KONE Doubles Down on Digital Manufacturing in China

Finnish OEM KONE is implementing large-scale digital upgrades at its manufacturing facilities in China, where its production workshop in Kunshan already uses robotics to handle large items like elevator doors, Yicai Global reports. The eastern China site is KONE’s largest worldwide and its largest R&D center outside of Finland. The plant’s automated system includes precise monitoring and malfunction prediction, and elevators delivered from there boast advanced digital systems using the Internet of Things to enable real-time data uploads and transparent asset management. The source said KONE plans to soon announce new investments in smart logistics construction projects in Guangdong Province and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao. As China strives toward urban renewal, KONE is promoting a flexible production system, a method designed to quickly adapt to changes in market demand through optimized technology, procedures and management.