Customer Story: SOTI & ThyssenKrupp Elevator: Rising Together!

January 11, 2023

“At ThyssenKrupp Elevator, our investment considerations are based on the value-add and ongoing support to advance our day-to-day operations. SOTI’s support solution was and continues to be the Mobile Device Management solution of choice for ThyssenKrupp, allowing us to enhance our operational efficiency.”

– Pat McElhinney, VP Information Technology, ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas

As one of the world’s leading elevator companies, ThyssenKrupp has established itself in the field of installation and service of elevators and escalators. This integrated materials and technology group has 177,000 employees in over 80 countries on 5 continents, with 44,000 employees in the Elevator Division, out of which approximately 13,500 employees operate out of the United States, ThyssenKrupp has the highest standards concerning quality, reliability, flexibility, safety and on-time deliveries and they are also committed to a high level of social responsibility and ethics.

Industry: Field Services

Operating Systems: Android

The Challenge

The elevator industry is growing at a steady pace in the United States of America. Owing to the nature of its services with its strong alliances and investment in its workforce, the elevator service industry is expected to be at the epicenter of growth as the world’s population rises. ThyssenKrupp aims to be a service leader by implementing solutions that solve customer problems. The mobile field staff is essentially the face of the organization to the customer. This mobile workforce is a direct touch point and hence the company must ensure that they provide optimal customer service at all times. In early 2010, The ThyssenKrupp Executive Steering Committee, led by the VP for device deployment, commenced its search for an optimal mobile deployment, as part of a planned technology upgrade and expense. Upon positive recommendation from one of its trusted vendors, the team began systematic research into SOTI MobiControl, as part of its requirement for a mobile device management system to enable its field force to manage the multitude of mobile devices, while reducing downtime and streamlining resources. The Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution of choice needed to have the features to enable the company to be more efficient with time management for elevator mechanics, in its quest to continue ThyssenKrupp’s legacy of being the industry leader in the field of elevator installation and service.

The Solution

The criteria involved in ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s decision-making process while selecting a mobile device management solution to manage its fleet of Intermec CN50 and StyleTap devices in the field were numerous. The organization’s previous EMM solution did not allow for remote access and real-time updates. The new EMM solution had to be relatively easy to install, simple to utilize with minimal training, able to offer comprehensive and quick remote Helpdesk support, as well as possess the capability of pushing updates and installation packages to a large number of devices in the field in order to minimize wastage of time and maximize productivity.

SOTI’s solution was a perfect replacement/update of an existing outdated solution using Symbol 1800s and a tethered wireless connection. Overall operational efficiency was greatly enhanced through upgrading the Mobile Device Management of hardware with SOTI MobiControl. The main improvements were full time data connection for new time/ticketing application and remote support capabilities.

With SOTI’s support via remote control technology of devices, numerous problems were solved. Diagnostic apps could be quickly updated, resulting in less need to send the remote device back to be updated or repaired in case of any mal-function or errors, and also resulting in decreased shipping costs & handheld support expenses. Technical support experts were able to connect into the mobile devices and easily view what was happening real-time, find actual errors, take appropriate live screen shots of the issues, all while they did not have to rely solely on end user input to convey the information or data back. This in turn, reduced time and effort spent providing support.

This led to performance improvements through reduction in downtime, and thus, ThyssenKrupp Elevator could selectively engage in important emergency fixes and build on faster feedback. SOTI MobiControl, the essential support and device management tool has enabled ThyssenKrupp Elevator to move in a positive direction, advancing their company efficiency. SOTI MobiControl has become an integral part of ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s mobile deployment, being used to manage and control about 2700 Intermec devices currently being used in the field, in partnership with Strategic Telecom Solutions, while using their own staff to image, kit and distribute the devices to 130+ locations.

The Results

Implementing SOTI MobiControl has addressed ThyssenKrupp Elevator requirements completely and has enabled them to remain competitive in the industry. ThyssenKrupp Elevator succeeded in its objective of minimizing downtime for tools that their mechanics use in the daily functions of elevator service and repair, with ticketing and dispatch applications also becoming more dynamic and efficient.

SOTI MobiControl has realigned company resources to reduce cost for ThyssenKrupp Elevator. ThyssenKrupp has the highest standards concerning quality, reliability, flexibility, safety and on-time deliveries and they are also committed to a high level of social responsibility and ethics. Complemented by support solutions such as SOTI MobiControl, their time is used most effectively to assist their customers by providing superior quality solutions and service.

The advantages of SOTI’s MobiControl solution that ThyssenKrupp employed meant tremendous savings to the company & substantial operational efficiency for the whole business model. ThyssenKrupp Elevator remains a dynamic installation and service company for both elevators and escalators today

SOTI is a proven innovator and industry leader for simplifying business mobility and making it smarter, faster and more reliable. SOTI helps businesses around the world take mobility to endless possibilities.

About ThyssenKrupp AG. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2023, from https://soti.net/media/1473/en_tke_jan2015.pdf