a good mantra for India to be near about 100% self-sufficient. 

Why should a customer opt for KONE Elevator India?

At KONE Elevator India, we pride ourselves on our deep understanding of both equipment and customer needs. This ensures the equipment is kept running smoothly throughout its lifetime.When we design and conceptualise such elevators, we design them for the future. This is why the process always begins with research to understand customer and user needs over the lifespan of a building. Through design, we can offer solutions that can adjust to the possible changes, and this is a differentiator for us.             

Our unique selling point is our service. We provide the installation ourselves. Our customers are in construction so they value that support. We're also one of the most innovative companies in the world, and the only elevator company that's even close to that.         

We have always believed in safety first. It is one of the highest priority areas that is embedded in our strategy.Innovation has been one of the most significant elements of KONE and there is always a lot of focus on research and development. While designing our products for the Indian market, we provide a unique mix of global expertise and Indian requirements.

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