The local KONE team has gone the extra mile to make sure the escalators, elevators, and automatic doors operate seamlessly, providing visitors with a great urban flow experience during the games. They even applied lessons learned from their UK colleagues who were involved in the previous games in London in 2012.
Aurélie Emmanuelli, service operations manager Île-de-France, smiles under the scorching July sun. Preparing for the massive sporting events taking place in Paris between July and September has taken months of careful planning with the city officials, event organizers, and the team KONE in France. Confident that everything has been serviced and tested, she can now welcome the flock of sports fans to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of her home city.
“We are expecting 30% more visitors than on a normal summer, and our amazing team has done our very best to make Paris a better place to visit! KONE France has intensified upstream maintenance visits and reorganized the mobilization of our teams throughout the games period. The elevators and escalators in our care are ready to move millions of people comfortably and safely,” she says.
Navigating Paris public transportation
While walking is probably the most viable solution for centrally located venues in Paris, many will turn to metro, buses, and trams. The millions of sports enthusiasts will be putting the public transportation to the test travelling from the airports or train stations to their accommodation and onwards to the 35 sporting venues located in the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris.
Many of these visitors will get to experience the brand-new wood-clad Saint-Denis – Pleyel metro station. This major hub connects metro lines 14, 15, 16 and 17 and the RER D (hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris and its suburbs). Saint-Denis – Pleyel was completed in record time, and it opened its doors in June just in time for the great events.
The Grand Paris Express, the expansion of the Paris metro network has been a major project for KONE with more than 300 KONE escalators and elevators installed overall. Saint-Denis – Pleyel station is the jewel of the project with an impressive 56 TransitMaster™ escalators moving people up and down, the most equipment installed in a single project for KONE.
KONE also provides maintenance and troubleshooting of elevators and escalators at some thirty other stations, Orly and Charles-de-Gaulle airports, Indigo car parks in Paris, and the Bauer stadium – and that’s not all.
Head start on keeping the crowded city flowing 24/7
To keep everything running smoothly, KONE France has gathered a team of the most experienced technicians to be available 24/7. Their main task is to make sure the people in the city can easily access the sporting venues by public transport and that the elevators and escalators in hotels and shopping centers keep the visitors moving without interruptions.
Emmanuelli tells how the team has prepared.
“We have strengthened our services and are focused on emergency interventions and repairs. Our technical team is available on site at any time of the day to ensure continuity of service. They are supported by their experienced colleagues in the KONE Technical HelpDesk. We also have 70 experts in our call center based in Nice. There is always a person at the other end of the line for our customers.”
Ensuring 24/7 service is no simple task due to the daytime high traffic and travel restrictions in specific areas. The team KONE is prepared to deliver any needed materials and components to the technicians’ vehicles during the night.
Security measures are a significant focus during an event of this scale, and Paris will have several security zones around the venues. According to Emmanuelli, thousands of elevators and escalators under KONE’s maintenance are in the red and blue zones with the strictest security and limited access.
Predictive and remote services increase safety
One key solution to optimizing the people flow during the games is the predictive maintenance service with remote elevator troubleshooting in the event of a breakdown or accident. KONE 24/7 Connected Services also enables AI-based detection of equipment defects and malfunctions.
Cédric de la Chapelle, Director Services, KONE France, Belgium and Luxembourg sees this as the optimal solution in keeping things running especially at busy times.
"Deploying KONE Intelligent Service has been an integral part of our business continuity plan for the summer period in Île-de-France. With the massive number of visitors expected to attend sports competitions in Paris, our equipment will be in high demand, and we will have to be more reactive than ever in the event of an incident or elevator breakdown,” he explains.
KONE Intelligent Service is available for the latest generation of KONE DX connected elevators, several thousand of which are now deployed in the Île-de-France region. The solution has various benefits for the users, and it offers peace of mind for the building owners and operators in a crowded city.
“With this technology we can detect 80% of incidents and breakdowns remotely, and in 35% of cases, the technician does not need to travel to the site. This is an asset due to the bustling streets of Paris and travel restrictions. KONE Intelligent Service reduces breakdowns and strandings of people in the cabin by 40%. We can even open the elevator doors so that people trapped in the cabin can exit safely in minutes. Something that the sports enthusiasts hurrying to the venue will surely appreciate,” de la Chapelle adds.
Let the summer sporting events begin. The team KONE in Paris is warmed up and ready to go!