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| Kone ranked as one of the world’s most innovative companies  U.S.-based business magazine Forbes has ranked Finnish lift maker Kone the 39th most innovative company in the world. Kone is the only elevator and escalator company to have made it to the top 50.Forbes magazine's ranking is based on a metric called the "Innovation Premium". It is a grade bestowed by Forbes upon a company as a measure of the premium the stock market has placed on the value of the company due to expectations of future innovative products, services, and new markets that will generate even larger income streams. As the Forbes ranking shows, innovation is one of the key factors to Kone's success. The company has always invested into its R&D capabilities and with a view to the long term. In 2010, Kone's R&D expenses totaled EUR 70.9 million, representing 1.4% of net sales. Throughout its 100-year history, Kone has proven its ability to adapt to a changing world as well as to create new opportunities to grow. A strong example of Kone's industry-leading innovation is the Kone MonoSpace. This elevator system eliminates the need for a machine room and consumes 70% less energy than a hydraulic drive and 40% less than a geared traction elevator drive, making it the most eco-efficient and space-efficient solution on the market today. With focus on key customer segments, Kone has introduced many new product and service enhancements in order to meet customers´ needs better. In 2010, for example, Kone achieved its 50 percent energy reduction target set in 2008 to further improve the energy efficiency of its volume elevators. This was achieved by developing eco-efficient hoisting machines, regenerative drives, LED lights, and standby solutions. Kone has seven global R&D centers which are located in Finland, China, Italy, India, United States and Germany. The high rise developments are spearheaded at Kone's Tytyri Elevator R&D center in Lohja, Finland, which incorporates the world's tallest elevator test tower. The Kone test facility is situated in a limestone mine and extends 333m (1090ft) below the surface of the Earth. Tytyri constitutes the only mineshaft in the world where elevator speeds up to 17 m/s (56 ft/s) can be tested. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Construction News :: home page |