KONE Corporation, press release, October 27, 2025
KONE Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, celebrates its 115th anniversary on October 27, 2025. At the heart of its new strategy 'Rise' lie sustainability and innovation. This 115-year-old success story employs over 60,000 people across nearly 70 countries and has brought industry transforming innovations to the market throughout its history. In 2024, KONE's revenue reached €11 billion. Since its founding, the company has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of its customers and adapt to systemic shifts in its operating environment.
"The core of KONE's mission and business essence remain the same as they were 115 years ago: to build cities sustainably. Urbanization, digitalization, and increasing demands for sustainability are constantly transforming the industry, and as a family-owned company, we want to be part of creating smarter, greener, and more humane cities for the long term. Innovation and adaptability have always been our strengths, and we intend to continue that path," says Jussi Herlin, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at KONE Corporation and a fifth-generation member of the Herlin family, whose long-standing ownership and strategic leadership have shaped KONE's global success.
KONE's commitment to sustainability, innovation, and customer-centricity is deeply embedded in its strategy. As an industry pioneer, KONE was the first to set ambitious, science-based climate targets. By 2030, the company aims to reduce emissions from its own operations by 50%, and cut the emissions associated with its products' materials and lifetime energy consumption by 40% per product ordered, compared to a 2018 baseline. Reinforcing this commitment, KONE has signed the UNIDO cooperation declaration to promote sustainable industrial practices. The company has earned an 'A' score from CDP for climate action, ranked among the top performers on CDP's Supplier Engagement Leaderboard for the sixth consecutive year, and was named the 15th most sustainable company in Europe by Corporate Knights. In 2024, KONE also received a Gold Medal from EcoVadis and another 'A' score from CDP, further underscoring its leadership in sustainability. The company has recently been ranked among the World's Best Employers by Forbes.
KONE is well known for its ability to develop intelligent solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and contribute to more sustainable cities. From modernizing elevators in residential buildings to engineering cutting-edge systems for the world's tallest skyscrapers, KONE's innovations have consistently reshaped the industry. Milestones include the world's first machine-room-less elevator, KONE MonoSpace®, enabled by the pioneering KONE EcoDisc® hoisting technology; later innovations such as KONE UltraRope™, the carbon-fibre rope for high-rises, the first in industry to enable elevator rides up to 1 km; the world's first digital KONE DX elevator series with built-in connectivity; and the KONE 24/7 Connect maintenance service.
Today, KONE's technologies are featured in some of the world's most iconic and technically demanding projects. The company has been selected to deliver its advanced People Flow® solutions for five of the ten tallest buildings globally, including landmark developments such as the future world's tallest building to-be, Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, and current second tallest building Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur.
Since its founding in 1910 in Helsinki, Finland, KONE has grown from a local engineering company into a world-leading innovator shaping urban life on every continent. In 1918 KONE produced a total of four elevators. By 1928, the company was already producing one elevator per day, and today KONE's factories deliver around 750 units daily and serves over 600.000 customers globally. Every day KONE moves over two billion people around the world.
"Over the past 115 years, KONE has always
evolved with the world around it. As we celebrate this milestone,
our focus remains firmly on the future - with urbanization
accelerating, our purpose is to shape the future of cities", Jussi
Herlin concludes.
For further information, please contact:
Eveliina Linderborg, Senior Vice
President, Communications, KONE Corporation, +358451722151, media@kone.com.
Read more:
Previous press releases are available at www.kone.com/en/news-and-insights/releases/
Learn more about KONE's history: History - KONE Corporation
About KONE
At KONE, our purpose is to shape the future of cities. As a global
leader in the elevator and escalator industry, we move two billion
people every day, making their journeys safe, convenient, and
reliable with smart and sustainable People Flow®. In 2024, KONE had
annual sales of EUR 11.0 billion, and at the end of the year over
60,000 employees in close to 70 countries. KONE class B shares are
listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com
