KONE Opens New Technology and Innovation Center in Pune; Hires New Talent

To further strengthen its capabilities and competences in new digital services area and Enterprise IT, KONE has inaugurated a new technology and innovation function in Pune, India. This will be an extension of India Technology and Engineering Center (ITEC) organization presently operating from Chennai. 

Pune, due to the presence of several well-known educational institutions in the city, has emerged as a major educational hub in recent times, with nearly half of the total international students in the country studying there. Research institutes of information technology, education, management and training attract students and professionals from India and overseas.

The operations in Pune office located at Kennedy Road, Sangamwadi, will focus around enterprise monitoring, service management for IT Solutions and digital development competencies for smart people flow Solutions. Co-creation with startups and technology partners will be a big part of the way of working.

KONE has recently launched the 24/7 IoT connected elevators and escalators service technology in India. In collaboration with the recognized leader in cognitive computing, IBM Watson, this is yet another breakthrough innovation that will result in fewer faults, faster repairs and real peace of mind for the customer. Using the latest technology, the elevators and escalators can now speak their minds and keep technicians one step ahead of what’s happening.

Data relating to key operating parameters, usage statistics and faults is gathered from the Elevators and Escalators. All the information is sent in real time to cloud service, where the analytics are located. ITEC, Pune will remotely monitor the 24/7 Connected elevators and escalators equipment to ensure less equipment downtime, fewer faults and detailed information on maintenance task.

ITEC has been a key location for competencies in Technology and Engineering serving various Global units in KONE. The Pune center will further strengthen the capabilities of India Technology and Engineering Center (ITEC)in this direction. Chennai remains to be the KONE India head office and main location for Technology and Engineering operations.   

Despite the current economic conditions being challenging, KONE has complete trust in India’s long term growth and potential, as it continues to create jobs and hire more talent to build capabilities for now and future. At the new Technology function in Pune, KONE will start hiring engineers and over a period of time, over 120employees will be on board to make it more robust and efficient for enhanced R&D capabilities. Pune ITEC will also have a world-class customer experience center.  

At the inauguration, Mr. Maciej Kranz, EVP- Chief Technology Officer, KONE Corporation said, “Innovation has been a strategic imperative for KONE globally. Constantly developing our technology is an integral part of our commitment to improve the flow of urban life and to achieve that, our technology centers around the world work together with customers, suppliers, strategic partners, research institutes and other KONE units. India is an important destination with highly talented workforce of engineers and technical staff who, equipped with advanced research facilities, will support our global production.”

KONE always aims to bring in the customer and end-user perspective when developing products. Mr. Amit Gossain, Managing Director, KONE India explained, “Innovation has been one of the most significant elements of KONE and there is always a lot of focus on research and development. While designing our products for the Indian market, we provide a unique mix of global expertise and Indian requirements. Through India Technology and Engineering Center, we bring global technologies to India and customize them based on Indian needs. With stronger research, technological development and engineering collaboration here in India, we can serve the growing Indian market with even more innovative solutions.”