A Family Affair

Your author speaks with the father/daughter team behind Doppler.

Doppler Lift Manufacturers S.A. was founded by Stavros Stavropoulos (SS) in 2000 and now has 20-plus years of operation in the elevator and escalator industry. With more than 200 partners, 1,500 implemented public projects and 20,000 installed lifts around the world, the company has grown, even through challenging times globally and in the industry.

Now, Stavropoulos’ daughter, Anthi Stavropoulou (AS), is at the helm of Doppler. She studied mechanical engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. After completing her studies, she started working at DOPPLER, assuming different positions and duties. A rotation of tasks helped her gain an integrated knowledge of all company operations, as she held the positions of head of commercial management, production, business development and procurement.

Your author (LF) was able to talk to each of them about the past and future of the company and the transition of power.

LF: Was it always your intention that Anthi would work for the company and one day be at its helm?

SS: It was my hope from the first minute I established Doppler. It was a decision discussed with Anthi despite her being 18 years old. She shared my vision, which was a decisive push for me to proceed with the materialization of our dream. I feel happy that it is not just wishful thinking; Anthi and I together will make it happen.

LF: What changes have you seen in the last 20 years that most impacted the industry and your company?

SS: We have been through the significant and long-lasting Greek financial crisis, the pandemic and the Ukraine war. In the global market, we have seen many new players from Asia entering the industry and transforming the competitive landscape, especially in pricing. At the same time, there is a clear consolidation of the market driven by the non-organic growth efforts of the big multinational players and their downstream vertical integration moves to enhance their market share in the maintenance business line and the booming modernization market.

As regards Doppler, 20 years ago, we were just infants. We were at the start of our, as we consider so far, successful journey. So, the last 20 years for Doppler were a time of constant changes, which brought us to today. As we are fast approaching our 25th anniversary, we feel mature enough and quite confident to realize that we are entering a new stage of development. We have a great product portfolio and great people working with us, and we are convinced that a new era has dawned on Doppler.

“So, this is what my success would look like: establishing the brand as the most quality-oriented internationally, with Anthi in the lead.”

— Stavros Stavropoulos

LF: What have been your biggest challenges and biggest successes?

SS: We have been through rather challenging times. We were less than 10 years in business when the global financial crisis and the resulting global turbulence hit the world, especially Greece. Looking back now, from a distance, I recognize that, despite all the operational problems we faced all those years — until about 2018 — there was some merit and many lessons learned. We were toughened and forced to expand outside Greece with minimum support and access to financial resources. Still, I believe that we successfully managed to overcome all these challenges.

We are proud of what we accomplished in building our product portfolio. Hydraulic or traction products cover all needs of low- to mid-rise buildings and home lifts and are highly accepted by the markets as top-notch solutions. We swiftly managed to reverse our geographical sales composition, having over 90% of our turnover coming from international markets.

The challenges, of course, never stop. Be it the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical crisis or whatever; we feel confident that we can overcome everything. We have built a cost-effective, lean business model with minimum working capital requirements, and foremost, we trust the people who helped us.

LF: What are your hopes for DOPPLER with Anthi at the lead? What does success look like?

SS: I am thrilled looking at Anthi and the leadership skills she demonstrates. As objective as one can be when speaking for his offspring, I know she envisions a company that will be top of mind when speaking for non-standard solutions. She nurtures the continuous build-up of our engineering skills. She has done a great job revamping Doppler’s corporate identity. She oversees the sales function with fruitful results since we reached all- time high levels in our order book and our book-to-bill ratio. So, this is what my success would look like: establishing the brand as the most quality-oriented internationally, with Anthi in the lead.

LF: As a manufacturer, what are the trends in the field you have seen in the last 20 years?

SS: In my experience, machine-room-less (MRL) traction lifts are getting more and more share from hydraulic, and there is a continuous increase in home lift demand globally.

LF: What is your contribution to the mechanical development of the lift industry?

SS: So far, we have established the manufacturing of different complete lift packages and the design of special lifts for bespoke solutions. I can say that I, personally, feel proud that, until now, there is not any demand that has come to Doppler to which we could not give a technical solution.

LF: What is your legacy in the industry? What will you leave behind?

SS: My legacy to the lift industry is the transformation of hydraulic lifts to traction MRL (Renaissance) and establishing a successful elevator-exporting organization with engineers who can solve any technical demand for elevators.

LF: Was working for the company always something that you intended to do, or did you have to come around to the idea?

AS: I must admit that we had our ups and downs! But, since I grew up in the company watching it grow, meeting exciting people and learning all the details of its operations, I knew I had to become a significant part of this organization. And so I did.

“I hope my contribution to the field will continue to be this exact point and why not: keep the company top-of-mind in the world for bespoke lift solutions.”

— Anthi Stavropoulou

LF: It would seem as if you’ve grown up as a part of the elevator industry – what do you find appealing about it? What have you learned either about yourself or the industry that you did not expect?

AS: The constant creation, the ongoing demand for solutions and the engineering that transforms everyday life are all factors that I find appealing. I am learning that there is always a solution to every problem. I am constantly learning not only the organization, the market and the elevators’ field but also myself. It is a nonstop discovery of new boundaries that can and will transform your everyday life.

LF: The previous article we did on Doppler says that you completed a rotation of tasks in various departments – what was your favorite?

AS: Since my career path was predefined, we had to implement a job rotation process. I needed exposure to various company departments, such as designing, marketing, sales, administrative functions, HR and production, while learning and improving my skill sets. All the tasks I have undertaken have led me to where I am now and have taught me all the procedures and functionality of our company.

LF: What would you say to someone considering entering the field? What are its benefits? Its struggles?

AS: It’s one of the most exciting fields that apply to an engineer; it’s creative and forces you to think outside the box. Working as a lift engineer makes you use all your knowledge in an exceptional field of operations. At the same time, it is a struggle; you must work constantly and endlessly explore applications to benefit customers.

LF: What are Doppler’s values? What is its orientation?

AS: Our main values are quality in every step of the production procedure and innovation through continuous training of our people. We are flexible through the adjustment of the corporate mechanism to the international needs of the elevator industry, and we are efficient because of an organized and coordinated corporate operation.

LF: What does the future of DOPPLER look like? How have technology and COVID-19 played a role in this?

AS: In the coming years, DOPPLER aims to reinforce its presence in new high-end markets like Australia, South America and Central Africa, as well as the U.S. and Asia markets. We aim to adopt an energy-efficient way of operating, considering cost-efficient energy efficiency measures in shaping energy policy and making relevant investment decisions. This has already begun with our newest sustainable investment. Our premises are 60% powered by the sun as we are equipped with solar panels — 400 kW in total capacity, 3,000-m2 total area covered — on the roof of our building. It is a transformative movement that creates energy independence, contributing to Doppler’s future longevity against pricing fluctuations, fossil fuels and failure of the commercial power grid.

The pandemic has played a significant role in our operations. The Ukraine war, as well. Still, we have adapted quite efficiently, and considering the increase in our exports, we can confidently see the future.

Additionally, my vision for the next 20 years is this: that Doppler is known worldwide as an ideal choice for tailor-made lift solutions requiring high engineering expertise and high-level aesthetics.

LF: What does success look like for you?

AS: Success is seeing our company grow, achieve its goals and expand globally, leaving a legacy to the lift industry for its flexibility and bespoke solutions for our customers. I aim to become one of the most dominant brands in non-standard and bespoke elevator solutions internationally.

LF: Anything else you’d like to add that I didn’t ask you?

AS: The company’s main objective is to be established as the best manufacturer of bespoke lift solutions in the world market.  Our main development milestones for the coming years are described below:

• Maintaining the enhanced R&D department to improve the design of existing models, as well as the introduction of new products

• Increasing the productivity of “standard” model elevators by supplementing and improving the existing mechanical equipment

• Increasing the production capacity of customized elevators with interventions not only in the design but also with strengthening the production equipment

• Production development in foreign countries where the demand in elevators is huge. Creation of subsidiaries and strengthening the existing ones to improve competitiveness, investing in the direct presence, at the level of sales and after sales services

• New dynamic approach of potential partners in Greece with the ultimate goal of claiming the market share that suits Doppler

• Subsidiaries in England and Russia. These markets are the largest in sales volumes in past years. The company has created a strong brand in these countries. A direct presence, in terms of sales promotion and after-sales service, is necessary as it will provide more prestige and increase total sales.

• Collaboration with multinationals. The particularly wide range of models combined with the proven reliability of its products makes Doppler an ideal partner for the multinationals, completing their range with models they are not interested in producing. There is already close cooperation in some countries with the biggest two multinationals.