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KONE 2016 | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
INNOVATIONS
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Highlights from 2016
During the reporting year, KONE started
working together with IBM. We will use IBM’s
Watson IoT Cloud Platform to collect and store
equipment data, build applications and develop
new solutions in order to create added value to
our customers with cloud-based services. We
also expanded our relationship with Salesforce
in 2016 to further improve our customer
service. Salesforce’s Service Cloud Lightning
will enable us to deliver faster, smarter and
more personalized service for our customers
worldwide.
In 2016, we continued to enhance our offering,
launching both a number of new solutions
as well as enhancements to our existing
solutions. In the United States and Canada, we
introduced the KONE MonoSpace®500 volume
elevator offering. In China and the rest of the
Asia-Pacific region, we released several updates
and enhancements to our existing elevators in
both commercial and residential segments.
In addition, we further extended our elevator
range in India. In order to comply with
various new safety standard requirements,
we launched an updated offering and made
updates to KONE NanoSpace™ and KONE
ProSpace™ residential segment elevators in
Europe. In modernization, we extended our
offering in Europe with the launch of the KONE
HydroMod™ 200 modernization solution for
hydraulic elevators.
Globally KONE enhanced its People Flow
Intelligence offering by launching a next
generation destination product for office
segment, and improving the KONE Access
solution by making it fully compatible with
almost any other access control system in the
building.
During the reporting year, we also opened a
new U.S. manufacturing and R&D facility in
Allen, Texas. The new facility houses the supply
operations for the KONE Americas region as
well as a research and development center,
including a test tower (read more on p. 45).
In 2016, KONE was ranked 56th out of 100 in
a list of the world’s most innovative companies,
put together by business magazine Forbes
(2015: 48th). KONE was included in the
Forbes’ list for the sixth consecutive year and
was the only elevator and escalator company
featured on the list in 2016.
In addition, KONE received recognition for
its design during 2016. KONE was awarded
three design awards: the iF Design Award for
KONE Card Collector and two Red Dot Product
Design Awards, for KONE DT6 ride comfort
measurement tool and KONE Rondel Light,
new solution for elevator car lighting. This was
the fourth time that KONE was recognized in
the iF Design Awards.
KONE JOINS FORCES WITH IBM
In 2016, KONE signed an agreement
with IBM, which will transform KONE’s
operations and technology capabilities
around the world, using IBM’s
technology and experience to harness
the potential of digitalization and the
Internet of Things (IoT). KONE will
use IBM’s Watson IoT Cloud Platform
to collect and store equipment data,
build applications and develop new
solutions. The platform will gather data
from sensors and systems connected
to equipment in KONE’s maintenance
base. With IBM’s advanced analytics
engine, that information will be used
to enable new services and new
experiences for KONE’s customers.
BEIJING’S TALLEST
KONE will provide China Zun, Beijing’s
tallest building-to-be with the latest
high-rise solutions available in the
industry. The mixed-use skyscraper is
currently being built with the help of
KONE JumpLift™ construction-time
elevator, and once completed, the
landmark building’s elevators will be
hoisted using the revolutionary KONE
UltraRope® high-rise rope technology.
KONE UltraRope provides unrivalled
elevator eco-efficiency, reliability
and durability. It eliminates the
disadvantages of existing steel ropes
and enables elevator travel heights up
to 1,000 meters.
KONE Rondel Light, our new solution for elevator car lighting, received the Red Dot Product Design Award.