KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has introduced a range of people flow solutions in Singapore to help make buildings safer and healthier places to live, work and commute. The solutions are built on KONE’s deep expertise and knowledge of people flow, which is vital when addressing the challenges of adapting to a new way of life in the face of the current pandemic.

With the start of Phase 2 on 19 June, Singapore is gradually transitioning to the new normal via the three-pronged phases announced by the Singapore Government. People’s health and well-being will continue to be a major area of focus, considering physical distancing measures while people move around in shared spaces. The KONE People Flow Planning and Consulting service has been tailored to better support planning a safe return to offices and other buildings, in light of these kinds of measures. By using data, simulation tools, and expertise from KONE’s interior architects and data scientists, customers can quickly see how to reduce crowding and bottlenecks and enable people to move around safely. In addition, other new solutions will improve air quality in elevators and help disinfect escalator handrails.

The experience of using residential buildings and public premises such as MRT stations, shopping malls or offices is changing. For KONE customers, a key benefit of the health and well-being focused solutions is that improvements can be introduced easily, in an era when hygiene and physical distancing are vitally important.

“The forced lockdowns in several economies, as a result of the pandemic, has drastically changed the way people move and interact in cities and buildings. New challenges have cropped up in terms of understanding and mapping people flow. As a pioneer in people flow, our focus is on improving the well-being of our customers with a comprehensive approach to well-being and safety,” says Axel Berkling, EVP, Asia Pacific, KONE.

“Elevators and escalators play a key role in keeping society running and in enabling the economy to carry out essential activities. KONE 24/7 Connected Services, our intelligent maintenance solution, keeps one informed of the performance of their people flow assets round-the-clock. In these unprecedented times, this predictive intelligence helps with business continuity, so that proactive maintenance action can be performed and premises can be made safer for people to move around,” added Berkling.

Several existing KONE products and services are more relevant than ever today.

KONE 24/7 Connected Services brings increased safety, transparency, and intelligence to elevator and escalator maintenance, at a time when usage is critical, even when physical distancing measures are in place. The service enables faults to be predicted before they happen, and equipment status can be monitored around the clock.

The new KONE health and well-being solutions being introduced are:

1. KONE Elevator AirPurifier to improve air quality in the elevator car by destroying most potential pollutants, like bacteria, viruses, dust and odors. It uses Photocatalytic Oxidation (PCO) technology developed by NASA for removing contaminants from spacecraft cabins.
2. KONE Handrail Sanitizer uses ultraviolet light to gradually disinfect escalator handrails. Continuous chemical-free cleaning happens inside the escalator, with no risk for passengers. Exposure to ultra-violet radiation helps remove and inhibit the reproduction of micro-organisms such as bacteria or viruses.