KONE Strengthens Environmental Leadership in Mexico with FIDE Certification

USA - English

• Latin America - español

LISLE, Ill., Jan. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- KONE Inc., one of the world's leading elevator and escalator companies, continues to pioneer sustainable environmental practices by achieving the FIDE Certification for its KONE MonoSpace® and MiniSpace™ elevators.  The certification makes KONE the first and only member of the elevator industry to offer certified energy-saving products throughout Mexico and Latin America.

FIDE and KONE worked together for over a year to establish the technical energy consumption specification for elevators which is based on the VDI 4707 classification standard. The VDI guideline is a European-based code of practice established by the Association of German Engineers (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure) and is now used mainly in Europe but also in other countries around the world.

KONE is the very first company in its industry to reach the A class energy rating from the VDI 4707 classification rating for its KONE MonoSpace® and MiniSpace™ elevators. The A class rating is the best rating that can be given under the VDI 4707 classification standard.

"Achieving this certification is another testament to the priority KONE places on the continuous reduction of the environmental footprint of our business," said Vance Tang, KONE EVP and Area Director for the Americas. "We continue to provide our customers with energy-efficient solutions to help people move safely and smoothly through a more sustainable urban environment."

FIDE (Fideicomiso para el Ahorro de Energia Electrica) is an official Mexican organization that acknowledges companies for their technical and economical efforts to produce energy efficient equipment.  FIDE is part of CFE, a government company that produces and distributes electricity in Mexico.

This achievement adds to KONE's growing list of ways the company has made environmental excellence part of its culture through the way it does business and the solutions it offers.  In October, KONE was featured in the Carbon Disclosure Project's (CDP) Nordic Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.  In November 2010, the company announced it had achieved its ambitious target of 50 percent reduction in the energy consumption of its new range of volume elevators.

KONE is also focusing on the ongoing development of standards such as ISO/DIS 25745, Energy Performance of Lifts and Escalators, which will define globally agreed criteria for measurement and comparison between different technologies and products in terms of energy consumption.

To learn more about KONE's eco-efficient solutions, visit KONE's Corporate Responsibility section on www.kone.com/sustainability.

About KONE

KONE is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. The company has been committed to understanding the needs of its customers for the past century, providing industry-leading elevators, escalators and automatic building doors as well as innovative solutions for modernization and maintenance. The company's objective is to offer the best People Flow experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. In 2010, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 5 billion and approximately 33,800 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd in Finland.

www.us.kone.com

SOURCE KONE Inc.