Schindler Group

The Schindler Group is a manufacturer of escalators and elevators world wide, 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 48,000 persons worldwide. The production facilities are located in Brazil, China, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, India and the USA.

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 River Reuss in Lucerne, Switzerland, for the production of lifting equipment and machines of all types.

Schindler founded the first foreign subsidiary in Berlin (Germany) 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 Electric, 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.

Acquisitions and joint ventures

 * Joint venture with Jardine, Matheson & Co. Ltd, Hong Kong in 1974.
 * Haughton Elevator Division, USA, 1979.
 * Western Elevator Limited, Canada, 1986.
 * Nippon Elevator Industry Co. Ltd., Japan, 1985.
 * Joint venture with Suzhou Elevator Company, China, 1988.
 * Westinghouse Elevator Business USA, 1989.
 * Türkeli Ticaret S.A., Turkey, 1992.
 * Joint venture with Saigon Engineering Co. Ltd., Vietnam, 1996.
 * C. Haushahn GmbH & Co., Germany, 1998.
 * Elevadoras Atlas S.A., Brazil, 1999.
 * Liftremont, Russia, 2002.
 * Joong Ang Elevator Co. Ltd., South Korea, 2003.
 * Doppelmayr Aufzüge AG, Austria, 2003
 * Saudi Elevator Corp., Saudi Arabia, 2009.
 * Joint venture with Xuchang Xiji Elevator, China, 2011
 * Andino, Colombia, 2011.

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 and Schindler ID 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 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 (a subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.) 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 October 31, 2012, a 63-year-old woman at a hotel in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, was crushed to death between the ceiling and the floor, when the Schindler elevator started moving while the door was still open.

Schindler Award
Since 2003, Schindler has sponsored the "Schindler Award", a biannual prize for the design of inclusive and accessible urban areas. The competition is open to all students in their final year of study on a bachelor’s course or those enrolled on a master’s course at a European university or college of architecture. If 12 or more students from the same school apply to enter the competition, that school qualifies to participate in the schools’ competition. The Schindler Award 2010 attracted almost 1,400 participants and is therefore one of the most recognized and popular architectural competitions for students in Europe. The Schindler Award 2012, was held in Berne, Switzerland. The next competition will take place in 2014 in the city of Shenzhen, China. For the first time in history, the Schindler Award will be open for students worldwide.