KONE Opens New Regional Headquarters
and People Flow Experience Center in Singapore
● Increased investment supports KONE’s growing operations and customer base in the region, aligns with “Winning with Customers” global strategy
● Axel Berkling , regional head of business in Asia Pacific excluding China (APA),reports KONE’s market leadership in new equipment business and prospects of strong growth in maintenance and modernization
● Regional HQ houses new Singapore People Flow Experience Center to provide first-hand experience of KONE’s latest technological solutions
SINGAPORE, December 7, 2018- KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry today marked the official inauguration of its new Asia Pacific headquarters and new People Flow Experience Center in Singapore. The company’s increased investment supports the growth of its regional operations that has reached approximately EUR1 billion at the end of fiscal year 2017.
Located at the top floor of MapleTree Industrial New Hi-Tech Space in Singapore, the new25,000 sqft headquarter houses KONE’s regional headquarters and Singapore country office, project engineering, a 24X7 customer call care center, and sales and service support operations.The regional headquarter also features the People Flow Experience Center which allows existing and prospective customers to have first-hand experience of KONE’s latest technologies.
The facility’s opening ceremony was led by Mr. Axel Berkling, Executive Vice President of KONE Asia Pacific and Mr. Jerome Audais, Managing Director, KONE Singapore along with Guest of Honours, Ms. Paula Parviainen, Ambassador of Finland to Singapore and Mr. Ng Chee Meng, NTUC Secretary General.
“I’m very pleased to officiate the opening of KONE’s new and expanded regional headquarters in Singapore. “We have built a strong business foundation in APA and we have a very positive outlook in terms of growth opportunities in this market. We are energized and inspired by the support of our loyal customers, our highly engaged employees, and KONE’s tireless commitment to innovation and customer service,” said Mr. Berkling.
“Rapid urbanization in the region continues to drive demand for infrastructure development giving rise to smart and sustainable residential and office buildings and more mixed use and flexible spaces. With the rate of commercial progress and increasing connectivity in the APA region, people will demand for buildings to be intelligent, safe, and reliable. KONE’s commitment is to enable that,” he added.
Mr. Jerome Audais, Managing Director of KONE Singapore added, “It’s a proud day today for all of us here at KONE. Globally, Singapore is the gateway for green building and technology in Asia Pacific and we are proud to be a market leader in supporting the country’s position. With over four decades of experience in the country, we are well-positioned to improve people flow, and contribute to the development of smarter cities and green building for Asia, from Singapore.”
KONE has been recognized as one of the world’s most innovative companies by Forbes. The company defines ‘People Flow’ as the movement of people in and between buildings. An efficient people flow means moving smoothly, safely, comfortably and reliably eliminating delays.
Mr. Audais further added, “Through our Experience Center, we hope to provide customers a real-life experience of the operation and integration of our solutions in buildings, and ultimately, to gather their feedback on their use of our solutions which will be instrumental in further enhancing our offering.”
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 2017, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 8.9 billion, and at the end of the year over 55,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
For Media Enquiries:
PRecious Communications for KONE
Darren Beck/ Gargi Dubey
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KONE Opens New Regional Headquarters and People Flow Experience Center in Singapore