Schindler to invest ₹100 cr in new escalator facility

Schindler India, a subsidiary of Swiss elevator major, plans to invest ₹100 crore to set up an escalator manufacturing facility at its Chakan plant in Pune. The new facility, which is expected to be operational by next June, will have a capacity to manufacture 1,100 escalators a year.

Uday Kulkarni, President, India & South Asia, Schindler India, said the demand for escalator is growing at a steady pace from the Railways and new metro projects and with foot-over-bridges being constructed across major cities.

“Till recently, we were meeting the demand for escalators by importing it from China and other parts of the world. The cost of escalator will come down with the new plant going on stream and the business achieves scale,” he added.

The company has already invested ₹470 crore at the Pune plant which has manufacturing capacity of 12,000 elevators a year.

It has also put up Schindler University, a training facility for fitters and service technicians. Besides teaching technical skills, the university also imparts basic etiquette to equip workers deal with top officials at the project site, said Kulkarni.

Schindler India also plans to set up its corporate office Schindler House in Mumbai with an investment of ₹30-40 crore by next year. With growing demand, the company intends to enhance its employee strength from 4,000 to 6,500 in three years.

The company is also exploring the possibility of fitting air-conditioners in elevators besides testing destination controlled elevators at high-end residential and commercial buildings. On the higher end, Schindler is working on a technology where people can call for the elevator even before they reach the lobby to board it, said Kulkarni.

The company recently launched a new elevator for replacing manual door and collapsible elevators in old buildings and has received good response from in Mumbai and Delhi.

It plans to enter Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir markets besides exploring neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The company has an order book for elevators worth ₹1,000 crore spread over 18 months.

It recently bagged an order for 193 escalators and 120 elevators from Nagpur Metro Rail.