Stories of urban flow – and the people who fuel it

Andy Lim, Managing Director of Ocean IFM Pte Ltd

Andy Lim, Managing Director of Ocean IFM Pte Ltd, has been a KONE customer for nearly 15 years, and he describes our partnership as 'engaging'.

"There is never a situation when you cannot reach their team, including the senior members," he says crediting KONE's culture of innovation and inclusivity as its secret recipe for success.

Among his company's many projects with KONE Singapore, the one that stands out is when an old elevator from a different manufacturer constantly malfunctioned. That is when he turned to us for assistance, and he recalls how our team worked hard not just to expedite work on replacing the elevator but also went out of their way to assist the building's residents in moving around the building.

"They assigned extra resources to turn the situation around when the old elevator was down and the new one wasn’t even commissioned yet," says Andy.

When asked what kind of new innovations he would expect from KONE if he was to work with us 100 years from now, Andy is clear with his answer.

"Technological innovation with a human touch will continue to improve the quality of people flow around the world. KONE already excels at that, and 100 years from now, I still see them excelling in that role."

Linda Tisdale, Elevator Installer, New Construction, KONE Americas

Having served in the army for three years, Linda Tisdale sought challenges, diversity and an easy-going camaraderie at her next workplace. She found all that and more at KONE. In April 2015, when Linda joined KONE Americas’s team in Chicago as an Elevator Installer, she had just given birth to her fifth child, and being accepted into a new set-up made her nervous. But she was soon put at ease. “We hit it off immediately and there was zero judgement,” she says.

Linda’s most recent project is also her most memorable. A 57-story building set on the river in West Loop Chicago with stunning views. “It had half the KONE construction team working on it and was a whole lot of fun,” she recalls, stressing on how projects like these are shining examples of the spirit of teamwork and bonhomie at work.

She believes there’s no denying that “We install a good, competitively priced product,” and credits it as the prime reason why everyone is happy with KONE’s work. But she is also highly appreciative of KONE’s unwavering commitment towards its customers and employees, something she has learned first-hand.

“KONE honestly cares for us,” she says recalling the time when her 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. “I was allowed all the time I needed to tend to my daughter and instantly taken back when I was ready to re-join.”

“In the army, we were all green. At KONE, we’re all blue,” she concludes.

Liu Hanzong, Regional Major Projects Sales Manager, KONE China

“When the race to build an elevator that stretches from earth to space finally starts, I will be fighting to be part of the team that makes it happen,” says Liu Hanzong. Until then, he concerns himself with more earthly matters. Namely, working at KONE and obsessing over providing the best customer experience possible.

Liu is a Regional Major Projects Sales Manager in KONE China, working out of our Shanghai office. His 13 years with us tell a story of steady growth, marked by spectacular milestones.

Out of the many amazing projects he has worked on, he considers the Raffles City Chongqing project in China’s Yuzhong district his favorite. The product of two long years of hard work and perseverance, KONE won the order to supply 196 elevators and escalators to the iconic structure. When someone asks Liu about the secret to success, he always replies “place the customer first, because customers are the foundation of a company’s long-term development.”

Liu’s focus on customer centricity has helped him lead a team that has consistently landed KONE some of our most prestigious projects in China. But the thing he enjoys the most is the opportunity to meet and interact with diverse cultures from around the globe. "It keeps me grounded while allowing me to aim for the stars,” he says.

S. Shenbaha Valli, KTI Specialist, KONE's Global Software Center in Chennai, India

S. Shenbaha (Shenba) Valli enjoys a good challenge. This characteristic drew her to working at KONE. “I love building software for the unique and demanding scenarios that come with it,” she says. 

Shenba, who has had a long stint at the company, began her career as an engineer in our Global Software Center in Chennai, India, in 2007. 13 years on, she’s a Software Development Specialist. Over the years she has developed various customer-centric solutions, contributing to equipment safety, elevator car, automatic doors and graphical user interfaces. The global exposure that KONE provides her is unparalleled, Shenba says.

“We are exposed to an excellent cross-cultural business environment blended with a collaborative approach to work, bringing out the best in us by prioritizing quality, safety and customer-centricity.”

Shenba feel proud knowing that KONE solutions are part of Sriharikota rocket launch pad, operated by Indian space agency ISRO, and serving Indian space exploration missions. One of her most memorable moments during this tenure was the maiden travel on the Car Top at the test tower in India in 2011.

She adds that her greatest assets are futuristic thinking, being technologically aware, and being adaptable. Over the next 100 years, Shenba sees KONE contributing to better living on earth, continuing to courageously break new ground, using AI and bots not only in elevators and escalators, but also to fit all kinds of people flow needs. She’s looking forward to contributing towards challenging projects in the future.

Patrik Horrsell, Customer Solutions Engineer for Tendered Repair Business, KONE Scandinavia

From an Air Traffic Control tower in Arlanda, Stockholm, to deep underground beneath a mountain, Patrik Horrsell’s work at KONE has taken him places. It is such contrasting experiences that keep him hooked to his job.

Patrik is a Customer Solutions Engineer at the Uppsala office in KONE Scandinavia, and a safety representative. Patrik believes being solution-oriented and focused on the best interests of its customers is an integral part of KONE’s work culture. “I like to collaborate, communicate and help others,” he says adding that being together means being strong – professionally and personally.

“Before we send out an offer, I look at different solutions that KONE can deliver,” says Patrik. He then follows it up with drawings, materials and any other information that may be necessary for KONE’s technicians to get started.

In the nearly three decades that Patrik has been working at KONE, he prides himself on being part of complex projects. "St. Göran’s Hospital in Stockholm and the Tomteboda Post Terminal in Solna are two memorable projects for me, especially because of the people flow challenges associated with the projects. Figuring out innovative solutions for both was fun,” he says.

“I actively try to be a part of pilot projects, testing new solutions and giving feedback for constant improvements,” says Patrik. “Because in life, you never stop learning.”

Anushka Verghese, Co-founder and CPO, Smarten Spaces

What could the next 100 years of elevator design and evolution bring in? “Convertible elevators that can travel not just across floors, but also entire buildings, depending on user needs,” declares Anushka Verghese, the co-founder and CPO of Smarten Spaces, one of our newer ecosystem partners.

Such futuristic thinking is only natural when you consider that Anushka’s company is helping us use smart technologies to supercharge user experiences in different spaces. Anushka is simply carrying forward a narrative that she began with KONE in early 2019.

“Our partnership will enable the urban customer to interact with their physical environment seamlessly. Our focus will be not only on AI to extend beyond user experience, but also on building efficiency,” she says.

This is made possible, adds Anushka, by KONE’s ability to look at the ecosystem as a whole and understand how “blending user experience into the physical environment brings tangible and intangible elements together.”

Currently Anushka and her team at Smarten Spaces are hard at work figuring out new contactless solutions that will aid our mutual mission to improve people flow across urban spaces. “Striking” is how she describes her partnership with KONE, and she sees huge opportunities as the collaboration moves forward.

Anssi Tamminen, CEO, Systam Oy

For Anssi Tamminen, CEO of Systam Oy, the partnership between his company and KONE is a perfect match, with both companies equally passionate about creating the best possible experiences for our users. From his first encounter with us in 2015 to when Systam became a part of our KONE Partner Ecosystem in 2019, the journey has been filled with constant “acceleration” according to Anssi.

“As a software company focused on visitor management, we are used to a fast, agile and always changing business environment,” he says, but adds that KONE’s flexibility and speed took him by surprise.

Anssi believes KONE’s secret to success is its stable ownership and dedication to create a high-quality brand that is technical in nature but puts people first. According to him, KONE remains – despite its sheer size and global reach – very close and personal. “The feeling of being heard is evident and uplifting,” he says.

Anssi’s vision for his company’s future with KONE is bright. “The future solutions will have to do with how people interact with each other, and we’ll continue making sure that buildings, cities and megacities are designed to meet our needs,” he says. “To see the next 110 years, I wish we’d be able to also invent something to stop me from growing older,” he adds with a laugh.