KONE Corporation, press release, February 23, 2012
KONE has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in New Orleans, La. to install elevators in the new Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System Replacement Hospital. As part of Project Legacy, KONE is installing 43 total third-party elevators, including geared traction passenger, service and freight elevators. KONE understands the unique People Flow® needs of hospitals - elevators must provide accessible, safe, reliable, and hygienic rides for hospital staff, patients and visitors in a busy environment.
The planned 200-bed medical center will replace the downtown VA Hospital that has been closed since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans six years ago. With a 148,000 square meter facility and two 1,000-car garages, the center will provide an anchor for the region's veterans' hospital care, long-term rehabilitation and research.
"We are honored to have been chosen by the Department of Veteran Affairs to contribute to this important project for the city of New Orleans," said Vance Tang, EVP and Area Director of KONE Americas. "Our expertise and experience in the medical environment will enable patients, hospital staff and visitors to move smoothly and safely throughout the complex."
The project includes an administration building, an ambulatory care building, both an inpatient and outpatient tower, and a diagnostic and treatment building, as well as patient parking, staff parking and a central energy plant. KONE has a long history of designing, installing, maintaining and modernizing elevator and escalator solutions which meet the special demands of hospital environments.
KONE's work on the medical center will begin in the fourth quarter of 2012, and the facility is scheduled to open in 2015. The order was booked in the first quarter of 2012.
For further information, please contact:
Anne Korkiakoski, EVP, Marketing & Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4775
Kellie Lindquist, Marketing Manager, KONE Inc., tel. +1 630 955 4202
Previous press releases on KONE's orders in the medical market are available at www.kone.com/press (http://www.kone.com/press) including:
- January 13, 2012, KONE secures University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Project (http://www.kone.com/corporate/en/Press/Releases/Pages/kone-secures-university-of-texas-south-western-medical-center-project.aspx)
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(TM) 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.
www.kone.com (http://www.kone.com)
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(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and
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information contained therein.
Source: KONE Oyj via Thomson Reuters ONE
