Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K"), is a major German engineering company, and was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. Engineering applies scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1876 is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... This article is about the city in Germany. ...

Originally a general engineering company, O&K soon started to specialise in the manufacture of railway vehicles. The company's other specialisms included heavy equipment and escalators. An excavator Engineering vehicles are heavy-duty vehicles, specially designed for executing engineering tasks. ... Escalators at Westminster tube station, London An escalator is a conveyor transport device to transport people, consisting of a staircase whose steps move up or down on tracks which keep the surfaces of the individual steps horizontal. ...

O&K pulled out of the railway business in 1981, and sold its escalator manufacturing division to the Kone Corporation of Finland in 1996, leaving the company to focus primarily on construction machines. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kone Corporation, founded in 1910 and headquartered at Espoo, Finland, is an international engineering and service company employing about 30,000 people. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...