Kone Inc. has a mission to keep us moving in environmentally friendly ways, Ruari McCallion learns from Vance Tang.
Kone Inc, a Finnish-owned company with its Americas headquarters in Lisle, Illinois, supports a much firmer statement of intent than you normally find with international corporations.
In the Americas our industry should end the installation of hydraulic elevators within the next five years, says Vance Tang, president and CEO of the company American division. It is clear that hydraulic elevators are becoming obsolete, and we challenge building owners to improve the environmental and operational excellence of their buildings by rapidly transitioning to machine-room-less elevators.
To be fair, he has an interest to declare: Kone is one of the world leading designers and manufacturers of escalators and elevators: people flow solutions is the phrase. The company has a history of innovation. It was the first in its field to introduce microprocessor controls, in 1971; it led the field with elevator monitoring, in 1990; it invented the EcoDisc permanent magnet synchronous motor technology in 1994. This technology is used in all building applications from two-story buildings all the way to hi-rises. In 1996, the machine-room-less concept was introduced. As with most new technology, it took a while to be accepted but is now the preferred solution for buildings.
Over the past four years, Kone has invented a complete escalator replacement that allows the mechanical components of an escalator to be replaced, reducing the amount of major construction to existing buildings (EcoMod); become the first to sell double-deck elevators with destination control; developed an elevator without a counterweight, which allows installation of elevators into existing buildings with space constraints (MaxiSpace); developed a moving walkway that lies flat on an existing floor, providing a quicker installation; and developed the means to replace existing hydraulic elevators with machine-room-less equipment. In 2007, Kone announced that it would no longer make hydraulic-operated elevators, so it has certainly put its money, reputation and business where its mouth is. But when you see some of the numbers, you have to concede that the company has a point.
There are approximately 400,000 hydraulic elevators in the US today. A typical hydraulic application requires four times the motor horsepower of our low-rise machine-room-less solution, EcoSpace, says Tang. It will also require 70 percent more energy than an EcoSpace. Since we invented and launched the machine-room-less concept, we’ve sold over 200,000 systems that have reduced emissions equivalent to 100,000 cars driving around the world at the equator. With energy costs going through the roof and environmental responsibility climbing high up the corporate agenda, Kone’s commitment to environmental leadership is something that should be paid respect. And the future holds even more challenges than the present day.
A number of really significant mega-trends give us some real opportunities in people flow solutions, he says. There is an accelerating trend from rural to urban environments. By 2030 it is expected that there will be two billion more people living in cities. The need is for taller buildings to accommodate increased population density, and taller buildings need vertical transportation. The second very relevant mega-trend is the need to incorporate environmental and energy solutions. Around 40 percent of all energy is consumed by buildings, and transportation systems contribute to that. There is a real need for eco-efficiency.
The increase in the number of megalopolises supports his thesis: in 1980, there were ten cities with over ten million inhabitants; by 2009 that is expected to reach twenty. The Olympic Games in 2020 may be staged in one of forty cities of ten million-plus around the world. And it’s not just in developing markets that this trend is manifest. In the US, fifty million more people are expected to live in urban areas within twenty years. The challenge for Kone is to develop solutions that suit the marketplace and its customers, while satisfying the interests of shareholders. Environmental excellence is one of the key issues. The happy news is that the company’s existing systems can make a major contribution to customers’ bottom lines.
The systems we have already installed in America have saved customers the equivalent of two million barrels of oil not just power oil, but hydraulic oil. Hydraulic systems need around 100 gallons of oil to operate them, and they are inefficient. They leak, oil seeps into the ground, and that has to be dealt with. Large customers keep barrels and barrels on standby. Our systems don’t need any, says Tang. But there are still hundreds of thousands of hydraulic systems being installed every year. Why is that?
We announced the EcoDisc machine-room-less system in 1994, but new ideas take time to become accepted. Every market has different building code requirements. Consulting engineers are wary of supporting new technology before it’s proven, he says. Despite all these challenges, we’re seeing a rapid increase in non-hydraulic adoption and acceptance. Well, in keeping with environmental awareness and the drive to reduce energy consumption, why not construct low-rise buildings up to three stories, say without elevators at all? It would lead to a healthier lifestyle as well.
Elevators are needed for safety and access, for people with disabilities, and for improving the flow of people and goods through buildings. Good point: how else are you going to get your furniture to the top floor? The increase in vertical buildings will see the need for more elevators, not fewer, he says. But the need for change doesn’t end with improved-efficiency people flow solutions themselves the core machinery.
It’s important to communicate the broader challenge, says Tang. We’ve introduced other features: variable-frequency drives; inverter drives, which can recover up to 25% of total energy consumed by an elevator; corridor illumination control, which only illuminates when someone’s there; light-saving modes in elevator cars; LED, rather than incandescent or even standard energy-saving bulbs, which light up faster and provide more illumination for less power. Destination control uses power more efficiently across the elevator system. We’re deploying photovoltaic solar power systems for lighting. We even take the time to plan our technician’s routes more effectively, so they cut down on driving time.
The world’s population is rapidly becoming more urban, and the need to deliver safe, efficient and environmentally friendly people flow solutions is critical. Fortunately, Kone is delivering on its commitment to leadership and is rising up to the challenge.
