History

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. His invention would give rise to the modern city and forever change how we live.

Our history includes a string of industry firsts that have steadily improved elevator performance, enriched the passenger experience and allowed architects to design buildings in entirely new ways.

The gearless traction machine overcame previous height limits. The double-deck elevator increased the amount of rentable space in a building. Automatic elevators eliminated the need for a human attendant. Computerized controllers cut travel time. Our flexible steel belts last twice as long as steel ropes. And our remote elevator monitoring technology represented one of the first uses of big data and predictive analytics to improve performance.