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Gold Coast-headquartered Orbitz Elevators has been acquired by Finnish multinational KONE for an undisclosed sum a decade after it was founded by British migrant Jonathan Dwayre, who took his knowledge from the family elevator business in the UK and found opportunity on the other side of the world.
KONE will acquire the service business of Orbitz Elevators in Australia and all lines of company’s businesses in New Zealand, although it will not include Orbitz Elevators Papua New Guinea or the vertical projects business.
"Our acquisition of Orbitz Elevators complements KONE’s existing service offerings in the South-Pacific and beyond," says KONE Australia managing director Marek Oppeln-Bronikowski.
"We’re excited to welcome Orbitz Elevators’ employees and customers to KONE. I’m confident that by combining our experience, we can generate even greater value for our customers."
KONE and Orbitz Elevators will continue to operate as separate entities until the integration is completed, with Dwayre joining KONE in an advisory role for five consecutive years to ensure a smooth transition.
"For the past 10 years our talented teams have focused on creating exceptional customer experiences," says Dwayre, who was the Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019.
"By joining KONE, we gain access to their local and global expertise, supply chain and resources. This will allow us to provide our customers with a broader, stronger portfolio of innovative and sustainable products and services."
Dwayre had only originally planned to come to Australia for six months, but manage to land a good job with an Australian elevator contractor for three years before relocating again to New Zealand in a senior role as a technical support manager.
"As an astute business person, I quickly identified gaps in the Australian elevator market which was a lack of customer service, flexibility and asset reliability," he told Business News Australia back in 2019.
"With my extensive global elevator experience, I soon realised my dream with Orbitz Elevators which became a reality in November 2014.
"At that time, I was getting married, having children, building a house, with very little money in the bank."
He said that all he had at the time was his credit card, and took a significant risk financing the first Orbitz van with a determination to succeed.
"I was working 20 hours a day, solely operating from my small room at home. I truly believed in my purpose and the business I was creating," he said.
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