Leading elevator maker KONE India has launched a new product for the domestic market as the competition with its peers such as Schindler and Otis heats up.
Named KONE I MiniSpace, the company targets the low and mid-rise residential segment of the Indian real estate market. The new product is based on the company’s EcoDisc technology that paved the way for gearless technology.
“This is significantly more energy-efficient than the preceding technologies and helps in reducing both operating costs and the buildings carbon footprint,” said Amit Gossain, Managing Director, KONE India. Gossain recently took over the reigns at KONE India after completing a stint at JCB India as Executive Vice-President.
The company claims that the new product is 30 per cent more energy-efficient than the earlier technology.
The conventional elevator system uses gear to transmit power. Usage of geared results in mechanical losses, and hence, there is a need to use oil as a coolant in a geared machine. This could make the system less energy-efficient. A gearless elevator prevents such losses.
In-house development KONE, which started operations in India in 1984, designed the ‘Vaasthu-compliant’ elevator at its global technology and engineering centre in Chennai. The Indian Technology and Engineering Centre, which opened in 2010, houses the company’s R&D and engineering units under one roof. “The I MiniSpace is a product made in India, for India,” said Gossain.
Earlier this year, the company had launched a product specific for the low-rise residential segment called the KONE I MonoSpace. Through the two products, the Finland-headquartered company is hoping to garner a larger share of the residential market, which makes up for almost 60-65 per cent of its India business.