This project featuring this new method, along with the assistance of KONE’s support teams, showcased two of our company’s most important focus areas. Our team was positioned for success with our innovative KONE-specific solution and accompanying training. This in turn allowed them to deliver value to our customer, finishing their portion of this major project on-time and on-budget.
Positioning the team for success
“I have to hand it to the Vancouver team,” Craig says. “They had the courage to try it.”
The team certainly merits praise. Beyond never having used this installation method prior, the project was the Vancouver branch’s first high-rise installation in nearly five years. The decision to be on the cutting edge of our installation progress ended up being a good one, but there was still a learning curve. Luckily, Daniel Chandler, Installation Trainer, was dispatched from our manufacturing facility in Allen, Texas to guide the team.
“They picked it up quick, very quick,” Daniel says of the team. “They just captured it right away because we had the equipment right in front of us. Usually, if you're doing a training like this, it's kind of a pain because you're not putting your hands on it. When you're doing that training and it's real, hands-on, on-site, site-specific, you can pick it up pretty well.”
While Daniel’s help was crucial, he attributes the success entirely to the Vancouver team, their expertise and their work ethic. These components were vital to building synergy between the team and the reinforcements called in to assist with the new method. The results were astonishing.
Record-breaking efficiency
The installation, despite being the first high rise project for the branch in half a decade, was one of the most efficient jobs in recent branch history at 90% efficiency.
“It was like an unstoppable machine,” Peter Mihajlevic, Installation Superintendent, says. “It just kept rolling.”
Per Peter, every aspect of the process was quicker, and the rhythm could not have been better.
Perhaps most remarkable though was the safety record of the project. Despite utilizing a new method and finishing well under the estimated hours, the team wrapped its work with zero safety incidents, per Richard Sequeira, Construction Project Manager.
Despite these impressive results, improvements are still ongoing. After every project, KONE’s behind-the-scenes teams take information directly from the field and incorporate it into the evolution of the new method.
“Every time we have a new job, I try to find different ways to make the method better,” Daniel says. “We're always improving the equipment to make it faster to install for the guys in the field, as well as packaging to match the job site specifics.”
Those are only a few of the improvements currently being embedded into this method. As Daniel and Craig visit more sites and as more teams across the Americas leverage this incredible new method, efficiency will continue to improve. As a result, our field teams will be able to develop their skills faster, learn new techniques and grow their careers. For our business, we will be able to deliver more value to customers with more efficient installations, helping us reach our goals and Win Residential.