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KONE 2015 | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
INNOVATIONS
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At KONE, innovations in urban development
have an important role in tackling issues like
social progress, climate change, and economic
prosperity. As a company, we have always
maintained that our towns and cities are made
up of a combination of complex infrastructure
systems, flows of people, transport networks,
and of course, a variety of buildings.
INNOVATINg FOR TOMORROW’S CITIES
DIgITALIZINg OUR INDUSTRY
Digitalization is changing the face
of where we live and how we work.
Rapid advances in the capabilities
of sensors, connectivity, analytics
and mobile technologies are
redefining many industry sectors.
For our business at KONE, it means
using real-time data and analytics
as preventive maintenance gets
smarter. It also means improving
customer experience through
real-time transparency. Or it can
mean sustainable, smart buildings
making better use of energy and
resources. For users, it means a better,
personalized experience through the
whole elevator and escalator journey.
Read more
about KONE’s R&D and eco-efficiency
on p. 20.
1.
Providing innovative, affordable vertical housing to facilitate better living for aging populations
as well as the changing needs of inhabitants.
2.
Maintaining safe and reliable infrastructure as populations grow, the design of infrastructure
needs to be modernized and made more efficient.
3.
Improving living standards and convenience, especially as the global middle classes increase
their income and develop increased expectations.
4.
Putting more of a premium on eco-efficiency and sustainability, to reduce energy consumption,
manage waste and pollution and use materials smartly.
5.
Smart cities are evolving, buildings and complexes are getting bigger and more complicated;
so for instance, heating, cooling and utilities all need to work together. Digital technologies
and connectivity can also enable better public services for citizens, better use of resources and
increased comfort and reliability.
6.
Finally, addressing the growing value placed on well-being and better living standards, as peo-
ple increasingly want to live in harmony with their surroundings.
At a time when markets and technologies are
changing, competition is intensifying and
urbanization is happening faster than ever, at
KONE, we have mapped our innovation focus
areas by carefully understanding universal
needs for sustainable and smart urban
development. We have defined six of the most
important needs as:
If we can understand the demands and the
changing trends of urbanization, then we
believe we will have a great opportunity to
add value to our customers and society at
large, making a contribution to rising living
standards, in the most sustainable ways.
Searching for new ideas
The needs which arise from urbanization
play a large role in the development of our
Research & Development (R&D). For the past
century, we have made systematic, long-term
investments into our R&D capabilities. Today
we have eight global R&D competence
centers which are located in Finland, China,
Italy, India, the United States, Mexico,
Germany, and the Netherlands, and over 800
dedicated technology professionals working
for R&D.
Our R&D process is a continuous search for
new ideas and opportunities. Our starting
point is a wide variety of sources, the most
important ones being our customers and
the equipment users. We also make use of
opportunities presented by the market, for
example the demand of ever-higher buildings
and their huge, growing populations, and
ideas generated through our own innovation
processes.
We collaborate closely with our customers,
partners, universities, and research centers. For
example, we organize design and innovation
labs together with academic institutions, and
we also encourage our own people to share
their inspirations and ideas.
Throughout the entire R&D process, eco-
efficiency, safety and quality are of utmost
importance.
In the second half of 2015 we announced
our new Technology and Innovations unit,
which brings together KONE’s R&D and IT
functions from January 1, 2016. The new unit
aims to leverage digitalization opportunities
and speed up development in a changing
business environment. Digital technologies
can help us deliver new value added solutions
and services to our customers in increasingly
sustainable ways.
KONE ON THE FORBES
INNOVATION LIST
In 2015, KONE was ranked 48th out
of the 100 most innovative companies
in the world by business magazine
Forbes (2014: 42nd). Out of all the
European companies listed, KONE was
ranked fifth. KONE was listed by Forbes
for the fifth consecutive year and
was the only elevator and escalator
company included on the list.