The Schindler Group is a Swiss multinational company which manufactures escalators, moving walkways, and elevators worldwide, founded in Switzerland in 1874. Schindler produces, installs, maintains and modernizes elevators and escalators in many types of buildings including residential, commercial and high-rise buildings. The company is present in more than 140 countries and employs more than 58,000 persons worldwide. The production facilities are located in Brazil, China, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, India and the United States. All operations and subsidiaries of Schindler Group are organised into Schindler Holding Ltd., which is publicly traded on SIX Swiss Exchange.
Company history
The company was founded in Switzerland in 1874, by Robert Schindler and Eduard Villiger who established the collective joint partnership Schindler & Villiger. Shortly thereafter, a mechanical engineering workshop was built on an island in the riverReuss in Lucerne, Switzerland, for the production of lifting equipment and machines of all types. Schindler founded the first foreign subsidiary in Berlin in 1906. Thereafter, the company expanded continuously and mainly throughout Europe. In 1980 Schindler founded the first Western industrial joint venture in the People's Republic of China. With the takeover of Atlas in Brazil in 1999 Schindler became a major market player in South America. Schindler entered the North American elevator market with the purchase of Toledo-based Haughton Elevator Company in 1979 - briefly branding their products as Schindler-Haughton. In 1989, the company dramatically increased its presence in the United States after acquiring the Elevator/Escalator division of Westinghouse, one of the largest producers of elevators and escalators at the time. Currently, Schindler Elevator Corporation, the United States operations of Schindler Group, is based in Morristown, New Jersey. In February 2007, Schindler, along with competitors Otis Elevator Co., ThyssenKrupp, Kone, and Mitsubishi Elevator Europe were fined by the European Union for a price-fixing cartel. Schindler was fined 144 million euros, or about $189.3 million US dollars. Since 2011, Schindler have sponsored Solar Impulse, a solar-powered aircraft. Schindler have also developed the technology solution Schindler Ahead, which uses big data analysis to predict maintenance needs. In 2019, Schindler was awarded a multi-year contract to replace and install escalators in four downtown stations, for the Market Street Escalators Renovation Project of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
Destination control systems
Schindler's Miconic 10
The company's name for their proprietary control system, was introduced in 1995. It was the industry's first example of control system now known as "hall call" destination system. The system features keypads and LED screens instead of hall button stations whereby riders enter their desired floor before entering an elevator car. The system then directs the rider to a specific elevator car, while grouping riders traveling to nearby floors together. Schindler claims this minimizes the number of stops, and decreases congestion and travel time—especially during peak traffic periods. The system was continuously further developed and new functions were amended, eventually evolving in systems which guarantee highly efficient and energy-saving traffic management. Especially in high rise buildings, traffic-management systems like Miconic 10 allow building designers to maximize rentable space and transportation efficiency. Moreover, access control becomes feasible.
Accidents
On November 29, 2004, a Schindler elevator in Nagoya descended while the door was still open. Nobody was injured in this incident. Investigation found that elevator's firmware "TV60 v1.1" had a bug that opens the door when elevator starts moving.
On April 22, 2006, three passengers were trapped in the elevator in Hachioji, Tokyo, after the elevator's door opened while it was ascending. Elevator had faulty firmware "TV60 v1.0".
On June 3, 2006, a Schindler elevator in Minato, Tokyo, started ascending while the door was open. A 16-year-old boy was crushed to death while getting off the elevator with his bicycle. An investigation determined a faulty brake was to blame. When the government investigation team requested Schindler to disclose the information about elevators installed, Schindler declined to comply with the request and investigation claiming that documents contained personal information.
On June 10, 2006, a Schindler elevator in Urayasu started ascending while the door was open, passed the top floor, and finally stopped in the mechanical shaft. Two people were trapped in the car. The elevator had firmware "80TH v1.4" with faulty codes.
On October 16, 2007, a 9-year-old boy hit his head against the wall after getting his head stuck between the handrail of a Schindler escalator and an acrylic board in a Seiyu store in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. He remained unconscious for three days before regaining consciousness. Later investigation found that escalators were not installed in accordance with the Japanese building code, despite the previous claim from Schindler, which was the maintenance contractor.
On November 16, 2010, 18 students at the Kashiwa campus of University of Tokyo fell from ground floor to the basement floor in a Schindler elevator with the doors still open. One student incurred a minor injury while trying to escape. Schindler determined the cause to be loose brake wires.
On December 11, 2013, The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Department announced fines against Schindler for three "serious violations", after one of its elevator mechanics died in June while working on the Levi's Stadium.
