Schindler invests, rail-station work and license issues

Schindler to Ramp Up Manufacturing, R&D in Pune

Schindler India plans to invest approximately US$26.5 million to expand its vertical-transportation (VT) manufacturing facilities and improve R&D in the Chakan Industrial Area of Pune, part of a larger, nearly US$80-million outlay over six years. By 2019, Schindler India plans to have an annual capacity of 17,500 elevators and 1,200 escalators, and notes it has already invested approximately US$67 million in setting up a factory, R&D center and 71-m-tall test tower with eight shafts under the Make in India initiative. As of August, it employed approximately 1,000 people in the Maharashtra state of south-central India.

Noting that the VT market in India is expected to grow at a rate of 8%, Schindler India and Southeast Asia President Uday Kulkarni stated:

“It is our aim to grow faster than the market. In the past 10 years, our turnover has grown [more than fivefold] to [US$16 billion]. With [this new investment], we aim to further the quality of our services and work towards becoming a preferred vendor to our customers.” 

VT to Ease Traffic Flow at New Rail Station

Approximately 800 workers were onsite in August building what will be one of the biggest metro rail stations in India — the Ameerpet interchange in northwestern Hyderabad, ahead of a targeted November opening, The Hindu reported. Spanning more than 200,000 sq. ft., the multilevel station will be fully equipped with lifts and escalators, with 16 lifts and 12 escalators on each side. The vertical-transportation (VT) equipment, along with staircases, will ease traffic flow for approximately 30,000 passengers who use the station each day. Expected to accommodate at least 6,000 passengers at any given time, the system includes instructional signage and announcements, and is part of a facility resembling a modern airport.

VT Licenses Lag in Southern District

Of the more than 1,500 vertical-transportation (VT) conveyances operating in the Ernakulam district of Kochi in southern India, only 841 have up-to-date licenses from the Electrical Inspectorate, The Times of India reported in August. As per current law, property owners must pay approximately US$31 for an inspector to examine a lift’s electrical system and safety gear to obtain a first-time license, with the fee about half that for a renewal. Other than issue notices, there is not much the inspectorate can do about property owners who lack licenses. Should a person become injured on an unlicensed unit, the property’s insurer will not pay the claim.