Otis Worldwide Corporation (Otis) is an elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company worldwide.
The company serves customers in over 200 countries and territories around the world. Otis has global scale and local focus, with more than 1,400 branches and offices, and a direct physical presence in more than 70 countries.
Segment
The company operates through two segments, New Equipment and Service.
New Equipment
Through the company’s New Equipment segment, the company...
Otis Worldwide Corporation (Otis) is an elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company worldwide.
The company serves customers in over 200 countries and territories around the world. Otis has global scale and local focus, with more than 1,400 branches and offices, and a direct physical presence in more than 70 countries.
Segment
The company operates through two segments, New Equipment and Service.
New Equipment
Through the company’s New Equipment segment, the company designs, manufactures, sells and installs a wide range of passenger and freight elevators, as well as escalators and moving walkways for residential, commercial and infrastructure projects.
The company’s New Equipment customers include real estate and building developers and general contractors who develop and/or design buildings for residential, commercial, retail or mixed-use activity. The company also sells New Equipment to government agencies, particularly, to support infrastructure projects, such as airports, railways or metros. The company generally sells directly to its customers through its New Equipment sales personnel. Due to the nature of the customer base in China and certain other geographies, the company’s direct sales force is augmented by agents and distributors. Given the breadth of the company’s customer base and the large number of customers to whom the company delivers new equipment on an annual basis, the company is not dependent on any single customer and do not have any contracts material to Otis as a whole with any single customer. The same is true for the company’s broad and geographically dispersed network of agents and distributors.
New Equipment customers typically engage with the company at an early stage during the construction cycle. The timing of order placement depends on factors including project complexity and customer requirements. Elevator installation usually occurs midway through building construction.
New Equipment orders are generally delivered within 12 months of booking, although larger projects can take longer to deliver based on customer construction schedules, and in some regions, mostly in China, the order to delivery window is shorter. When placing New Equipment orders, customers typically make an advance payment to cover costs including design and contract engineering. These advance payments are typically followed by periodic progress payments at specified milestones, such as delivery of materials at the job site and completion of installation and equipment commissioning. Installation is carried out by the company’s installation technicians or through subcontractors, in which case the company typically completes the final inspection and commissioning to ensure that the company’s quality standards are met.
The company has developed a range of elevator and escalator solutions to meet the varying needs and objectives of the company’s diverse customers, primarily centered around the following elevator platforms: Gen2, Gen3, Gen360 and SkyRise. The company’s primary elevator and escalator solutions are described below.
Gen2
Historically, Gen2 is the company’s principal low-and mid-rise elevator solution. Since its launch in 2000, the company has sold over one million units, making it the company’s best-selling elevator platform.
Gen3
The successor to the Gen2 family of elevators, the Gen3 platform enhances the space-saving, energy-efficient design of the Gen2 elevator with the connectivity of the Otis ONE IoT (internet of things) digital service platform, while offering additional safety features for passengers and the company’s colleagues who maintain the elevator.
In 2023, the company introduced the new Gen3 Core elevator in North America, which was designed specifically for low-rise buildings, bringing passengers connectivity, style, and comfort. The Gen3 Core helps minimize energy consumption, material usage and installation costs.
Gen360
Initially launched in Europe, the company expanded the Gen360 platform into China in 2023. The Gen360 elevator frees hoistway space to accommodate larger cabins and features a new electronic architecture, with many mechanical components replaced by electronic components that, when combined with the company’s service, increase reliability and reduce the potential for entrapments. A foldable, in-ceiling platform allows maintenance operations to be performed safely from within the car rather than on top of it and, depending on local regulations, eliminates the need for a refuge space above the car and the protrusion on the roof allowing for a flat roof design. With optional 360-degree cameras in the hoistway, Otis service teams can visually confirm, fine-tune, diagnose and solve many issues remotely without stopping the elevator. The Otis ONE IoT solution adds a network of sensors for real-time status updates.
SkyRise High-Rise
For taller, high-rise buildings, the SkyRise advanced elevator platform combines cutting-edge technologies and precision engineering to deliver solutions for residential, commercial and mixed-use skyscrapers.
Escalators and Moving Walkways
In addition to elevator solutions, the company also offers escalators and moving walkways. With a range of finishes and aesthetics, Otis escalators integrate easily with any building design. The company’s smart design and features enhance sustainability and passenger safety, such as sensor-equipped escalators and moving walkways that efficiently run only when passengers approach, or operate at reduced speeds to conserve energy when there are no riders.
Service
Through the company’s Service segment, the company performs maintenance and repair services, as well as modernization services to upgrade elevators and escalators. The company has a maintenance portfolio of approximately 2.4 million units globally, which includes Otis equipment manufactured and sold by the company, as well as equipment from other original equipment manufacturers. Through the company’s network of service sales personnel, the company sells its services directly to customers in all significant elevator and escalator verticals around the world.
Service customers typically comprise building owners, facility managers, housing associations and government agencies that operate buildings where elevators and escalators are installed. Customers securing services for elevators are frequently different from those who initially make purchasing decisions with respect to New Equipment solutions. As the largest service provider in the industry worldwide, the company has a wide range of customers in its Service segment and do not have any single service contract that is material to Otis as a whole. Contract duration depends on several factors, including customer needs, regulatory requirements and industry/geography dynamics. The company works with its customers to renew these contracts as appropriate. Certain types of customers, such as those owning or operating large properties or portfolios of properties, tend to execute long-term maintenance agreements.
The company provides its Service offerings to its customers through a global network of 36,000 Service mechanics operating out of more than 1,400 branches and offices typically located in close proximity to concentrations of customers. The company’s mechanics are critical to its ability to deliver a high level of service to the company’s customers. The company’s OTISLINE operations provide personalized customer support 24/7. They receive customer service requests and assign and dispatch field technicians, as necessary, to respond to service requests. The company supports its customers with its network of service parts centers and repair centers.
The company’s services include inspections, preventive maintenance offerings and other customized maintenance offerings tailored to meet customer needs. A basic maintenance contract provides for inspection consistent with local regulatory needs. The company offers incremental, tiered maintenance and service offerings, with varying levels of coverage up to and including comprehensive component replacement coverage. The company also provides customers with repair services to address equipment and component wear and tear, as well as breakdowns.
The company seeks to grow its maintenance portfolio through conversion of newly installed units into maintenance contracts, through prospecting and winning units already in service from customers using another service provider and through acquisitions. The company’s Service sales personnel seek to win service contracts upon the expiration or termination of existing service contracts from customers by offering a superior value proposition through service excellence, an engaged and technically sophisticated group of field service technicians, a streamlined customer experience and reliable elevator and escalator operating performance.
Similar to most other electro-mechanical equipment, elevators and escalators are subject to wear and tear, which over time erodes equipment functionality. As elevator equipment ages, the company works with customers to help renew or refresh their elevators with modernization solutions that enhance equipment operation, improve building functionality and contribute to more sustainable building systems. Modernization offerings can range from relatively simple upgrades of interior finishes and aesthetics to complex upgrades of larger components and sub-systems. The company’s GEN3 MOD Plus modernization offering for residential, commercial, hospitality, medical or industrial buildings includes built-in connectivity to the company’s Otis ONE IoT digital platform.
Digital Technology initiatives
Otis offers a range of technologies for improving the passenger experience and the company has been using technology to monitor elevator performance remotely for decades. As of December 31, 2024, approximately 1.0 million units of the company’s global portfolio, including units under the warranty period, are connected. In 2025, the company expects to continue to innovate and expand its digital ecosystem and suite of digital solutions for both its existing service portfolio customers and for new equipment shipments from the company’s factories.
Otis ONE is the company’s latest cloud-based IoT technology, designed to continuously monitor equipment health and performance in real time to provide proactive, predictive and transparent information to the company’s technicians and customers. The technology expands predictive and remote maintenance capabilities to support improved elevator up-time and service productivity.
The company offers additional technology and multimedia options to customers with voice, data and video digital services, leveraging the company’s IoT technologies, as described below. These are often incorporated as an optional upgrade on maintenance contracts.
eView In-Car Display
The company’s in-car display streams live, customizable infotainment to passengers and can connect them to OTISLINE, Otis' 24-hour service call center, during an emergency.
Compass 360 Destination Management System
The company’s proprietary destination management system groups passengers by their desired destination and directs them to an assigned car that minimizes waiting and ride time. The system's algorithms anticipate traffic demand within a building and improve traffic flow.
eCall Plus Smartphone App
Otis' smartphone app enables passengers to summon their elevator remotely for a touchless experience.
Intellectual Property
The company maintains a portfolio of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licenses and franchises related to the Otis business to protect the company’s R&D investments in products and services. The company owns approximately 5,300 patents issued in various jurisdictions, and the company has approximately 1,400 patent applications pending globally. The company filed approximately 800 patent applications in the last three years. The company’s patents are primarily filed in Europe, the United States, and Asia.
Joint Ventures and Non-Wholly Owned Subsidiaries
The company’s international strategic relationships, joint ventures and non-wholly owned subsidiaries are an important part of its business as they support the company’s access to international markets and customers. The company’s largest joint ventures are located in China with the remainder of its joint ventures and non-wholly owned subsidiaries located in various other countries.
The company operates in China through two principal joint ventures: Otis Elevator (China) Investment Company Limited (‘Otis China’) and Otis Electric Elevator Company Limited (‘Otis Electric’). Otis China is a joint venture established in 1998 for the purpose of manufacturing, installing and servicing elevators, escalators and related equipment. The company is a majority owner of Otis China, and Tianjin Tai Kang Investment Co. Ltd. is the company’s joint venture partner. Otis Electric, a subsidiary of Otis China, is a joint venture established in 1997 for the purpose of manufacturing, installing and servicing elevators, escalators and related equipment. Otis China owns a controlling equity stake in Otis Electric. Otis China’s partner in Otis Electric is Xizi Elevator Group Co.
Competition
In both the New Equipment and Service segments, major competitors globally include KONE Oyj, Schindler Group and TK Elevator.
The company’s business strategies allow it to sustain new equipment growth; accelerate service portfolio growth; deliver modernization value; advance the digitalization of Otis; and focus and empower the organization. These results of the company’s business strategies support the company’s ability to successfully compete across the New Equipment and Service segments, and help deliver sustainable earnings growth.
Seasonality
The company has experienced lower New Equipment net sales in Asia in the first calendar quarter (year ended December 2024), coinciding with Lunar New Year celebrations. In addition, the company has also experienced lower New Equipment net sales in the fourth quarter in China, due to a national holiday that occurs during the first week of October.
Research and Development
For 2024, the company’s research and development (‘R&D’) expense was $152 million.
History
Otis Worldwide Corporation was founded in 1853. The company, a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in 2019.