HSY vs OTIS Comparison

Hershey is a leading US confectionery manufacturer (around a $54 billion market, according to Euromonitor), controlling around 36% of the domestic chocolate aisle. Beyond its namesake label, the firm's portfolio has expanded over the last 85 years and now comprises 100 brands, including Reese's, Kit Kat, Kisses, and Ice Breakers. Hershey's products are sold in about 80 countries, albeit with just a high-single-digit percentage of sales coming from markets outside the US, including Brazil, India, and Mexico. The firm has sought inorganic opportunities to extend its reach beyond its core confectionery business, adding Amplify Snack Brands and its Skinny Pop ready-to-eat popcorn to its portfolio, as well as Pirate Brands and Dot's Pretzels over the past few years.

Otis is the largest global elevator and escalator supplier by revenue with around 18% global market share. In 1854 Otis' founder and namesake Elisha Graves Otis, invented a safety mechanism that prevented elevators from falling if the hoisting cable failed. The company's product and service lifecycle begins with installations of elevator units in new buildings, later selling maintenance services on the units, and eventually replacement of the units after the average 15- to 20-year useful life of an elevator. As the largest global OEM, Otis has amassed an installed base under service that exceeds 2 million elevators. Its business model is similar to that of its closest competitors Kone, Schindler, and TK Elevator.