Have You Met Meghan Ludin?

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Name: Meghan Ludin

Title/Role: Spares Team Lead, External Sales

How long have you been with KONE Spares? Five and a half years

Contact Information:

What is the first place you are going to go that you are unable to go right now? Day one of freedom, I am going to take my kids to play at our favorite local park playground! It has been hard to see the caution tape covering up all that fun for the past few months.

What is the funniest thing that has happened during a virtual meeting or call? With kids in the house, there are always funny things that happen. My favorite was probably when my four year old daughter decided the perfect time to perfect her werewolf howl was when I was on a call.

What is one positive that you didn’t expect from quarantine? A new love of bicycling AND working out in our yard (even though I am still plant killer, extraordinaire!). It has also been so great to slow down a bit and get some great family time in!

Tell me something about yourself that is not common knowledge or that someone would never guess! I love cookbooks! I find a new favorite and work to cook and bake my way through the whole thing and, generally, don’t like making the same recipes more than once!

What is something you want the industry to know about you? I truly love what I do. Over the years, so many customers have become friends. It is great to learn from each other and connect in a way that is very unique to our industry. I take a lot of pride in being a trusted resource for our customers and love watching them succeed!

Have You Met Paige Anderson?

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Name: Paige Anderson

Title/Role: Buyer Purchasing 

How long have you been with KONE Spares? 23 years with KONE, and 2 with Montgomery Elevators

What is the first place you are going to go that you are unable to go right now? To go visit my 99-1/2 year Great Aunt

What is the funniest thing that has happened during a virtual meeting or call? Thought I was muted — and i wasn’t — and told my family to shut up because I was in a meeting.

What is one positive that you didn’t expect from quarantine? I thought it would be difficult to work from home but it is amazing how everyone works as a team, and was able to work just fine with current technology and my cell phone. 

Tell me something about yourself that is not common knowledge or that someone would never guess! I really wanted to be chef and not major in computers in college.  I love to cook new things.

What is something you want the industry to know about you? Elevator life is a lot of ups and downs and people pushing your buttons, but at least KONE Spares will try and get you that right button so people can go up and down. 

Have you met Laura Hotle?

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Name: Laura Hotle

Title: Sales Representative

How long have you been with KONE Spares? 2 years

Contact Information:

What is the first place you are going to go that you are unable to go right now?  How do you decide just ONE place? I suppose to Target for a “quick errand” where I will endlessly roam the aisles, spend too much money and there will be NOTHING quick about it. Oh, and did I mention it will be WITHOUT my children and husband?

What is the funniest thing that has happened during a virtual meeting or call?  My daughter fell behind the TV stand directly behind me which knocked the TV and bookshelf over as a result! I was pretty frustrated at the time but looking back, it is pretty hilarious!

What is one positive that you didn’t expect from quarantine? The lack of rushing around constantly is allowing us to have more quality family time that is otherwise rare. I’ve also been able to get many things done around the house that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Tell me something about yourself that is not common knowledge or that someone would never guess! Some of you may already know this by now but I have 3 (used to have 4) metal plates in my face! Ask me why if you want to know! 😊 If that’s old news to you, something else is that I’m addicted to looking at houses for sale online!

Have you met Becky Cousins?

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Name: Rebecca (Becky) Cousins

Title:  Administrative Associate Spares

How long have you been with KONE Spares? 15 years

What is the first place you are going to go that you are unable to go right now?  New Mexico to visit my nephew (had to postpone too long now).

What is the funniest thing that has happened during a virtual meeting or call?  I hung up on my boss – wasn’t intentional, I assure you.

What is one positive that you didn’t expect from quarantine? Operating this tiny little laptop!

Tell me something about yourself that is not common knowledge or that someone would never guess! My best friend & I won blue ribbons at the Iowa State Fair for demonstrating how to refinish wood from an old table & making it into a beautiful box shelf.

What is something you want the industry to know about you?  I’m very good at handling problem phone calls.

Natalie’s 20th Anniversary with KONE Spares

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It is Natalie’s 20 year anniversary with KONE Spares today and with an anniversary like that — we had to have some fun. Natalie has made a huge impact on our team and as a valued resource within the Vertical Transportation industry — so, if you have a moment, wish her a Happy Anniversary!! We’d also love to hear your favorite stories and memories with Natalie Twigg, so please share them with us!

Have you met Jessica Gross?

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Name: Jessica Gross

Title: Senior Sales Representative

How long have you been with KONE Spares? 5½ years

What is the first place you are going to go when able that you are unable to now? Vacation… once given the green light I want to go to ALL of the places! We’ve postponed 3 trips at this point and are really looking forward to traveling again once it is safe to do so.

What is the funniest thing that has happened during a virtual meeting or call?  My son roared like a dinosaur during an entire call. Apparently working at Jurassic Park is my new normal.

What is one positive that you didn’t expect from quarantine?  The additional connections being made personally and at work. People have been more open to taking the time to talk and find ways to virtually connect. I’ve appreciated getting to know customers better and finding unique ways to use technology to stay connected.

Tell me something about yourself that is not common knowledge or that someone would never guess! I lived in Germany for a year when I was 4. My mom was born and raised in Germany so we went often. Now as an adult I do not get to go as often as I would like but my daughter has had a chance to go twice and this year was to be my sons first trip, looking forward to hopefully be able to take them again in 2021!

Essential People for an Essential Business

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Many essential businesses and institutions, including hospitals, rely on their elevators for critical operations. During the current pandemic, it is more important than ever to make sure these elevators continue running smoothly, and if they are shut down, they must be repaired as quickly as possible. 

This is why our warehouse staff is also considered essential, as without them the spare parts won’t be shipped to the businesses which need them. 

We want to take this opportunity to honor and thank these dedicated professionals who keep the flow of parts moving.

Temperatures are taken before anyone is allowed in the warehouse.

For everyone’s protection, temperatures are taken before anyone is allowed entry into the warehouse. This goes beyond our dedicated warehouse staff, as it also includes drivers and material handlers from the various shipping services as well. 

Proper social distancing is enforced as mandatory, as is face covering. Again, this applies to everyone entering the premises, not just our employees. 

To further enhance social distancing, we’ve staggered shifts in line with the various time zones to which we’re shipping, so that there are fewer people in the warehouse at the same time. 

Meanwhile, all other KONE Spares employees are working from home to provide continued support for our industry.  

Together, we will get through this unprecedented time in modern history. KONE Spares continues to be dedicated to our customers, and our customer’s customers, because as before, we will only succeed if you succeed. 

We are with you in this. If you’re healthy, we hope you remain so, and if you, your team, or loved ones are affected, we are supporting you with prayer for a quick recovery. 

And again, a huge heartfelt thank you to our warehouse staff, without whom the essential services would not be possible. 

WE ARE WITH YOU

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As this coronavirus (COVID-19) situation continues to develop, all of our lives will undoubtedly be affected. While we all work to keep people moving safely in buildings during this unprecedented event, it is important to us that we express our appreciation for the healthcare workers, local communities, and governments around the world who are on the frontline, striving to contain (or at least mitigate) this virus.

KONE Spares encourages everyone to take all precautions to stay safe and healthy during this time.

We will continue to evaluate measures that best support you and our teams as the situation develops. As always, our local teams remain available, and our warehouse remains open, engaged, and ready to support you.

Stay safe, keep your loved ones safe, and lets all work together to not only make it through these trying times, but to come out of it stronger, wiser, and more resilient to future perils.

COMB PLATE IMPACT AND ESCALATOR SAFETY

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Is it comb plate or combplate? It seems the industry can’t make up its mind on this term. You’ll find it listed both ways across the industry, and even listed both ways in the same document!

Regardless, the comb plate impact device is a very important safety feature of an escalator, and has been required per ASME A17.1 Safety Code since the early 1990’s. Detection of either vertical or horizontal movement in a comb plate is vital for the safety of the riding public.

KONE Spares has two different upgrades for this device, and a tool to make sure this feature is adjusted properly — no matter what brand or model escalator you’re working on.

For older Montgomery HR Series escalators which don’t have the comb plate impact safety feature, we have a kit to add it to the escalator: Comb Plate Impact Device Upgrade for Montgomery HR Series Escalators

For Montgomery HR Series escalators which do have the comb plate impact device feature, we have a reliability upgrade: Escalator Comb Plate Impact Device Spring Reliability Upgrade

And if you’re working on any escalator with a comb plate impact safety device feature, we have this tool to help you adjust it to proper spec: Escalator Comb Plate Impact Fixture Test Kit

We can’t stress enough the importance of a working, properly adjusted comb plate impact safety system on an escalator. The health and well-being of the riding public depends on it.