Johannes de Jong just about went berserk when he heard his company, elevator-maker KONE Corp., had pulled the plug on research into ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber hoisting rope, which de Jong thought could be the biggest advance in elevators since Elisha Otis introduced the safety brake in 1853.
"I could see carbon fiber's business potential, so I decided to try to convince KONE's top management to reinstate the research," says de Jong, KONE's head of technology. Armed with a four-page paper, he presented his case to KONE skeptics and volunteered to sponsor the project.