KONE expands its operations in Allen, Texas

KONE Corporation, press release, June 21, 2016

KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, opens its newest U.S. facility in Allen, Texas. The 16,000 square-meter facility houses KONE Americas' supply operations with a light manufacturing unit, major project engineering, research and development department, and other product and installation support functions. The facility also features a 40-meter tall test tower with six elevator shafts to evaluate prototypes and new components before they go into production.

"As the world's population continues to urbanize and move into cities, there's a growing demand for taller, smarter buildings and more innovative vertical transportation solutions," said Larry Wash, Executive Vice President for KONE Americas. "This new facility is evidence of our commitment to that need. We're investing in our supply chain infrastructure, research and development, and importantly, in our people, so we can support our growing North American business."

Texas-based KONE employees will relocate from the former office location to the new site, and the facility will boost the local economy, bringing as many as 80 new jobs to Allen. Jussi Oijala, Senior Vice President at KONE, will serve as the Site Leader, driving KONE's vision for the facility.

"We're extremely proud to be growing our research and development, along with manufacturing capabilities in Allen," Oijala said. "The additional office space and improved testing facilities will accelerate our growth, and deliver innovative People Flow® solutions for our customers."

The company also introduced its newest volume elevator, KONE MonoSpace® 500, to the U.S. and Canadian markets. This machine room-less (MRL) elevator was developed to make the best better, delivering even greater eco-efficiency, better ride comfort and innovative design options. KONE pioneered the MRL elevator technology twenty years ago. Today, KONE is an industry leader with hundreds of thousands of applications of MRL elevators in use worldwide.

For images of the new facility, please go to bit.ly/KONEAllen

Related press releases are available at www.kone.com/press including:
June 21, 2016: KONE MonoSpace® 500 Elevator Launches in U.S. and Canada
December 2, 2015: KONE strengthens its high-rise innovation capabilities by opening one of the world's tallest elevator test towers in China

For further information, please contact:
Liisa Kivelä, Director, External Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4330, media@kone.com

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 2015, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 8.6 billion, and at the end of the year close to 50,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com