When Schindler received an order from Swiss pharmaceutical group Lonza to install additional elevators at its new manufacturing complex where a COVID-19 project is located, Alain Zufferey, Branch Manager of Schindler in the Swiss Canton of Valais, who had led the discussions with Lonza in Visp, knew there was no time to celebrate.

His teams were in for a couple of busy weeks and some long shifts. It would be nothing short of a race against the clock. But exceptional circumstances called for exceptional solutions.

As countries over the world battled a second or third wave of COVID-19 infections, Lonza raced to set up a dedicated production plant in Visp, Switzerland.

Two freight elevators for Lonza

As it did, it entrusted Schindler with the installation of elevators in its new building - and urged it to move fast. Traditional delivery timelines were out the window. "Lonza really needed our support with an extremely fast turn-around time," said Alain. "We rolled up our sleeves and got to work almost immediately."

Within four months (roughly half the time usually required for such installations), Schindler had installed the two freight elevators that would service the new production plant.

The elevators are an essential part of the logistics infrastructure in the production building. Workers at the Visp factory use the elevators to deliver raw materials to the facility; once manufactured, the active ingredient is transported back to the logistics area on the ground floor using these elevators.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing requires high levels of sanitation and hygiene. The elevator cabins are an integral part of the 'clean room environment' - one that is contamination-free. Schindler opted for stainless steel, a durable and easy-to-clean material.

"I am extremely proud of the work carried out by our teams," says Alain. "We showed once again that we're to support our customers every step of the way, no matter how complex the project or how tight the timeframe."

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Schindler Holding Ltd. published this content on 12 November 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 12 November 2021 10:46:00 UTC.