Schmitt + Sohn Elevators
18 61
When it comes to the way up, the family business Schmitt + Sohn,
owner-managed in 6th generation, is a true expert, since the mechanical engineers residing in the Frankish town of Nuremberg rank among
the leading companies for the construction of passenger and freight
elevators. In 2014, Schmitt + Sohn achieved with their approximately
1,600 employees a turnover of 150 million euros.
E
ver higher, ever further - probably an eternal challenge in
the history of architecture is to build the highest building
in the world. From the Empire State Building in New York
over the Taipei 101 in Taiwan to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, with its
828 meters currently the highest skyscraper of the planet, all these
buildings have one realization in common: They would have been
inconceivable without an elevator. What makes a comfortable living
and working high above the ground possible in buildings with
thousands or only hundreds of stairs? Elevators - as they are means
of transportation as well as communication spaces.
of the century, the company already counted 130 employees, first
own developments in elevator engineering comprised drives, controllers, cabins and doors. The products were convincing, so in 1906
Schmitt + Sohn were appointed Royal Bavarian court purveyors.
Thus, in 1918, the renaming in “Aufzugwerke M. Schmitt & Sohn”
was only logical and the success soon went far beyond the boundaries
of the Free State. In 1920 the works already manufactured 300 new
plants that were exported among others to Finland, Norway, Spain,
Portugal, Turkey and Czechoslovakia, even as far as Brazil. Initially,
the expansion plans were stopped by the Second World War, but
after the war Gerhart and Karl Schmitt - the reconstruction generation - managed to reconnect with the old successes, and so the
internationalization of the elevator company could continue to
advance.
When it comes to vertical transport of passengers or cargo, one of
the best addresses is the Hadermühle in Nuremberg, the headquarters of Schmitt + Sohn Elevators. The Europe-wide enterprise,
known under the brand “S +”, is not only the leading family business
in the elevator industry, but also a many award-winning design leader, e.g. with its award-winning Color Glas® elevators. The product
portfolio includes passenger and bed lifts as well as freight elevators.
The range is completed by an excellent service that services inter
alia over 40,000 elevator systems per year. The products are manufactured in Nuremberg and in Porto, Portugal, but S + has offices
not only in these two cities, but at 30 other locations in Europe
including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Portugal.
It was in 1963, when the first foreign branch was opened in Portugal:
Schmitt + Sohn Elevadores. In the 1980s, they proceeded systematically: Dr. John Schmitt and Martin Schmitt developed Schmitt +
Sohn into an international brand and extended the corresponding
sales organization. Companies emerged also in the new federal
states, as well as in Austria and Czechoslovakia. In 2004 the panEuropean orientation was also supported from the technical point
of view, when a single ERP system for communication and information was put into operation.
The company has its origin in an art and metalworking locksmithery,
which was founded by Martin Schmitt in 1861. In 1885 he finished
his first elevator installation, a crucial strategic decision. At the turn
Today, Schmitt + Sohn employ approximately 1,600 people. Currently
6.7 per cent of the workforce is trainees; the current transfer rate is
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The Color Glas ® X – Edition of the elevator specialist S +
Chronology
18 61
Company founding as an art and metalworking locksmithery
19 0 0
First own developments in the elevator construction
194 5
Gerhart and Karl Schmitt build a modern elevator company.
1952
Start of the escalator manufacturing
19 6 3
Founding of Schmitt + Son Elevadores in Portugal
19 8 8
Development of the national and international market
presence
19 9 7
iF Product Design Award for outstanding industrial design
20 0 0
The first elevator without machine room by Schmitt + Sohn
2 010
Introduction of the international Best Production Standards at all production locations
The establishment of S + in the Bavarian town of
Coburg
100 per cent. Since 1995, Schmitt + Sohn offer dual degree programs
in the fields of mechatronics, electrical engineering and business
economics, thus providing good opportunities to enter the company.
The fiscal year 2014 saw a turnover of 150 million euros, around 30
per cent of which was generated by exports.
their family-friendliness, the healthy working environment, the
conveying of values and the hiring rate for disadvantaged trainees.
Just as important as the responsibility for their own employees is the
commitment beyond the corporate boundaries. Thus, the company
promotes and supports a number of social and charitable institutions
and initiatives – also on an international level. One of the latest
projects was e.g. the donation of an elevator, including the installation, to a cancer clinic in Temeswar, Romania. Thus, high-tech from
Nuremberg enables the vertical operation of the hospital. And it also
ensures that the worldwide race for the tallest skyscraper can continue unabated. The first building with a planned height of over 1,000
meters is already under construction.
The company is still 100 per cent family owned, the five families
Schmitt, Stahlberg, Piller, von Hinüber and Klein are all tribes of
the founding family Schmitt. Dr. Johannes Schmitt, Martin Schmitt,
Anna von Hinüber and Maximilian Schmitt are active as managing
partners; Roland von Hinüber and Fritz Stahlberg are managing
directors. This makes Schmitt + Sohn Elevators owner-managed in
the sixth generation. Entrepreneurial reliability and quality in processes and products are two of the most important foundations of
all action at Schmitt + Sohn‘s, daily learning is the third. Therefore,
the company provides, inter alia, the S + Academy with over 60
different training opportunities for further education. The project
“S + Travel Adventures” supports extraordinary journey projects
for young employees, every day trainees enjoy a reading lesson with
actual newspapers, educational trips are offered, too. The aim of
these measures: to create and support a brave generation of young
minds that look beyond their own horizons.
Also other concerns of the staff are taken seriously. A striking evidence of this is the prize for non-discriminatory corporate culture
awarded by the city of Nuremberg. Schmitt + Sohn received this
award as recognition of their integration performance, but also for
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The Management Board: Dr. Johannes Schmitt, Roland von
Hinüber, Anna von Hinüber, Fritz Stahlberg, Martin Schmitt,
Maximilian Schmitt (l.t.r.)
Facts and Figures
O W N E R FA M I LY
Schmitt, Stahlberg, Piller, von Hinüber, Klein
families
FOUNDED
1861, Nürnberg by Martin Schmitt
M ANAGEMENT
owner-operated
MARKET POSITION
leading family business in the elevator industry
P RO D U C T I O N LO C AT I O N S
Nuremberg; Porto (Portugal)
PRODUCTS
elevators and service
E M P LOY E ES
1.600 worldwide (2015)
Schmitt + Sohn and their booth at the leading international
trade fair BAU 2015 in Munich
TURNOVER
150m euros (2014)
E X P O R T R AT I O
30%
Aufzugswerke Schmitt + Sohn GmbH & Co. KG
Hadermühle 9 - 15
90402 Nürnberg
t +49 911 240-40
www.schmitt-aufzuege.de
E Q U I T Y R AT I O
100%
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