Why do you feel so safe in lifts, Mr. Marschall?

Marschall: Simply because lifts are among the best regulated and best tested products. All the technical aspects and requirements are fully covered by standards so that safety and reliability are guaranteed.

This development already started very early on, which also applies to the “division of labour” between legislation and technical standardisation — e.g. in the European Lifts Directive, and has proved well over the years.

Has standardisation always been important to you?

Marschall: I have dealt with lifts since 1976 and, hence, standardisation has always been an important factor in my work. Each lift component relies on standards that, in fact, only contain mandatory requirements in this field. Of course, it was only natural that I started to contribute to the development of standards. In 2001, I was elected chairman of the lift TC 017 for the first time. Hence, standardisation has always been a crucial issue for me — especially contributions to it at the European level.

What does it take to be successful in standardisation?

Marschall: Standardisation is management. Standards allow you to ensure sustainability, which is the reason why you standardise something. To do this, you need qualifications — you must technically understand the subject matter — and you need clear objectives: what do we want to achieve and by when? The basis for this is communication. A good standards manager must be able to explain to everybody involved what is to be gained so that they want to contribute and are full of enthusiasm.

You said that standardisation is management. What is your management philosophy as the new managing director of Schindler Austria? What is the most promising approach?

Marschall: Many books have already been published to present different views and many more will still be written about this theme. The spectrum ranges from authoritarian management, democratic management or laissez-faire management to the “one-minute manager”. From my perspective, sustainability is a vital basis for the success of a company. The key qualifications that you need to achieve it are: technical qualifications or knowing the subject matter, conceptual qualifications or setting objectives, methodological qualifications or achieving the objectives and, of course, communication qualifications or leading people. Finally, you also need social responsibility, i.e. moral and ethics, and most of all, you need to be authentic.

How did you experience standardisation so far?

Marschall: In my experience, a technical committee is a forum of equal partners without hierarchies that is characterised by virtually grassroots democratic processes. In it, people with different interests meet to develop something that will have sustained success. The focus is not on reaching compromises, but what counts is the best solution.

International and European meetings are particularly interesting as the participants come from different cultures and have different concerns. These meetings that are well-grounded on mutual recognition and appreciation aim at creating a “product” that provides a sound basis for all of Europe. At the international level, you are integrated into a big network: you know all the partners in Europe and you are known and appreciated.

Speaking of networks: In recent years, you were also involved as an expert in numerous projects that were organised and implemented by Austrian Standards Institute Consulting with the EU’s support and funding. Which experiences did you make in these projects?

Marschall: The value of these EU projects cannot be overestimated. They make an important contribution to knowledge transfer in those countries wishing to approach or join the European Economic Area. When you work as a speaker and trainer, you learn very much in such projects. You broaden your own knowledge and very intensively reflect on what you actually do in order to be able to pass your know-how on and share it with others. During these projects, you establish contacts which you can also use to the benefit of the company you work for. Of course, this is not a one-way street, but rather a process of giving and taking.

The Austrian Standards Institute has built enormous expertise in this field that, hopefully, will also be used extensively in the future.

From TÜV Austria to the helm of one of the biggest lift and escalator manufacturer: was standardisation of help to you in this career move?

Marschall: Lifts and, along with them, standardisation have decisively shaped my professional life to date. The experiences that I gained and the networks that I am involved in form part of my biography and, of course, have been very helpful.

How important is standardisation to Schindler? Is it a management priority?

Marschall: Standardisation and co-operation in standards development is an important part of management at our company. It lays the foundation for success in business. The benefit it generates is clearly communicated to the actors involved. We make sure that our interests and those of our customers are advocated so that we can offer high quality at a favourable price.

What do you think about the significance of standards in economic policy?

Marschall: In European legislation, the New Approach calls for standards. They describe how the requirements laid down in EU directives can be met and how the principles defined by policy-makers can be implemented. Standardisation has breathed life into the European idea.

Just take the example of the European Standard series EN 81 “Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts”. In this field, it is the most widely used standard world-wide. It is applied all over the world, also in China and Russia. This clearly is a competitive advantage. The same is true for EN 115 on escalators and moving walks.

You do not only chair the technical committee for lifts and participate as a delegate in European and international meetings, but also are a member of the Board of the Austrian Standards Institute. What will be the position of Austrian Standards in roughly five years?

Marschall: Let me describe it vividly by means of a newspaper article on a private household from the year 2015: The networking of appliances, building technology and communication technology has progressed so far that every-day tasks are accomplished automatically — from vacuuming to daily shopping. And the reader learns: standardisation makes it possible. The Austrian Standards Institute is the key contact when it comes to bringing together processes and technical interfaces. The mission statement “Setting Standards. Creating Values.” has proved well.

You made a career change in 2009. What does change mean for you?

Marschall: Continuous development is the basis of success. Here, the principle is: Nothing is so good that you cannot improve it.