(Coal Valley, IL) -- A Quad Cities area company is being awarded a multi-million dollar contract in Washington D.C.
KONE, an elevator and escalator company with operations in the Quad Cities, recently won a $179 million contract from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to modernize and replace escalators in 32 Metrorail stations. The company’s escalator plant in Coal Valley will produce equipment for the project and expects growth as a result.
The Quad Cities Chamber says KONE’s Coal Valley facility employs more than 100 people. Each single escalator unit takes more than 1,000 person-hours to produce and is followed by another 12-15 weeks to install.
“This is great news for KONE and will certainly make a positive impact on KONE operations in the Quad Cities area,” said Unit Director Brian Krzyaniak, who manages the facility.
KONE had hoped to receive the contract last July, but it was delayed by pandemic and other factors. The company, with its American headquarters in Lisle, Illinois, booked the order in the fourth quarter of 2020. “As the second-busiest rapid transit system in the U.S., Metro is a vitally important component of the Washington region’s transportation infrastructure,” said Ken Schmid, Executive Vice President, KONE Americas.
When the latest contract is complete, KONE will have produced more than half of the metro authority’s 618 escalators and will install 27 unique controller cabinet enclosures to complement the stations’ traditional architecture. The project is expected to be completed by April, 2027.