KONE References 2017: Urban Journeys

“EVERYTHING HAPPENS ALL AT ONCE here, unlike a museum or a cruise line,” explains KONE’s Dennis Vitt , primary service mechanic for the Staples Center. “Your crowds are completely different as they don’t saunter around looking at exhibits. They are hyped up because it’s either a sporting event or a concert happening here. The schedule of events is almost non-stop as well and therefore the equipment undergoes tremendous pressure every day.” That’s not all. The escalator and elevator solutions used at the Staples Center revolve around one major aspect – the flow of people in the arena. In the case of most other buildings, when equipment breaks down, there is downtime until spare parts are received and repairs are begun. However, for a facility like Staples, any amount of downtime can severely impact operations, leading to thousands of disgruntled guests. Ensuring minimal breakdowns was essential for smooth operations. “During the season, you can go thirty days in a row with an event every day of the week. On the weekends, you can have hockey in the morning and basketball in the evening, followed by a concert the next day,” explains Vitt, “There’s never a day where it’s all right to have a unit down.” PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE IS THEREFORE the buzzword to help avert major breakdowns at the arena. For this, the Staples Center relies heavily on regular maintenance to spot potential breakdowns. For instance, KONE Online is used to provide customers with online access to performance history details and the ability to monitor service requests. In the event of equipment needing repair, KONE proactively installs new components to help extend the life cycle of the equipment. “It is important to conduct routine checks on escalators and elevators every day. The equipment gets beat up and it’s crucial to spot a repair or breakdown even before it happens,” says Vitt. “Unlike other facilities, we have every part to rebuild an elevator out here and we don’t need to wait for spare parts to begin repairs. We stop at nothing to keep the elevators running for every event.” KONE’s extensive experience in providing smooth people flow solutions was also used to install equipment that would ensure that people would be able to travel from point A to point B safely and quickly. “KONE designed the solution to ensure that our guests can move around the facility in a secure manner toward their seating areas,” explains Pottorff. With all of this, KONE has ensured that the Staples Center continues to deliver on its promise to be the best sporting and entertainment center in the industry./ Summary CHALLENGE • To ensure smooth and secure people flow to various levels of seating. • Provide safety and reliability of escalators and elevators to maximize equipment uptime. SOLUTION • Preventive maintenance and proactive component upgrades with the aid of KONE maintenance technicians. • KONE Online provides customers with online access to performance history details and the ability to monitor service requests. FACTS Building Name: Staples Center, Downtown Los Angeles Building Owner: Anschutz Entertainment Group Building Size: 954,000 SF 4 million annual guests KONE SOLUTIONS KONE Online 11 KONE escalators 10 KONE elevators Staples Center – USA Dennis Vitt, primary service mechanic, KONE. 59