The proposed elevators would work efficiently even while saving 50 per cent energy, Kone Technology Senior Vice- President Jussi Oijala told reporters here. The company is expected to start manufacturing the elevators, equipped with new generation technology, at the Chennai plant within two years, he said. Kone has a production facility at Ayanambakkam near here. It employs about 2,800 people in all, and has 40 branches across the country.
Oijala said the new elevators would shut off automatically when not in use. "Through this, we can make them (elevators) perform much better," he said. The company has already launched the energy saving elevators in Europe. "In 2006, we had set a target of manufacturing elevators that will consume only 50 per cent of power by 2010 and today it's been achieved," Oijala said.
The parent company, Kone Corporation, has decided to invest 60 million euros in research and development for 2010- 11. The Chennai facility produces elevators for India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and manufactures components for modernisation projects across Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Oijala and other senior officials were here to inaugurate the firm's first Indian Technology and Engineering Centre (ITEC). According to them, the R&D and engineering units would be present at one location, the first of its kind worldwide. "Kone's innovation leadership is constantly strengthened by technology centres around the world that work together with customers, suppliers, research institutes and other Kone units. India has highly competent engineers and capable technical staff. Now we have created a team that can better support global functions and production," Oijala said after the inaugural function.
As many as 36 eco-efficient Kone MonSpace elevators and two Kone TravelMaster Escalators have been installed at the ITEC structure, which fulfills all green building certifications. Kone Corporation, with an order book size of Euros 3,309 million as of December 2009, had reported a net income of Euros 449.5 million for the year ended December 2009 against Euros 436.7 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.
While most of the revenue was generated from the European region (59 per cent), the Asia-Pacific region contributed 17 per cent to the global figure. Kone Corporation had recently acquired an independent elevator service company in Oregon -- USA Reliant Elevator Company -- for an "undisclosed amount". The Reliant Elevator Company focuses on elevator maintenance, repair and modernisation. The company has 1,400 elevators at its maintenance base.