KONE awarded CTBUH's 2013 Innovation Award for KONE UltraRope
KONE Corporation, trade press release, July 10, 2013
Comprised of a carbon fiber core and a unique high-friction coating, KONE UltraRope is extremely light, enabling up to 1,000 meters of elevator travel and significantly cutting elevator energy consumption in high-rise buildings.
One of two winners this year, the jury said this year's award-winning innovations forged a path for the next generation of tall buildings, expanding the range of what was possible.
"This is finally a breakthrough on one of the 'holy grail' limiting factors of tall buildings - that is, the height to which a single elevator could operate before the weight of the steel rope becomes unsupportable over that height," said juror Antony Wood, CTBUH Executive Director. "So it is not an exaggeration to say that this is revolutionary. However, it is not just the enablement of greater height that is beneficial - the greater energy and material efficiencies are of equal value."
"The impact of KONE's innovations reach beyond the elevator and escalator industry, and can change the future design of high-rise buildings. We are proud to achieve this recognition and this spurs us on to continue on the path of innovation," said Heikki Leppänen, Executive Vice President for KONE's New Equipment Business.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is the world's leading resource for professionals focused on the design, construction, and operation of tall buildings and future cities.The Innovation Award submissions were independently reviewed by a jury of industry experts. The award will be presented to KONE at the CTBUH Annual Awards Ceremony in Chicago in November 2013.
For further information, please contact:
Liisa Kivelä, Director, External Communications, Tel: +358 20 475 4330
Read more about KONE's innovation at www.kone.com/press and www.kone.com/innovations, including:
June 10, 2013 New KONE UltraRope(TM) elevator hoisting technology enables the next big leap in high-rise building design
Visit the KONE UltraRope site at www.kone.com/ultrarope
About KONE
KONE is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. The company has been committed to understanding the needs of its customers for the past century, providing industry-leading elevators, escalators and automatic building doors as well as innovative solutions for modernization and maintenance. The company's objective is to offer the best People Flow® experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. In 2012, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 6.3 billion and around 40,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd in Finland.
