Otis is helping customers around the world to 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 Worldwide Corporation 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 which are reopening, residential complexes with more tenants working remotely, metro stations and airports, 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.”

Sebi Joseph, President, Otis India, said, “Otis is a pioneer in the industry and innovation is our hallmark. In the current COVID scenario, our objective is to enhance the safety gradient of elevator travel by introducing touchless technology and air purification solutions. We shall continue to strive and meet evolving customer requirements through innovative solutions.”

Otis offers its eCall smartphone app to allow passengers to call 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.”

Otis also worked with Godrej Industries to integrate eCall app at their Godrej ONE facility.

Ajay Bhatt, Head – Estate and Facilities - Godrej Industries Ltd said, “Otis eCall enables our passengers to call elevators with their smartphones making elevator travel safer and more hygienic.”

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.

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 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.

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.