I Used to Think an Elevator Was Just an Elevator
When I took over purchasing for our company in 2020, I treated elevator maintenance the same way I treated office supplies. Find the lowest price, check a few boxes, place the order. Seemed simple, right?
It wasn't until 2023 that I realized how wrong that approach was. The industry had changed—way more than I expected—and my old way of thinking was costing us real money. Not just in dollars, but in headaches.
My Old Thinking: Cheapest Quote Wins
Back in 2020, I was managing relationships with 8 different vendors for our office needs across 3 locations. Paper, cleaning, IT support, you name it. When our elevator contract came up for renewal, I applied the same logic: get three quotes, pick the cheapest. Bottom line: an elevator is an elevator, right?
Wrong.
The vendor we chose was about 15% cheaper than KONE's quote. Maybe 18%, I'd have to check the old spreadsheet. But here's the thing—that 15% savings? It evaporated pretty quickly. The cheaper vendor's response time for breakdowns was "within 48 hours" according to the contract. In practice, it was closer to 3-4 business days. When an elevator goes down in a 6-story building with 400 employees, that's not just an inconvenience. It's a problem that lands on my desk, and then on my VP's desk.
"The $2,000 I saved on the contract ended up costing us way more in lost productivity and my own time managing complaints."
What Changed My Mind
A few things happened in 2023 that made me rethink everything.
1. The False Economy of Cheap Service
I'm not an elevator technician, so I can't speak to the technical details of motor drives or control systems. What I can tell you from an administrative perspective is this: cheap service means cheap parts and slow response. The cheaper vendor used generic parts that failed twice in one year. Each failure meant a full day of elevator downtime. The cost of those failures in terms of employee frustration and our facilities team's time? Easily $4,000-$5,000. The "savings" on the contract were a joke.
2. The Data I Weren't Tracking
I wish I had tracked downtime incidents more carefully from the start. What I can say anecdotally is that in the first year with the cheap vendor, we had 4 unplanned outages totaling about 12 days of downtime. With KONE's service since switching? One minor issue in 14 months, fixed within 4 hours. That's not luck—that's a different approach to maintenance.
3. The Hidden Costs of Managing Bad Service
Every time there was an issue, I had to call, email, follow up, escalate. My time isn't free. Processing 60-80 orders annually across different vendors, I can tell you that the administrative burden of a problematic vendor is real. The cheaper vendor made me look bad to my VP when the elevator was down during a client visit. That's a cost you can't quantify on a spreadsheet.
Why I Now Think KONE Makes Sense
Look, I'm not saying KONE is the only option. But what I've learned is that in the elevator world, you get what you pay for. Here's what changed my perspective:
- Predictability matters more than price. With KONE, the maintenance schedule is consistent. I know what's happening and when. No surprises.
- Response time is real. When there's a problem, someone comes within hours, not days. For a building with 400 people, that's huge.
- They use genuine parts. This sounds obvious, but the cheap vendor didn't. Using manufacturer-approved parts means fewer breakdowns. I've seen the difference.
- One point of contact. I deal with one account manager who knows our building. That saves me a ton of time.
Sure, you could argue that a local maintenance company might be cheaper. And for a smaller building with one elevator, maybe that's fine. But for a multi-story building serving hundreds of employees? The risk of downtime outweighs the savings.
I Know What You're Thinking
"This sounds like an ad for KONE." I get it. But I'm just sharing what I've learned from actually managing these contracts. The fundamentals of procurement haven't changed—you still need to evaluate cost, quality, and reliability. But the execution has transformed. What was "best practice" in 2020—just compare quotes and pick the cheapest—doesn't apply in 2025.
Another objection I hear: "My building is different." Maybe. But I'd argue that the principles are the same. If your elevator is critical to your daily operations (and if people use it, it is), then treating it like a commodity is a mistake.
Final Thought
I'm not an expert on elevators. Seriously—I don't know the difference between a traction elevator and a hydraulic one without looking it up. But I do know about managing vendor relationships and total cost of ownership. And I can tell you, the price on the contract is only the beginning.
The real cost of a maintenance contract includes downtime, management time, parts quality, and reliability. When I started thinking about it that way, KONE's pricing made a lot more sense. It's not the cheapest option. But for our building, it's the right one.
