Schindler gets a new leader; Otis and Hitachi win contracts.

Ramachandran Named President of Schindler India, South Asia

Ashok Ramachandran has been named president of Schindler India and South Asia, filling the role most recently held by Uday Kulkarni, who is retiring. Ramachandran has been with Schindler for more than 10 years, starting in Australia in the quality department and moving on to managing director (MD) of Schindler Vietnam in 2012, where he is credited with a “complete turnaround” of the business. In 2016, he became MD of Schindler Malaysia and was appointed CEO of Schindler India in 2019.

Kulkarni will remain involved with the company responsible for the Schindler University training facility. As president, Ramachandran will oversee sales, marketing and operations that include a factory and R&D. Headquartered in Mumbai, Schindler India serves 50 major cities through 13 branch offices.

Hitachi to Provide 49 VT Units for Office Park in Bengaluru

Hitachi Building Systems Co., Ltd. and Hitachi Lift India Pvt. Ltd. signed contracts to supply 49 elevators and escalators for Embassy Malaysia in Bengaluru, the companies recently announced. The large office park project will include two office blocks, two international hotels and a convention center. Hitachi will provide 22 elevators for the office blocks, 13 elevators for the hotels and 10 elevators and four escalators for the convention center. The vertical transportation (VT) will feature a destination- floor reservation system.

Otis India to Provide Complete VT Package to “Dream Project”

Otis India was awarded a contract by Brigade Group to provide the VT package for World Trade Center (WTC) Chennai, a four-tower complex rising on 11 acres in an established information-technology hub in the city’s Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) Pre-Toll District. The package includes 54 3.5-m/s SkyRise® elevators, four escalators and the CompassPlus® destination-dispatch system. The system will serve the 27-story WTC tower, which will become the tallest office tower in the city; a 19-story office building; a four-story hotel/convention center; and a two-story restaurant. WTC Chennai is a joint development of Brigade and Government of Singapore Investment Corp. Otis India President Sebi Joseph said it was “a privilege to work with partners including Brigade and [NYC- based architecture firm] HOK” on what the company describes as a “dream project.”