The great depression, cranes and World War II
KONE dominated the Finnish elevator market in the early 1930s, but that market was tiny: 110 units in 1932, 91 in 1933 and 116 in 1934. KONE needed another leg to stand on, one based on a different investment cycle, so it could grow even when elevator sales were in decline.
Heikki Herlin decided to produce industrial cranes, and the first four units were sold in 1933. Electric motor production was also introduced in 1933. Later in the decade hoists, conveyors and conveying systems were added to the company’s offerings.
Determined to gain recognition for the quality and reliability of its products, KONE invested heavily in production equipment and proudly manufactured all the key components for its elevators and cranes. Heikki Herlin was a competent linguist, and KONE’s competitive technology enabled him to begin extending the company’s reach to foreign markets.
By 1939 KONE had produced its 3,000th elevator, and the next year it delivered its 200th crane.
As WWII approached, the global economy improved, but a reallocation of industrial resources was necessary as Finland prepared itself for the Winter and Continuation Wars. KONE manufactured ammunition and wood gas generators for vehicles but also managed to maintain a modest level of elevator and crane production. The bombing of Helsinki and demand for industrial cranes to meet wartime production requirements forced KONE to move its crane production from the cramped Haapaniemi Street factory to Hyvinkää, 55 kilometers away, in 1943.