How does TK Elevator position itself in terms of technological development in the lift sector in Italy and worldwide? And how does the company adapt to the challenges and opportunities offered by the domestic market?
We are a leading company in the lift industry, specialising in the installation and maintenance of passenger transport systems in both the public and private sectors, and research and technological innovation is in our core. We are pioneers in this area. Globally, TK Elevator has customers in more than 100 countries with approximately 1,000 locations and more than 50,000 employees. Our extensive network guarantees close proximity to customers. In fact, the company's most important line of business is the service sector represented by more than 24,000 service technicians. Over the past decades, TK Elevator has established itself as one of the world's leading lift companies.
We have introduced predictive maintenance, with the MAX platform, which uses the data from hundreds of thousands of our lifts around the world and allows us to alert our technicians when a particular lift needs maintenance - before it becomes a problem. We have launched some truly revolutionary and unique products. Such as MULTI, the world's first cable-free lift, capable of moving vertically and horizontally, eliminating the design constraints imposed by traditional lifts, and before that, TWIN, an innovative vertical mobility system in which two independent, overlapping cabins move simultaneously in a single shaft, thus halving the space required for lifts and freeing up usable space for the entire height of the building. This is a product that we will also soon install in Milan (at I Portali di COIMA). In 2022, with the launch of EOX, we have chosen to make innovation accessible to all, bringing high standards of digitisation and sustainability also to the low-rise residential market in Italy.
You have launched EOX, the new eco-efficient, native lift platform. What are its main features and why does it differ from other residential lifts on the market? How does EOX fit in with sustainability and energy-saving requirements in the home?
EOX is the new eco-efficient, digitally native lift platform from TK Elevator. It brings premium specifications to the entry level standards and is designed to be a natural extension of the way we live and move in the world today - environmentally conscious and always connected. Designed for the residential market, it is TKE's response to the challenges posed by increasing urbanisation and the need to safeguard the planet's resources. More than 10% of a building's energy consumption comes from lifts, especially older ones, which is why to reduce the energy footprint of our products we have introduced ultra-low energy systems - ultra-lightweight motors and components, and a lot of technology and innovation from production to delivery to the building site. When EOX senses a drop in attendance, it reduces its speed and thus its consumption - a lift installed today will consume energy for another 30 years, and it is a great responsibility to design it intelligently.
How does the EOX lift fit into TK Elevator's vision and strategy for the future of residential lifts, and what are the company's future plans in this area?
EOX is the fusion of state-of-the-art digital and energy-efficient technologies. It demonstrates TK Elevator's strong commitment to adding value to buildings: contributing to maximum energy efficiency and reducing their carbon footprint. It is a lift that puts the customer at the centre, taking into account the needs of today and tomorrow of all those who design, construct, manage or use a building, which is why it boasts digital hardware that can be updated like a smartphone, over-the-air and full of smart functions. In addition to the new installation market, we also have several plug-and-play solutions for the modernisation market, and at the Global Elevator Exibition in Milan we will present a new ultra-flexible product adaptable to the Italian market that needs to be modernised - consider that 60% of the lift fleet in Italy is over 30 years old. In the area of services, we have pushed the industry towards 4.0 by connecting plants to the cloud and exploiting big-data to offer advanced services to our customers.
Vertical mobility solutions are indispensable within densely populated buildings or to improve the accessibility of public spaces. We would like to hear about TK Elevator's flagship projects where it has contributed to urban mobility and the user experience.
The residential market has emerged from the crisis triggered by the pandemic - today, thanks to government incentives, we are experiencing a remarkable momentum in building renovations and upgrades. Several planners and architects are designing multifunctional buildings with mixed uses and there are even those who are repurposing large vertical structures from offices to restaurants, gyms and residences. We are working on many fronts, in medium and long-term projects, for example in Milan with COIMA we will install the first 12 TWIN lifts in Italy in the future KPMG business centre 'i Portali' in the heart of Milan on via Melchiorre Gioia. Also in Milan, we are helping ATM to replace many escalators along the M2 line - they are ultra-modern systems full of technology and safety solutions. We are also doing this in Rome in a different context, at the Amba-Aradam (Colosseum) and Fori Imperiali museum stations - we are installing escalators and lifts in the heart of the capital for millions of tourists and citizens - a complex and delicate project. The new Sesto station designed by Renzo Piano's studio with several escalators and lifts - we are modernising the transport systems at Malpensa with moving walkways and escalators. This spring, we will install new equipment at the Imola racetrack.
We are also supporting ANM in Naples with a major project for Line 6 - the Genoa and Catania Metro - in Palermo we are working on the completion of the railway ring with new metro stations including the beautiful maritime station.
