KONE Corporation, press release, November
30, 2020
KONE, a global
leader in the elevator and escalator industry, will start a new
innovation program in Finland, focused on sustainable people flow
and new technologies for smoother and safer urban living. The new
program will draw on expertise from a variety of companies and
organizations, to address some of the key ecological, social and
economic challenges and opportunities created by
urbanization.
Funded by Business Finland, the program is part of the "Veturi"
initiative, where international companies are invited to solve some
of society's most pressing challenges, through increased research,
development and innovation investments in Finland.
"The technologies
developed in the program will allow new types of solutions,
services and business models to mature. Both during the project as
well as after its commercialization, our aim is to create
employment and export opportunities for Finland. We plan to take a
comprehensive approach with the program execution, from
multidisciplinary research and development activities to building
an extensive global ecosystem of partners and customers," says
Rauno Hatakka, Head of Technology Management at KONE
Corporation.
"To help create resilient and inclusive cities that continue to
grow and evolve, it becomes crucial to create a smooth and
sustainable flow for people and goods. This can be achieved by
using emerging data sources - from planning and construction
activities, to how buildings and districts are used, renovated and
upgraded, all the way to demolition and recycling," continues
Hatakka.
The program will enable
KONE and its network of partners to increase the scope of research,
development and innovation operations in Finland. The aim is that
this, in turn, will increase and promote the competitiveness of
Finnish industry and research institutes, creating opportunities
for existing companies and new start-ups.
KONE's work in this area will contribute to the Finnish
government's targets for carbon neutrality by 2035. The aim is for
the solutions to be used globally and play a strong role in the
transformation and development of cities, making them more
sustainable, resilient and inclusive. Finland's efficient
industrial and research ecosystem provide excellent preconditions
for the achievement of these goals.
For further information,
please contact:
Hanna Rutanen, Director, External
Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 41 507 1361,
media@kone.com
Read
more
About Business Finland: https://www.businessfinland.fi/en/for-finnish-customers/about-us/in-brief
Previous KONE press
releases are available at https://www.kone.com/en/news-and-insights/releases/
including:
September 28, 2020: KONE sets ambitious greenhouse gas reduction
targets and pledges to have carbon neutral operations by
2030
May 11, 2020: KONE introduces solutions for healthier and safer
people flow environments
November 29, 2019: KONE DX Class elevators take the industry into a
new era - the world's first elevator series with built-in digital
connectivity as standard
About KONE
At KONE, our mission is to improve the flow of urban life. As a
global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, KONE provides
elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as
solutions for maintenance and modernization to add value to
buildings throughout their life cycle. Through more effective
People Flow®, we make people's journeys safe, convenient and
reliable, in taller, smarter buildings. In 2019, KONE had annual
sales of EUR 10 billion, and at the end of the year approximately
60,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq
Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com
KONE to start a program in Finland, focused on harnessing global research and development expertise, to create more sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities
Press Release Published 30/11/2020
