Kone Oyj founded in 1910 and headquartered in Espoo near Helsinki, Finland, is an international engineering and service company employing some 55,000 personnel across 60 countries worldwide. In addition, Kone builds and services moving walkways (referred to by the company as autowalks), automatic doors and gates, escalators and elevators. The company provides local service for builders, developers, building owners, designers and architects in 1,000 offices in over 50 countries.
Products and trademarks
Kone UltraRope
In June 2013, the company launched a new high-rise elevator technology, called Kone UltraRope, which enables future elevator travel heights of up to one kilometer due to its low weight. The product is light due to its carbon-fiber tape core and a high-friction coating. Because of these qualities, elevator energy consumption in high-rise buildings can be cut significantly. Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia (with a height of 1,000 meters) which opens in 2024 will feature Kone UltraRope. The elevator in Jeddah Tower will be a height of 660 meters.
Kone EcoDisc motor
The ‘Kone EcoDisc motor’, used for hoisting, reduces the amount of energy lost as heat and circulates air through the motor reducing its temperature. The motor control system and brakes make the elevator ride quieter and the design frees up space. It is typically installed as an MRL (Motor-Room-Less) motor that is placed at the top of an elevator shaft. The fastest speed that Kone make the EcoDisc (as an MRL motor) is 3.0 m/s. However, for a faster speed (e.g. 4 m/s) it requires the machine to be installed in a machine room.
Kone Access Turnstiles
The ‘Kone Access Turnstiles’, used for the fast and efficient movement for the flow of people. These are part of the ‘People Flow’ technology family by Kone. This system has the option to have the ‘Kone Monitoring System’ which allows you to watch and track the turnstiles and elevator systems.
Kone Destination
Kone Destination allows for a fast and efficient ride from floor to floor in a building. The system uses a touch screen panel/terminal that shows the floor numbers and when the floor is selected, it calls the nearest elevator to the floor you called and will take you to your floor with minor to no stops on your ride to your floor. The system also allows for the turnstiles to work together with the elevators so when you swipe your access card on the turnstile, it calls the nearest elevator. There is also an app for the elevator system that allows you to call and type in your destination from your mobile device reducing wait time. This system has the option to have the Kone Monitoring System which allows you to watch and track turnstiles and elevator systems.
Elevators
The Kone MonoSpace for low to mid-rise buildings is the world’s first machine-room-less elevator. The Kone EcoSpace elevator is a machine-room-less traction elevator designed for low-rise buildings from 2 to 4 stories as an energy-efficient alternative to hydraulic elevators, and can fit in an existing hydraulic elevator hoistway. Maximum speed is 150 feet per minute (0.76 m/s). The Kone MiniSpace elevator with a small machine room is often used in high-rise buildings.
Cooperation with IBM
In 2017 Kone announced a new cooperation with IBM allowing them to collect information from lifts. By analysing the information from hundreds of thousands of lifts, the company can identify warning signs of problems that need to be addressed. This means an engineer can be sent out before the problem actually arises, and he or she can also carry the correct spare needed for that exact lift.