KONE Inc., one of the world’s leading elevator and escalator companies, continues to pioneer sustainable environmental practices in the vertical transportation industry by achieving ISO 14001:2004 certification at two manufacturing facilities and one supply unit in North America. This achievement adds to a growing list of ways the company has made environmental excellence part of its culture through the way it does business and the solutions it offers.
KONE went through a series of external audits at each of its three facilities to complete the ISO 14001:2004 certification, which provides a framework for development of an environmental management system that helps companies deal efficiently with environmentally related issues including materials selection, installation, reduction of oil usage and waste handling. The overall aim of ISO 14001:2004 is to support environmental protection and prevention of pollution in balance with socio-economic needs.
During an intensive process launched in September 2008, team members at each site evaluated environmental aspects and legal requirements, established training programs, and developed system documentation and communication procedures. The process forced careful examination of every aspect of operations, down to details such as packaging.
“Achieving this certification is another testament to the priority KONE places on the continuous reduction of the environmental footprint of our business. We work tirelessly with our suppliers and customers to reduce emissions and waste related to our operations,” said Vance Tang, KONE EVP and Area Director for the Americas.
As the industry leader in Eco-efficientä vertical transportation technology, KONE offers a variety of sustainable and energy efficient solutions. As part of the company’s environmental commitment, KONE no longer manufactures hydraulic elevator systems. Instead, KONE prides itself on its KONE EcoDisc® hoisting machine, which avoids hydraulic fluid issues while saving half or more of the energy consumed by a traditional hydraulic or traction elevator. Another example of KONE energy saving technologies includes regenerative drives, which recover excess braking energy from the elevator, converting it to electricity for use in the building.
KONE’s efforts even carry over into its fleet of 700 service vehicles. As the vehicles are retired over the next three years, they will be replaced by Ford’s Transit Connect, an Environmental Protection Agency certified SmartWay vehicle. KONE’s eventual fleet will be more than two thirds (68 percent) SmartWay vehicles, resulting in a 3,000 ton (13 percent) reduction in yearly greenhouse gases in three years. KONE facilities achieving the ISO 14001:2004 certification are located in Coal Valley, Ill., McKinney, Texas, and Torreon, Mexico. Beginning in 2010, KONE will also look into achieving ISO 18001 certification for the Torreon and Coal Valley manufacturing facilities.
About KONE
KONE’s objective is to offer the best people flow experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. KONE provides its customers with industry-leading elevators, escalators and innovative solutions for modernization and maintenance, and is one of the global leaders in its industry. In 2008, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 4.6 billion and over 34,800 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd in Finland.
www.kone.com
For further information, please contact:
Kellie Lindquist
Email: kellie.lindquist@kone.com
Office: (309) 743-5050