KONE wins four prestigious red dot design awards

KONE Corporation, press release, June 7, 2012

KONE has won two awards and two honorable mentions in the "red dot award: product design 2012" competition. The awards were given for the elevator signalization series KSS 280 and KSS 800 and the honorable mentions for the KONE Design Collection and renewed elevator car, all launched in June 2012.

According to KONE's design philosophy, a good elevator user experience is more than just a ride - it's an emotional experience that combines aesthetics, accessibility, comfort, safety and reliability. The philosophy springs from KONE's vision of delivering the best user experience in the industry.

"We are very honored to have received these awards for our latest innovative designs," says Anne Stenros, Director of Design at KONE. "The new design solutions offer a wide selection of unique elevator car interiors as well as user friendly components and accessories to create highly customized ambiances and experiences."

The red dot jury praised KONE's winning solutions for harmonious design, innovative technical processes that provide customizing options, intelligent operating concept, excellent technical performance, and strong focus on accessibility.

Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator and CEO of the red dot design award, pointed to the high quality level of the competition: "The most distinguished products of the respective branch of industry faced up not only to the tough competition this year again, but also to the critical eye of the jury that thoroughly examined, tested and evaluated each individual entry. In addition to demonstrating an extraordinary design quality, the winners showed that design is an integral part of innovative product solutions."

The red dot design award dates back to 1955 and is now one of the world's largest and most distinguished design competitions. This year, 1,800 companies and designers from 58 countries submitted a total of 4,515 applications with the intention of proving their design ability in an international comparison with renowned designers and up-and-coming talents.

KONE's red dot design award 2012 winners and honorable mentions

The red dot design award 2012 winners, the KSS 280 and KSS 800 signalization series, bring novel design to elevators with their minimalistic and user-friendly design. The KSS 800 introduces easy-to-use destination control to the wider public and therefore improves traffic efficiency in buildings. Both series focus on accessibility and usability, which becomes obvious in the landing fixture with rounded corners, clear forms and large key buttons.

The red dot design award 2012 honorable mentions were given to the KONE Design Collection and KONE's new elevator car. The KONE Design Collection presents six trendy design themes for elevator interiors with a wide range of vibrant colors, new materials, and unique patterns. The renewed elevator car's horizontal paneling makes the interior appear more spacious than before.

Previous press releases on KONE's design awards are available at www.kone.com/press including:
KONE Design signalization series wins prestigious GOOD DESIGN Award (January 28, 2010)

KONE becomes first elevator company to receive prestigious GOOD DESIGN Award (January 23, 2009)

Images: View images of the signalization series, the KONE Design Collection and KONE's new elevator car
www.kone.com/images-red-dot

For further information, please contact:
Anne Korkiakoski, EVP, Marketing & Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4775

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 2011, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 5.2 billion and on average 35,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd in Finland.

KONE is proud to be one of the main corporate sponsors of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project. The World Design Capital is an initiative of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), who awards the World Design Capital city title every other year. The World Design Capital initiative promotes and supports the cultural, social and financial uses of design. Helsinki is the World Design Capital 2012 - and the focus of the year will be on embedding design in life, promoting innovative and sustainable design and design's impact on urban spaces, economies and citizens.