Ok, I work for Schindler, before that Westinghouse since 1975, Am I wrong or are the larger companies setting themselves up for a big fall when the economy goes into recession and it will again. I think I already saw the last guy to ever retire from one company retire a couple years ago. Our service guys are leaving in droves to go elsewhere in the last year? How about any thoughts on this?

-- Larry Horton (llhorton@pacifier.com), February 21, 2000

Answers

It seems to be a current trend that people move from company to company, as opposed to a former tendency to stay with the same employer.

This was brought on, I believe, by changes made by "Management" in response to changing economic conditions.

This is by no means confined to the Elevator business, but is an across the board trend.

BUT -- trends change. Things run in cycles and in the future, the trend may reverse, as it has in the past.

Remember the big flurry of mergers and acquisitions in the '70s? Well, they're "baaack". This time, staying more in the same industry or a complentary one, as opposed to indiscriminate (UT buying up OTIS as an example). How will they work out? How did the prior ones work out? Depends on who you ask.

It will be interesting to observe!

John Brannon

-- John Brannon (akaelevman@AOL.com), February 22, 2000.

As a former employee of Schindler and Montgomery - I don't think that all "large companies" or even specific branches of Schinder have problems with retaining there good mechanics. I have seen very poorly "managed" offices who keep there good employees because the superintendents are outstanding and really strive to shield their mechanics from some of the asinine policies of management. Large customers are the same way, if they have a good mechanic, chances are they will never leave a bad maintenance company because of the mechanics good relationship with the customer. I have to beleive Schindler loses so many mechanics due to managements emphasis on "head count" which usually results in unrealistic numbers of units per mechanic.

-- Kevin Kisamore (bkkevinbk@yahoo.com), March 20, 2000.