KONE Sees Drop in Hydraulic Elevator Installations as EcoDisc Technology Gains 

Lisle, Ill.—KONE Inc. is one of the world’s leading elevator and escalator companies and the first in its industry to join the U.S. Green Building Council.  Since KONE’s announcement at Greenbuild 2007 to discontinue manufacturing hydraulic elevators, nine out of 10 KONE low-rise installations have utilized Machine Room-Less technology.

KONE still sells and installs hydraulic systems, manufactured by other companies, but only when customers demand this type of solution.  The company discourages their installation and has seen a corresponding increase in installations of its Machine Room-Less (MRL) elevator technology, which is a better environmental choice in low-rise applications where hydraulics have traditionally been used.

“Elevators and escalators can play a significant role in the environmental impact and sustainability of buildings. We continue to encourage the building industry to make the shift away from hydraulic elevators, both for new construction and modernization, due to the potential for soil contamination and their inefficient use of electricity,” said Vance Tang, KONE EVP and Area Director for the Americas.

For many years, hydraulic elevator systems were the primary choice in low-rise buildings. However, newer and proven technology has been delivered to thousands of customers with improved energy-efficiencies, enhanced performance and less environmental impact.

Hydraulic elevator systems are frequently being replaced with KONE’s groundbreaking Machine Room-Less (MRL) elevator technology, specifically the company’s EcoSpace MRL units, which use no hydraulic oil, are up to 70 percent more energy efficient and are among the most environmentally sound elevator solutions in the industry. 

KONE has seen through energy comparisons that the savings from a wattage and actual dollar value can be significant with a MRL elevator versus a hydraulic system.  These energy comparisons have been conducted on several existing facilities to measure the “before” and “after” results of these two types of systems.  For instance, at the Independent Bank facility in McKinney, Texas the results of replacing an existing in-ground  hydraulic with a KONE EcoSpace EB (MRL) (not including lighting) resulted in the customer reducing 11,907 KWh and cost savings of $1,071 annually. 

“KONE has always been an industry leader in its commitment to the environment and sustainable technology, and we’re pleased to see this significant reduction in hydraulic elevator sales over the past two years. You don’t often hear someone say this, but we hope, in this case, our sales of hydraulic elevators goes to zero,” Tang said. “Our decision to stop manufacturing hydraulic elevators shows our commitment. And the continued shift from hydraulic sales in favor of MRL installations proves that our customers appreciate and understand this decision by taking the environment and energy savings into consideration as they make their buildings more environmentally sound.”

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

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