CHENNAI: KONE India, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has plans to set up its second manufacturing facility by 2014-15.
Sharing the above information with this correspondent here, Neeraj Sharma, Managing Director, KONE Elevator India, said that the plan to set up a second manufacturing facility on the Chenni-Bengaluru highway was based on the study made by the company in terms of product line expansion which would cater to the Indian and global markets.
“India is the second biggest market for elevators of all hues and sizes in the world next only to China, spurred by the rapid urbanisation happening around in the country,’’ he said and added, “The demand for elevators is going to be very high in tier 2 and tier 3 cities in the coming days.’’
“KONE’s vision is to be an expert in transporting people through buildings smoothly, efficiently and in a safe manner without waiting as builders and architects are very sensitive to the needs of users – what KONE describes as People Flow,” he noted.
The company would position elevators, escalators and other transport devices in a manner that minimized queuing and blocking of passenger traffic, he said.
In 2010, KONE had annual net sales of euro 5 billion and approximately 33,800 employees.
Based in Chennai, KONE India serves customers all over the country through its 40 branches and provides sustainable People Flow solutions for India’s rapidly growing cities. It employs about 2,800 people in the country.
KONE’s production unit in Chennai produces elevators for the Indian market as well as for Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The production unit also manufactures components for modernization projects in other Asian-Pacific markets such as Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.
KONE’s global technology and engineering centre is a testing and research hub which supports the latest technology and development of future KONE solutions. KONE contributes to sustainable urban development with eco-efficient solutions that offer energy savings in buildings and deliver the best user experience, he said.