KONE, one of the leading elevator manufacturers, is now focusing on climate-friendly logistics. On June 1, 2021, the LOGSTEP (“Logistic Solutions for Technical Personnel”) project, which is certainly unique not only in Vienna, will enter the hot phase: Four service technicians will then travel to the elevators in Austria’s capital city on e‑bikes and e‑scooters to maintain the systems and rescue trapped persons in an emergency. The federal states of Vienna and Lower Austria, the respective chambers of commerce and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection supported the lighthouse project. The company intends to transfer the findings from Vienna to metropolitan areas around the world.
“We can travel more flexibly and faster on wheels than by car — and we also run on green electricity.”
- Momcilo Kostic, service technician
His electric cargo bike accelerates to a maximum of 25 km/h. To keep distances short for Kostic and his colleagues, KONE has set up several microhubs in Vienna’s inner districts: Support points that serve as material storage and parcel stations around the clock and are located a maximum of 1,500 m from the elevators.
“The technical staff can pick up spare parts and tools from the microhubs at any time, while at the same time safely disposing of recyclables and packaging material,” explains Petru Huurinainen, Managing Director of KONE Austria. But not only the “last mile” is emission-free. Transports to and from the microhubs are also carried out by cargo bikes, in this case by the bicycle messenger service Heavy Pedals. “In this way, we relieve the city of car traffic and reduce CO2 emissions,” Huurinainen explains.
For the city of Vienna, LOGSTEP is one of the lighthouse projects on its way to becoming a smart city. “Efficient logistics is an integrative component for the supply, disposal and services we need every day in a city of millions like Vienna,” emphasizes Thomas Madreiter, Planning Director of the City of Vienna.
