Finnish firm Kone, a specialist in the elevator and escalator industry, has joined more than 125 building automation suppliers supporting promotion of BACnet as a communications protocol to help manage smart buildings.
BACnet International is an industry association that facilitates the successful use of the BACnet protocol in building automation and control systems through interoperability testing, educational programs and promotional activities.
As the first elevator and escalator manufacturing firm to support BACnet International, Kone continues to play a key role in the development of integrated smart Building Management Systems (BMS).
“Integrating Kone elevators, escalators and autowalks with smart buildings using BACnet will allow for quick device discovery and optimized operation. Our new Bacnet Solutions will also deliver real-time diagnostics for even smarter building management,” said Larry Wash, executive vice president, KONE Americas. “We look forward to bringing innovative KONE solutions to this process for our customers.”
As BACnet and building management continues to evolve, more types of building systems are being integrated. Elevators, escalators and autowalks are increasingly part of that integration, which is facilitated by the BACnet protocol, the Finnish firm noted.
Kone also highlighted that its BACnet PR18-compliant controller is an example of the ways in which the company is working toward full smart building management. Because the new elevator controller is a native BACnet device, no elevator controls integrator or translation is required, and no additional work is required by the building operator or BMS company, Kone said.
“This is what we believe is the first step in our journey to ensure our customers have a fully-integrated system allowing them to operate, manage and maintain their smart buildings in the best way possible,” Wash added.
Last month, Kone introduced what it claims to be the world’s first digital elevator series.
With standard, built-in connectivity, Kone DX Class elevators feature a combination of design, technology, new materials, apps and services, the company said.
The firm said that Kone DX Class offers intuitive, ambient and connected experiences that extend from the lobby throughout the building. For Kone customers such as developers and building owners, a key advantage is the ability to adapt and upgrade the elevator experience according to current and future needs, the company said.
The new Kone DX Class enables customers to tailor and plug in additional software and services for elevators throughout the entire lifetime of a building. By using open application programming interfaces (APIs), Kone’s approach makes it easy to manage and integrate different devices, apps and services with new and existing systems, the European firm added.