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best made better
Best-in-class
eco-efficiency
Customer benefit:
Up to 35%
more energy-efficient, VDI 4707
A-class rating for the entire vol-
ume elevator range
KONE solutions:
• Fully renewed KONE EcoDisc
®
hoisting machinery
• Enhanced standby solutions
Industry-leading
ride comfort
Customer benefit:
Smooth,
quiet operation, minimal
disturbance to tenants
KONE Solutions:
• Centralized low-friction hoist-
ing, robust car, silent brakes
• Ride comfort testing as a built-
in service
Award-winning design
Customer benefit:
Easy selection
of interiors, the most flexible and
versatile offering in the market
KONE solutions:
• KONE Design Collection car
interiors, with innovative
materials and accessories
• New signalization solutions
and designs for different
building types
Space-efficiency
Customer benefit:
More floor
space, roomier car, greater
comfort
KONE solutions:
• Compact central hoisting takes
up less height and width in the
shaft
items. With wider, improved doors and
space-efficient ceilings, the new KONE
elevator solution feels spacious and
immediately sets the passenger at ease.
Listening to the customer
What was the motivation for upgrading
the much-praised KONE machine room-
less elevator?
“We keep our ears open. We are
always trying to better understand
our customers’ needs and use this
information as a basis for our develop-
ment work. This project started with
feedback from our Asian customers,
who expressed a wish for greater ride
comfort. KONE has a challenger mind-
set, so we set out to see if we could
make best even better,” says Bilardello.
The father of the project was
Kimmo
Selin
, who stepped out of his role as
KONE R&D director to take responsibil-
ity for assembling a team to start the
new program.
“The new machinery was already in
the conceptual phase. We developed
new, more efficient winding and began
thinking about renewing our hoist-
ing system. Putting all these elements
together, we realized we could create
a radically improved new global plat-
form,” reveals Bilardello.
Culture challenge
The process of creating the new KONE
offering was not, however, as smooth as
the ride it provides.
“There were many challenges along
the way, but perhaps the biggest ob-
stacle was cultural,” says Bilardello.
Different markets adhere to certain
entrenched practices. Asian custom-
ers, for instance, have an aversion to
asymmetrical design. In North America,
building codes vary considerably, with
approvals often granted state by state, if
materials, colors, patterns, finishes as
well as accessories and fixtures have
been localized for different markets.
“Our extensive range of ceilings,
wall materials, floors, handrails, mirrors
and other accessories offers the richest
visual variety on the market. All the
colors and interiors have been designed
to mix and match,” says Bilardello.
The new eye-catching KONE Design
signalization is not only attractive,
but also intuitively user-friendly, and
features, for example, fun animal
patterns for kids and high-visibility
numbering for seniors. All the details
seem to gel spontaneously, but the
result is, in fact, the hard-won result of
meticulous planning, years of intensive
research and extensive field testing.
KONE has received numerous Good
Design and Red Dot awards in recogni-
tion of its innovative work fusing design
with technology. Good design isn’t an
add-on or afterthought – it’s embedded
in every solution.
“Instead of supplying a ‘steel box’, we
want to provide the desired furnishings
and best design straight out of the
factory.”
Goodbye close quarters
The new central hoisting not only
enhances passenger comfort, but
also significantly improves the space
efficiency of the car.
“You get maximum capacity for min-
imum shaft space, enabling full usage of
the available area,” explains Bilardello.
Though roomy inside, the car fits in a
relatively narrow shaft, which is a major
advantage when retrofitting elevators in
the notoriously cramped old buildings
found all over Europe.
For the user, this means more shoul-
der room and more floor space for
strollers, shopping bags and other bulky