cut to the chase
cut to the chase
A
mit Gossain, Managing
Director, KONE India, in an
exclusive interview with
CHROMOHOMES, talks about
how KONE maintains to be an ace
elevator provider in this part of the
world, what are their USPs, product
portfolio, how the company pioneered
in developing eco-efficient, sustain-
able solutions for urban development
and what kind of competition they face
in the market? Here are excerpts…
18
“Today
we are the
leading
elevator
company
in India”
chromohomes w november 2018
What led KONE to enter the resi-
dential sector?
We have been in the elevator business
in residential segment for more than a
century. Many of the world’s most iconic
buildings and structures rely on KONE to
keep people moving in both residential
& commercial buildings. We have been
on the Forbes list of the most innovative
companies for 6 years in a row, which is
a testimony to the world-class technol-
ogy we use. In 1996, the world’s first
machine-room-less elevator, the KONE
MonoSpace, came on the market, revolu-
tionising elevator technology and paving
the way for KONE’s success. KONE Mono-
Space was 70% more efficient compared
to conventional technology then in use.
KONE’s presence in India dates back to
1984 and have been in both residential
& commercial segment ever since. Today
we are the leading elevator company in
India. KONE’s production unit in Chennai
serves customers all over the country
through its 40+ branches and is at the
forefront of technological disruption,
adopting best practices by integrating
digitalised solutions with its products for
the Indian market.
Which special elevator variants
can one look out for the
residential sector?
KONE’s product portfolio consists of
solutions for low, mid and high rise which
caters to the residential segment.
Low and mid rise
n KONE Classic™: Geared Machine room
elevators that cater to residential and
commercial applications with a maxi-
mum travel distance of 50 meters with a
speed of 1 mps.
n KONE Neo™ - Gearless compact ma-
chine room elevators that cater to resi-
dential segment with a maximum travel
of 30 meters with a speed of 0.63 mps.
n KONE I MonoSpace® - Gearless
machine-room-less elevators that cater to
residential and commercial segment with
a maximum travel of 90 meters with a
speed of 1.6 mps.
n KONE I MiniSpace™ - Compact Gear-
less machine elevators that cater to resi-
dential segment with a maximum travel
of 90 meters with a speed of 1.75 mps.
Mid and high rise
n KONE MonoSpace® - Gearless
machine-room-less elevator which caters
to mid and high rise residential and com-
mercial segment with a maximum travel
of 90 meters with a speed of 2.5 mps
n KONE MiniSpace™ - Gearless compact
machine room which caters to mid and
high rise residential and commercial
segment with a maximum travel of 210
meters with a speed of 4 mps
n KONE N MonoSpace® - Gearless
machine-room-less elevator which caters
to hotels & luxury buildings with a travel
height of 75 meters with speed of 1.75 mps
n KONE N MiniSpace™ - Gearless compact
machine room elevator which caters to
hotel & luxury buildings with a travel height
of 135 meters with a speed of 2.5 mps.
Our recent offering the U series eleva-
tors for the mid-rise segment are pow-
ered by the KONE EcoDisc® that revolu-
tionised the elevator industry through its
gearless solution. The elevator solution is
designed to make the vertical journeys of
mid-range urban buildings more
convenient with an increased travel
speed of 2.5 m/s while delivering excel-
lent ride comfort, maximum smoothness
and utmost safety making every ride
uplifting and memorable. The offering is
available in nine precious themes that
radiate timeless appeal and endless
fascination offering you freedom of
choice. The following Navaratna themes
MoonLight, LavaLustre, ForestGleam,
OceanFlare, GoldenTwilight, Crimson-
Spark, StreakShine, AquaSparkle and
CelestialShimmer are designed to capti-
vate minds and souls with their play of
light and classical charm that suit build-
ing interiors in all segments.
Energy efficiency being the key
element to look out for in India,
how is KONE contributing to this
ideology?
KONE is a pioneer in developing eco-
efficient™, sustainable solutions for
urban development that offer energy
savings in buildings and deliver the best
user experience. Our latest U series of
elevators – KONE U MonoSpace ® and
KONE U MiniSpace™ are up to 35 percent
more energy efficient than its earlier
elevators.
Sustainability has always been signifi-
cant for all of us at KONE. We provide
smart and eco-efficient vertical mobility
solutions to support in better energy and
traffic management. We are in the busi-
ness of providing smooth urban people
flow that can help cities become better
and sustainable for living.
How is KONE an ace elevator pro-
vider? What are your USPs?
KONE, an innovative leader in develop-
ing products & solutions for elevator
and escalator industry, launched KONE
MonoSpace® in the year 1996, which
revolutionised elevator industry with
machine-room-less elevators.
KONE People Flow Intelligence is
a comprehensive and flexible suite of
solutions for access control, destination
guidance, information communication,
and equipment monitoring. People Flow
Intelligence solutions enable optimisa-
tion of People Flow from the entrance
to the building to the final destination of
the person. This is achieved by enhance-
ment of user-experience combined with
functional efficiency improvements.
KONE also led the way by introducing a
new hoisting technology ‘KONE Ultra-
Rope®’ – a super light carbon fibre core.
The UltraRope® is 90% lighter than the
equivalent steel cable, thereby bringing
a reduction of more than 50% in moving
masses & 15% in energy consumption.
It also allows the elevator to travel up to
1km in a single run, double of what’s cur-
rently possible with a steel cable.
Continuous R&D and innovations have
resulted in a hoisting technology that has
redefined the standards in ride comfort
& energy savings, to the utmost satisfac-
tion of end users and customers. The
New KONE U Series Elevators are upto
35 percent more energy efficient than its
earlier elevators. With such technological
advancements, these innovations have
become standard in our volume supplies.
Of which, almost 80% are gearless. We
continue to work on more and more
energy efficient products.
With other competitors present,
how do you face competition in
the market?
India is the world’s second largest Eleva-
tor & Escalator (E&E) market, after China,
with the current market size of around
50,000 units per annum of which we have
over 20% market share.
The key to our growth has been our
ability to embrace change and by invest-
ing in people development. We continue
to train and hire a qualified team of sales
& service engineers and technicians at all
levels and regions. In India, we currently
have more than 4000 people employed
directly and many indirectly through sup-
pliers and subcontractors who work on
various sites in India. We have also set-up
3 state-of-the-art KONE owned training
centres in Chennai, Pune & Gurugram.
november 2018 w chromohomes
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