Otis Focuses on Innovative Customer and Passenger Safety Solutions

FARMINGTON, Conn., July 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS) is helping customers around the world prepare for the safe reopening and continued maintenance of their buildings – where people live and work – through touchless elevator technologies, purification products including ultraviolet (UV) and other germicidal lighting, predictive maintenance and other innovations designed to combat the spread of germs and promote social distancing. These solutions also support the recommendations and guidance presented by the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health experts. Otis is the world's leading company for elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service.

"We understand that the health and safety of tenants and passengers is the top priority for our customers right now," said Robin Fiala, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Otis. "Whether it's high-rise office buildings scheduled to reopen soon, residential complexes with more tenants working remotely, or airports anticipating future travel, our customers are asking for our help and we are collaborating with them to find new, innovative solutions to address their challenges now and in the future."

Touchless Technologies

Otis offers its eCall™ smartphone app to allow passengers to call certain elevators directly from their smartphone, creating a fast and touchless passenger experience and significantly reducing the number of physical touch points and exposure to germs on surfaces. Otis is expanding its eCall smartphone app adding Bluetooth® technology to enable an even more seamless experience for passengers. The app can be integrated with a variety of different Otis equipment.

Otis worked with RMZ Corp. in India to integrate the eCall app with elevators at RMZ Infinity.  

"We installed the Otis eCall technology at RMZ Infinity in Bengaluru," said Jiji Thomas, Associate Director – Service, RMZ Corp. "This allows our members to operate the elevator with their smart phones, helping to make elevator use safer and more hygienic. The eCall app is easy to install and the elevators respond quickly to calls."

Traffic Flow Solutions

Reducing the number of passengers per elevator, assigning passengers to specific elevators and creating shuttle solutions to limit the number of stops or floors served all help to promote social distancing and enhance the safe flow of tenants through buildings.

Integral Ltd. turned to Otis for solutions at 33 King William Street, an 11-story office building in London.

"Otis worked with us to evaluate passenger traffic and adjust its Compass^® destination dispatching system," said Calum Gemmell, Contract Manager, Integral Ltd. "Our collaboration with Otis was extremely helpful to support the safety of our tenants and comply with social distancing requirements in our elevators. By changing our dispatching algorithms, Compass helps to limit passengers on elevators while moving them safely and efficiently to their destination."

Purification Products

Purification products are also in demand to promote hygiene in elevators and on escalator handrails reducing germs thereby improving conditions for passengers. Otis quickly brought to market a plasma purification fan for elevators, which uses an anion generator and ultraviolet lamp to kill germs and other microorganisms. For escalators and moving walks, antimicrobial handrails and a UV-C light handrail sanitizer are available now.

Otis worked with the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to install UV-C light escalator handrail sanitizers as part of its efforts to combat the spread of germs.

"Healthier travel solutions can't be developed in a vacuum and we recognize that," said Lawrence J. Swanson, Airport Facilities Manager. "Otis offered expertise that was critical in helping our team plan for the future of travel with innovative technology to keep our equipment clean and reduce the need for direct interaction. This is critical in the current environment."

Remote Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance Services

Otis REM® (Remote Elevator Monitoring) technology and the Otis ONE™ IoT service offering can improve elevator uptime. Otis ONE analyzes data from sensor-equipped elevators to forecast trends and recommend proactive, predictive maintenance resulting in fewer shut downs and improved elevator uptime. By keeping customers' elevators running, the possibility of overcrowding in elevators due to limited availability is reduced supporting social distancing efforts.

Active Pilots

Today's environment is dynamic with new research and data available daily. The Otis research and development team is actively developing new innovative solutions to meet evolving needs. Otis is engaging with key customers to pilot Otis solutions designed to improve indoor air quality, and incorporating gesturing, voice control, touchless buttons and robotic APIs to reduce the need for direct contact with the equipment.

Otis has seen significant customer interest in its solutions and is committed to helping building owners, property managers and passengers navigate these uncertain times. For more information on Otis' full suite of products and services supporting the safe reopening and maintenance of buildings, and its response to the global pandemic, visit www.otis.com/corporate/covid-19-response.

To find health and safety tips for elevator and escalator passengers, as well as a downloadable resource kit for building managers to support onsite communications, visit www.otis.com/corporate/stay-well.

About Otis

Built on a legacy of innovation, Otis was founded in 1853 after Elisha Otis invented the elevator safety brake, giving rise to the modern city, transforming how people live and work, and revolutionizing architecture itself. Today, we are the world's leading company for elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service. We move 2 billion people a day and maintain more than 2 million customer units worldwide, the industry's largest maintenance portfolio. We can be found in many of the world's most recognizable buildings, as well as the busiest transportation hubs and retail centers – we are everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 69,000 people strong, including 40,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @OtisElevatorCo.

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This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand and usage in the building industry; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies, including the health and safety benefits thereof; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in Otis Worldwide Corporation's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

SOURCE Otis Worldwide Corporation