Customer credit risks relate to advance payments receivable from customers or to accounts receivable related to equipment handed over or to services rendered. This risk is managed by defining the rules for tendering, payment terms, authorizations and credit control as well as project management controls. Advance payments, documentary credits and guarantees are used in payment terms to minimize customer credit risks. KONE proactively manages its accounts receivable in order to minimize the risk of customer defaults. KONE’s customer base consists of a large number of customers in several market areas. The management considers that there are no significant concentrations of credit risk with any individual customer or geographical region.
The credit quality of advance payments receivable and accounts receivable is evaluated according to KONE’s credit policy. According to this policy, the rules for credit quality evaluation are set separately for the new equipment business and the service business. The credit quality is evaluated both on the basis of the aging of the receivables as well as on the basis of individual case by case customer analysis in order to identify customers with a potential higher credit risk due to individual customer specific reasons. The impairment loss for the accounts receivable is recognized on the basis of this credit quality evaluation. The impairment loss recognized for the accounts receivable at the end of the financial period was 103.2 (91.1) million. The increase in these impairment losses is primarily due to the increase of long-term overdue receivables, which is a result of the overall economical uncertainty as well as the significant business growth in Asia-Pacific.
