INTERNATIONALIZATION

1968	Asea-Graham elevator business acquired by KONE; business volume triples. Market leadership in the Nordic countries.
1969	International operations account for 76% of net sales. KONE acquires Eguren in the Basque Country of Spain.
1970	KONE buys Austrian company Sowitsch AG.
1972	KONE buys French subsidiary of Falconi.
1973	KONE buys German company Hävemeier & Sander (established 1873).
1974	KONE buys Whitbread Lifts of the U.K.
1975	KONE buys Belgian and French subsidiaries of American Westinghouse; volume of business doubles. The Belgian company was originally Jaspar, established in 1842.
1976	KONE buys Brazilian company Elevadores Induco.
1979	KONE buys British company Marryat & Scott. KONE international operations account for more than 80% of net sales.
1982	Ownership of Armor Elevator of the U.S.A transferred to KONE.
1985	KONE buys the Canadian subsidiary of American manufacturer Montgomery Elevator.
1985	KONE buys Bauer, a Bavarian elevator company.
1985, 1987	KONE buys leading Italian elevator manufacturers Sabiem and Fiam.
1986	KONE buys British company Bennie Lifts.
1987	KONE acquires minority holding in German escalator manufacturer O & K Rolltreppen, established 1887.
1989	KONE buys leading Dutch elevator manufacturer Starlift.
1990	KONE buys Italian elevator manufacturer Bassetti, Australia's EPL and Leonard Lifts of the U.K.
1992	KONE buys Ellis & McDougall of Scotland, Pragolift of the Czech Republic and Tekimal of Turkey.
1994	KONE buys the fourth largest US elevator manufacturer, Montgomery Elevator. KONE buys remaining shares in KONE India.
1996	KONE buys all outstanding shares of O & K Rolltreppen and becomes the international market leader in escalators.
1997	KONE buys Sabiem Elevators Pty of South Africa.
1998	KONE opens new elevator factory in China. KONE and Toshiba take first steps to establish global elevator and escalator business alliance. Agreement includes license for Toshiba to market in Japan machine-room-less elevators based on KONE MonoSpace® technology.
1999	KONE launches a new, environmentally friendly ECO3000™ escalator.
2001	KONE and Toshiba sign an historic agreement to exchange shares and extend Toshiba’s license to market elevators based on KONE MonoSpace® technology to China.
2002	KONE acquires Finnish crane , cargo handling, forest machine and tractor company Partek, whose total sales are roughly equal to KONE's.
2004	KONE acquires the front-line elevator business of Bharat Bijlee Limited (BBL), one of India's leading electrical engineering companies.
2005	In February, KONE and Giant Elevator Co. Ltd of China agree to form a joint venture, Giant Kone Elevator Company Ltd. KONE owns 40 percent of Giant Kone, and Giant Elevator owns 60 percent. KONE has an option to increase its shareholding to more than 50 percent. Read the release » In April, KONE and Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corporation (TELC) agree to strengthen their alliance by establishing a joint venture for escalator production in China. KONE owns 70 percent of the new company, and TELC owns 30 percent. Read the release » In April, KONE signs a joint-venture agreement with Russia’s premier elevator company, Karacharovo Mechanical Factory (KMZ). KONE will own 40 percent of the new company and hold an option to increase its shareholding to a majority stake. Read the release » In December, KONE signs an agreement to acquire an 80 percent shareholding in Fuji Lift & Escalator of Malaysia. The addition of Fuji’s operations makes KONE one of the market leaders in both new equipment and service in Malaysia.
2006	KONE and KMZ Karacharovo Mechanical Factory agree to withdraw from their plans to set up a joint venture elevator company in Russia, which was announced by the parties in April 2005. Read the release » KONE acquires Evin SAS, an elevator company located in Lille, France. Evin SAS installs, maintains and modernizes elevators and automatic building doors. Read the release »
2007	In January, KONE buys MIRO Elevators Limited, an elevator company located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada. MIRO Elevators Limited offers elevator modernization, maintenance and service for residential and commercial market segments. Read the release » In July, KONE acquires the Lithuanian elevator company UAB Elektros Pavara ir Ko. Read the release » In September, KONE acquires RSU5, a St. Petersburg-based elevator company in Russia. Read the release » In December, KONE acquires Florida Coast Elevator, Inc., an elevator company based in Fort Lauderdale, USA. Read the release »
2008	In March, KONE acquired ARA Lyon, a French elevator company based in Lyon. Read the release ». KONE also acquired RPG Mantenimiento S.L., an elevator company based in Murcia, Spain. Read the release » In April, KONE acquired the Arundel Elevator Company, a full service elevator company based in Baltimore, Maryland. Read the release » In August, KONE acquired the International Elevator Company (IEC), a full service elevator company based in New Jersey, USA. Read the release » In November, KONE acquired TECAS S.A., a Spanish elevator company based in Valencia, Spain. TECAS maintains elevators, sells new equipment and is specialized in elevator installations for existing buildings. Read the release »
2009	In March, KONE acquired FairWay Elevator Inc, one of the most successful independent elevator service companies in the Philadelphia area. Through this acquisition, KONE established itself as one of the largest elevator and escalator companies in the Philadelphia region. Read the release » In June, KONE acquired Excel Elevator Inc, an independent elevator service company based in Los Angeles, USA. In addition its significant maintenance base, Excel has a great reputation in the Southern California market for its quality work in modernizing vertical transportation systems. Read the release »
2010	In February, KONE acquired ASBA Mantenimientos S.L., a Spanish elevator company. The acquisition strengthened KONE’s position in Spain and helped it to improve the maintenance and modernization operations in the Catalonia region. Read the release » In June, KONE acquired Reliant Elevator Company, the largest independent elevator service company in the State of Oregon, USA. Through this acquisition KONE strengthened its position as one of the leading elevator and escalator companies in the Portland metropolitan area and throughout Oregon. Read the release » In June, KONE also acquired ATPE-AMIB S.A., a French automatic door company. The Paris-based company provides and maintains gates, garage doors, access control and intercom installations in residential buildings. Read the release » In September, KONE acquired the Spanish MARVI Elevator group. MARVI installs, maintains and modernizes elevators in the eastern regions of Spain, and has an assembly and logistics center in Lérida (Catalonia). The acquisition strengthened KONE’s position in the eastern provinces of Spain. Read the release » In December, KONE acquired Virginia Elevator Company, a long established and successful independent elevator service company doing business in the greater Richmond area. Through this acquisition KONE establishes itself as one of the largest elevator and escalator companies in the State of Virginia. Read the release »
2011	In January, KONE acquired the assets related to the elevator and escalator service business of CNIM Canada Inc. including all of their Canadian maintenance contracts. CNIM Canada maintains approximately 1,300 units in the Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa metropolitan areas. Through this acquisition KONE solidifies itself as one of the largest elevator and escalator companies in Canada. Read the release » In December, KONE increased its shareholding in GiantKONE to 80% from 40%, making it one of the top three elevator and escalator companies in the rapidly growing Chinese market. The transaction included an option for KONE to buy the remaining 20% stake in GiantKONE from Zhejiang Giant Holdings Co., Ltd. GiantKONE continues to do business as a separate entity under the GiantKONE brand. Read the release »