Spare parts for Schmitt & Sohn products? Hauer’s got’em!
Schmitt + Sohn has been the epitome of technical innovation since 1861 – a claim almost no other company in the lift industry can make! The long-standing company has built more than 100,000 lift systems in Europe. Indeed, its references speak for themselves. It’s no wonder that the company can boast a wide range of products. Whether you need passenger or goods lifts, or maybe shaft scaffolding, Schmitt + Sohn, now in its sixth generation, embodies authenticity and quality in all aspects of lift technology, and if you ever need to replace a component, the Hauer elevatorshop will no doubt be your first port of call.
When the hydraulic elevator was presented for the first time at the 1867 Paris World’s Fair, this pioneering achievement was a tremendous boost for vertical mobility and the creative minds in Germany began to engage with the subject of lifts. A company from Nuremberg, which evolved from Martin Schmitt’s locksmith’s and metalwork shop, quickly took the lead, building the first lift system here as early as 1885.
In the year 1900, the company presented the first of its own developments in lift construction. Whether it was the drive mechanism or the control system, the cabin or the door – the Bavarian inventors and their some 130 employees had a hand in several new innovations. Indeed, by 1920, Schmitt + Sohn’s annual output already amounted to three hundred new systems. The company continued to set new standards in many areas – from brakes and seals to switches, locks and belts – in the years that followed.
Cutting-edge lift manufacturer
Whether it was the roller, drive or technical extensions for both motorised and revolving doors, the company had gained a global reputation for its products, such as its bed lifts, as well as for its cutting-edge equipment. As early as 1928, the company had a market share of ten percent for lifts and spare parts – a clear demonstration of its early success. Moreover, when German reconstruction after the Second World War finally reached the lift industry, the next generation of the family established a state-of-the-art lift manufacturing company in Nuremberg.
In 1952, Schmitt + Sohn also entered the escalator market, yet another milestone in their development. Soon, the Nuremberg outfit began to consider expansion beyond the borders of Germany. The result was a branch in Portugal. At the same time, everyone involved was constantly aware that a company in the lift industry can only be successful if its latest technical innovations can maintain public attention.
Setting trends
In 1971, Schmitt + Sohn hit the headlines worldwide when the first electronic control systems opened up a whole new future for passenger and goods lifts alike. To promote the development of electronic control systems further, Swiss Lift Electronic, a subsidiary that specialised in the construction of electronic control systems, was established in Switzerland.
The next generation also drove the national and international brand presence forward – Johannes and Martin Schmitt significantly expanded worldwide sales from 1988 onwards. The variety of products available reflected the company’s history as well as its power for innovation. Whether it was an automatic door, a luminous ceiling or a switch, a revolving door or a drive, a cable, a button, or an adapter, one thing was clear – Schmitt + Sohn was here to stay, strongly rooted in the lift industry in practically all areas.
Shortly before the turn of the millennium, in 1997, the company again caused a stir with their outstanding industrial designs, bringing the internationally coveted IF Product Design Award home to Nuremberg. Directly with the millennium came another Schmitt + Sohn innovation, as they presented the first ever lift without a machine room! Today, the ISI 2040 is considered a prime example of an ultra-modern lift with no machine room – this internationally award-winning lift is particularly impressive, as it combines a passion for outstanding lift architecture with superb brand design and cutting-edge lift technology.
The sixth generation – progress by tradition
Since then, the long-standing company has enjoyed a steady stream of positive developments, which is a real rarity: How many sixth-generation family companies can boast that they both stand for progress, quality of design and modern production and are fully committed to their cause? When Schmitt + Sohn introduced their uniform ERP communication and information system to Europe in 2004, it came as no surprise to anyone – after all, the company had had a reputation for being progressive for well over a hundred years. The company’s strong reputation was also reinforced in 2008, when it set new standards in the field of Best Service.
Today, Schmitt + Sohn is regarded as a highly modern, efficient and excellently networked company in an industry that is constantly on the cutting edge of technology. Standardisation in Best Production at all manufacturing sites has long been taken for granted, which is the case for both goods lifts and passenger lifts.
ISI, GP and CG – progressive and innovative products
As has always been the case, it is the Schmitt family above all that embodies the company as they personify reliability and responsibility. In this respect, however, thinking up innovative mobile solutions is also part of their tradition. It is with products like the GP that Schmitt + Sohn continue to inspire us today – their glass panoramic lift enables us to experience architecture in a completely fresh way, providing passengers with a genuine change of perspective that is compelling in every detail.
Glass also plays a role in the CG (which stands for colour glass), an elegant glass lift that has won a number of prestigious international design and architecture awards. From the lighting design to the sophisticated equipment inside the cabin, the CG immediately demonstrates that the goals of today’s architects can easily be combined with the challenges a new form of vertical mobility can present, both in housing construction and in urban planning. As a result, the company, which is still considered a medium-sized enterprise, contributes a great deal to the fact that lifts are the safest way of transporting people and goods alike - with correspondingly low wear and tear, of course! So, if you ever need a spare part, the one stop shop for all Schmitt + Sohn products has to be the Hauer elevatorshop, no question.
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