KONE’s new elevator factory gives a lift to the Indian market

Covering 50,000 square meters and employing some 600 people, KONE’s new factory in Chennai, India, has been designed with safety, sustainability and green credentials in mind.

“Our growth driver is the rapid urbanization of the country,” says J. Sivaraman, director, supply operations, for KONE India. “With government initiatives to boost housing and infrastructure, we expect more residential projects to come on board in the next three to five years.”

The new elevator manufacturing facility will cater primarily to this growing domestic demand, but will also export to neighboring markets like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The state-of-the-art facility features water recycling and rainwater harvesting systems, as well as solutions to conserve energy, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and maximize indoor air quality – all in accordance with Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) criteria.

In addition to boosting employment both directly and indirectly through subcontractors, suppliers and partners, the new facility also supports the local economy through direct purchases: more than 80% of components used in the factory are made in India.

“Currently, the speed of urbanization in India and the scope of growth for the transportation business is bound to increase. As the demand for elevators increases, we will need to increase our volume, and that means creating more jobs,” Sivaraman says.

The facility plays an important role for KONE in delivering world-class quality solutions to support urbanization with break-through technology in the most sustainable way possible. In addition to the elevator car and door factory, the new manufacturing facilities include an electrification factory and a machinery factory.

“The new unit aims at leveraging digitalization opportunities and speeding up development in a changing business environment,” says Amit Gossain, managing director for KONE India.

"It will tap into exciting and unique ways to improve customer and user experience as well as the quality and productivity of KONE’s operations. To meet the growing demand, we have set up this factory with increased manufacturing capacity. We also significantly invest in R&D and create expert manpower for providing operation and maintenance services,” says Gossain.

KONE has had a presence in India since 1984, and today, it is the leading elevator company in the country. Based in Chennai, KONE India serves customers all over the country through its more than 50 branches. KONE India employs over 5,000 people. In addition to manufacturing facilities and customer care centers, Chennai is home to one of KONE’s nine global R&D centers, further strengthening the company’s position as an innovation leader.