KONE’s datadriven research boosts safety and improves people and material flows on cruise ships
KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, has conducted intensive research in partnership with several cruise line companies during the past three years. The aim has been to enhance the cruise experience by developing new solutions for the people and material flows on the ships while improving health and safety on board and in the terminals. The research has involved collecting data with sensors installed on the ships, timing activities, and interviews with passengers and crew members.
“We have collected a great deal of data that supports the companies’ decision-making. Any changes on cruise ships must be fact-based
and commercially viable solutions because the investments required are so large,” says Timo Pakarinen, managing director for KONE’s Marine business.
Modelling enables predictive elevator systems
KONE uses 3D simulation modeling of people’s movements on a ship during embarkation/disembarkation and the sea day. This makes
it possible to run different test scenarios on how the elevators and escalators work, depending on the number and types of passengers.
Modelling can include different distributions of various walking speed groups as well as restricted mobility users to match predicted passenger profiles. The end solution can help tackle known problems, such as crowded elevator lobbies or other passenger flow bottlenecks.
The Covid pandemic has made KONE’s research even more timely, as passengers have become very aware of the risks of infection in enclosed spaces.
“We have also carried out airflow research with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to make the elevator cars safer through cleaner
air and better ventilation. The goal is peace of mind for the users by minimizing the health risks in our elevators,” Pakarinen explains.
Early-stage design input brings major improvements
In addition to developing new solutions on existing cruise ships, KONE is also a supplier in several ongoing new-build cruise liner projects. The full extent of KONE’s research-based innovations will be revealed when these new ships are launched in the coming years.
“KONE’s early involvement in a new-build project means that the shipyards and shipowner get the full value of our optimization service
because that’s when the big decisions about the ship design (GA) are made. For example, this ensures that the ship will have exactly the right number of elevators in the right places to ensure optimal passenger flow experiences with optimized investments,” explains Pakarinen. “We see each strategic partnership as a means to facilitate innovation and identify efficiencies.”
Offering a better passenger experience
KONE Marine’s Destination Control System (DCS) is an effective way to manage people flows. It includes a destination operating panels
in the elevator lobby, where passengers select the deck they want to go to. The panel indicates which elevator the passenger should use to
reach smoothly their desired deck. This creates much calmer elevator lobby and passengers don’t need to chase the elevator anymore.
“DCS provides passengers the best possible user experience. By using it, we have managed to minimize passenger average wait times for
the elevators. Smooth people flow is vital part of a pleasant experience on board,” says Mikko Pohjalainen, Senior Key Account Manager at KONE Marine.
Intelligence, data, and savings in shipbuilding
During the construction of a ship, its elevators can be used as construction aids, known as CTU (construction time usage), to streamline
construction and shorten the ship’s construction time.
“The elevators must be suitable for both construction and ship operation needs when they serve as service elevators. Together with
the shipyard and our shipowner, we determine factors such as purpose and size of an elevator, and how wide the elevator doors should be to serve all usage needs,” says Pohjalainen.
KONE offers intelligent elevator management systems for shipbuilding. KONE SiteFlow exposes workflow inefficiencies with data-driven insight, while also offering elevator call prioritization to quickly solve bottlenecks.
“KONE SiteFlow provides us and the shipyard real-time information about elevator usage. Based on the data obtained, workers are directed to choose their routes and the correct elevators,” says Pohjalainen.
KONE Marine solutions
- Part of KONE, the global leader in the people flow industry.
- Provides innovative and ecoefficient solutions for marine elevators and escalators.
- Comprehensive support in every step of the marine industry: starting with the design, manufacturing and installation to maintenance and modernization.
- Complied with classification societies registered under the IACS, for example Achilles IQS, DNV, Lloyds, and RINA.
- References like Royal Caribbean International’s ICON of The Seas and Utopia of The Seas, Princess Cruises Line’s Sun Princess, MSC’s World Europa.
