KONE Strives for the Top

Your author explains how globally promoted VT firm builds strength across India.

KONE Elevator India is further strengthening its position as a leader in innovation and safety in the industry by engaging a focus on the Eastern market of India. Through this, the company is setting up more centers to service its customers more effectively. India plays an important role for KONE in its global strategy, given the large investments it has made in the Indian market over the years.

In an effort to bring innovations and services faster to the market for customers and equipment users, KONE recently introduced the world’s most intelligent elevator and escalator services: KONE 24/7 Connected Services. With IBM’s advanced analytics engine, the information will be used to enable new services and new experiences for KONE customers. This innovation will result in fewer faults, faster repairs and peace-of-mind for customers and users.

KONE is excited to be part of the government’s plan for growth in Eastern India’s infrastructure sector and looks forward to providing premium experiences with the company’s advanced products. In the coming years, the country will see an even bigger focus on smart cities and urban development, and the workforce is well equipped to lead this technological advancement and infrastructure development.

Emphasizing safety, KONE develops and manufactures elevators and escalators with maximized passenger safety and enabled for easy inspection, to ensure safe operations at all times. KONE ensures that its safety policies are clearly communicated to the employees and sub-contractors to preclude deviations in any process. Risk assessment and regular safety audits are done at every stage. KONE does not provide collapsible gates, thus reinforcing its philosophy of safe elevators.

We are focused on expanding our presence in neighboring countries with the company’s products manufactured at our state-of-the-art facility in Tamil Nadu. We have entered the Bhutan market, which is a tough market from the strata perspective, and we are certain that higher connectivity and customer-centricity will deliver customer satisfaction. We are expanding in Bangladesh and Nepal, which are very similar to the Indian market in terms of customer base and customer outlook.

High-Rise Focus

Some of the highest buildings globally and in India have KONE installed in them. High-rise buildings have a unique set of requirements when it comes to vertical transportation (VT). KONE takes its technology to new heights with innovative solutions. It opts only for the highest global technology solutions for high-rise buildings.

Designing a successful VT system in a mega-tall structure requires closely understanding the customer’s requirements to provide the correct solutions. From pre-installation to installation and then maintenance, there is meticulous planning and preparation required from the engineering and project management teams so that the project is safe and efficient with no surprises or delays and with no disturbance to other building trades.

High-rise construction requires creative architectural vision, watertight planning and cutting-edge elevator technology. KONE has continually set new standards for innovation in high-rise projects and is proud to introduce the latest in a long line of technological breakthroughs.

The company’s pioneering solutions take buildings higher while making elevators even more energy efficient and reliable, all while delivering an unforgettable passenger experience. KONE’s comprehensive People Flow Intelligence solutions comprise smart, scalable solutions for access and destination control, as well as information communication and equipment monitoring.

Recent Installation

KONE India has recently installed elevators at “The 42,” the tallest residential skyscraper in Kolkata and currently the tallest completed residential building in India. The project is located in Chowringee, the CBD of the city. The building, named “The 42” because it is situated on 42B Jawaharlal Nehru Road, has risen to a height of 250 m and comprises 62 residential floors.

Influencers and decision makers involved in the project are Mani Group, Diamond Group, Alcove Realty and Sattva Group. The architect is Hafeez Contractor and local architect is Subir Basu. Structural design consultants are Magnusson Klemencic Associates, U.S., in collaboration with JW Consultants, Mumbai. Indrajit Maitra Associates is the consultant.

This installation is testimony to the company’s strength in R&D and leadership in elevator innovation. The elevators provided by KONE have various speeds of 5 m/s (4-passenger elevators), 4 m/s (1-service elevator) and 3 m/s (1-goods elevator) in the main tower.

In the multilevel car park (MLCP) and club, KONE has installed 1.5 m/s (3-passenger elevators), 1.5 m/s (1-service elevator) and 1.6 m/s (2-MLCP elevators). An online thin-film-transistor (TFT) monitor is available, and there are rose gold doors, seismic sensor and sway detector devices.

TFT is an online information screen installed in the elevators that displays real-time information. The displays are connected to the server, which hosts all content shown on the displays. For example, if a passenger has to be recognized on a birthday or anniversary, the information can be entered in the server and the passenger can view it on the display screen in real-time.