Finland-based OEM receives big orders and buys Spanish supplier.

Majority Stake Acquired in Spanish Company

KONE has acquired a majority stake in Citylift, S.A., a Spanish company providing elevator installation, maintenance and modernization. Citylift has more than 5,000 elevators in service and 111 employees in 25 locations across Spain. Pierre Liautaud, KONE executive vice president and area director for South Europe, Middle East and Africa, noted Citylift’s “strong customer relationships and high quality services” will enable KONE to gain a stronger foothold in the Spanish residential lift market. Citylift will remain a separate brand.

327-Unit Order in Northwest China

KONE has been awarded a 327-unit contract to supply elevators and escalators to Xi’an Metro lines 4 and 1 in Xi’an, one of 13 emerging megacities in northwest China. The order consists of 246 TransitMasterTM escalators along with 33 S MonoSpace®, 38 N MonoSpace® and 10 S MiniSpaceTM elevators. For line 4, which spans more than 35 km underground, escalators will be installed in 14 stations and machine-room-less (MRL) elevators in 29 stations. For line 1, escalators and MRL elevators will be installed in four stations.

139-Unit Order for Qatar Transit System

KONE has won an order to provide 49 elevators, 82 escalators and eight moving walks to the Lusail Light Rail Transit system under construction in Lusail, Qatar. Expected to commence operations in 2018, the system will connect to Doha’s metro network on Khor Highway and have 10 km of underground track, four main lines at ground level, elevated tracks and stations. Developed by Qatar Rail, the system is expected to serve approximately 250,000 Lusail residents and 40,000 visitors daily.

Supply of Energy-Efficient Sydney Office Tower

KONE is supplying nine 7-mps MiniSpaceTM and eight 2.5-mps MonoSpace® elevators to 100 Mount Street in the North Sydney Central Business District. The 148.55-m-tall, 42-story commercial structure has 40,500 m2 of leasable space and was designed to the highest environmental standards. The project is a 5 Star National Australian Built Environment Rating System commercial building. DEXUS Property Group is the developer, and Architectus is the architect.