Success engineered in very Swiss family way

'DON'T EXPECT TOO MUCH. The thing is - well, he's very Swiss.'

That was the discouraging pre-interview warning from one investment bank analyst about Alfred Schindler, chief executive of his family's closely held lift and escalator company.

Founded by Robert Schindler in 1874, the Schindler Group of Switzerland has remained steadfastly independent, rising to become the world's largest escalator - and second-largest lift - company. In Hong Kong, where Schindler operates through a 50-50 joint venture with Jardine Matheson, the company has a dominant share of the high-end, high-rise market. If you are reading this in a lift or on an escalator, chances are it is a Schindler.

Mr Schindler is, indeed, very Swiss. On a recent visit to Hong Kong to promote his firm's most advanced lift, he squeezed 90 minutes of content into a 45-minute interview with compact, no-nonsense answers to questions ranging from how he globalised a once Euro-centric company hailing from tiny Lucerne (population 350,000) to how such a closely held firm can continue to compete against industrial giants such as United Technologies - which owns industry leader Otis - and Mitsubishi.

'The Swiss don't like to talk a lot,' Mr Schindler observed at one point. 'They prefer actions to talk.'

And he could have added a smile to that statement, if the results of a brief photo shoot for this article are anything to go by.

But contrary to some people's assumption that being 'very Swiss' is a euphemism for being boring, Mr Schindler gives a good interview.