Escalating Smart Cities with ‘Green’ Initiatives

Please share with us the latest developments in Otis India and its journey since its inceptions.

Otis has a 125-year legacy in India. In 1892, it installed the first elevator in Kolkata’s Raj Bhavan. The company formally set up operations in India in 1953 (over 60 years ago). Every customer is important to us.  To ensure easy access to each of our customers, Otis has over 80 service centers servicing 300 cities – the largest service network in the country today. 

Otis India in early 2015 completed the expansion of its factory in Bengaluru. The facility is now triple in size and has doubled in manufacturing capacity. Co-located with the factory is Otis’ R&D center in India that has also significantly expanded its engineering capacity in recent years.

In the recent past there has been an increased demand for “Green” elevators. The reason for this tremendous success is that developers and building owners are becoming environmentally conscious and thereby aim for green certifications like LEED, etc. Otis’ Gen2™ Equipment and ReGen™ Drive technology supports these green buildings. 

The Otis Bengaluru factory is gearing up to increased Gen2 elevator offerings and other elevators with higher speed and greater capacity Late last year Otis India also rolled out the first international escalator. Additionally, Otis India is gearing up to embrace IoT and digitalization of technology, which will enable our service technicians to be able to deliver service efficiently and quicker. 

What new products and services have been in pipeline or recently rolled out to cater to government policies like Smart Cities, Digital India, Swachh Bharat and the like? 

The government’s Smart City initiative will fuel the need for smart and efficient technologies to support urban growth. Urbanization is driving increased need for housing, and the elevator industry plays an important role in supporting that growth. 340 million people, or 30 percent of the country’s population, currently live in cities.

The Indian elevator and escalator industry is growing at a rapid pace. Hence we are altering our service business worldwide in order to integrate smart and connected technology. Our key investment focus areas include digital tools, mobility solutions, apps, IoT, customer centricity and enhanced employee engagement.

Otis is working on developing ‘smart’ elevators. A smart elevator is a connected elevator capable of communicating with passengers, building managers' service staff and other building systems to improve the passenger experience and elevator performance, especially through improved elevator maintenance.

Other existing Otis technologies such as the CompassPlus™ destination management system, which constantly evaluates real-time passenger traffic to improve flow and travel time in busy mid- and high-rise buildings, also improve the passenger experience with advanced technology. 

With digitalization paving the way for OTIS, and business strategy focused on digitalization - how is it transforming your core business right now?

We think the next developments in elevator technology leverage digitalization and center on the passenger experience. Our engineers are working to develop the next generation of elevators. This new generation will for the first time connect manufacturing to installation to service allowing us to deliver to the customer a totally different service.

Building on the theme of connectivity, we’re transforming our service business – globally – to incorporate smart, connected technology that delivers proactive, quick and effective diagnostics and repair. The transformation is an investment in digital tools, mobility solutions, apps, IoT and operational excellence to enhance customer experience, accelerate business productivity and increase employee engagement. 

Otis has developed and is accelerating additional efforts across the organization to expand the use of internal service apps being developed by field teams around the world. These new tools enable our field employees to be more efficient, source information faster, develop even stronger ties with the customer and see a problem before it becomes one. Through IoT and more connectivity, we are giving our customers more transparency, more information and a streamlined process to reach Otis while maintaining and advancing the personal relationship we strive for.

What business projection do you have as to how your offerings (in the digital space) will play an important role in the time to come?

Otis has developed and is accelerating additional efforts across the organization to expand the use of internal service apps being developed by field teams around the world. These new tools enable our field employees to be more efficient, source information faster, develop even stronger ties with the customer and see a problem before it becomes one. Through IoT and more connectivity, we are giving our customers more transparency, more information and a streamlined process to reach Otis while maintaining and advancing the personal relationship we strive for.

These solutions are being developed, tested and rolled out across the world and will be coming to India in the next several years.

What plans for expansion do you have for the coming five years?

Otis India in early 2015 completed the expansion of its factory in Bengaluru. The facility is now triple in size and has doubled in manufacturing capacity. Co-located with the factory is Otis’ R&D center in India that has also significantly expanded its engineering capacity in recent years. The Otis Bengaluru factory is gearing up to offer even higher speed and greater capacity elevators and late last year rolled out the first international escalator. Otis India is also gearing up to embrace IoT and digitalization of technology, which will enable our service technicians to be able to deliver service efficiently and quicker. 

What challenges do you face while operating in Indian market? What methods of mitigation do you adopt?

Lack of skilled manpower and differing applicability of safety codes across India are two challenges being faced by the industry. 

While there are standards issued by the Bureau of India Standards, these serve as guidelines and are only mandatory if enacted by the state legislation. Examples of such states are – Kerala, Karnataka, Haryana and Tamil Nadu. In addition, 6 other states have enacted their own Lift Act and Rules, but these are mandatory in those states only. Otis products meet or exceed code standards around the world.

Industry bodies like the Bureau of Indian Standards are trying to change this by driving mandatory safety standards for the elevator and escalator industry and seeking cooperation from the states. At Otis, safety is fundamental to everything we do and we are supportive of industry efforts to raise awareness on the importance of adopting such standards. 

Availability of trained manpower is a challenge for the entire elevator and escalator industry.  With an increasing need for elevators and escalators to meet growing demand in the real estate sector, the industry is facing a shortage of skilled workers that can install and service elevators. Identifying the right candidates and systematically providing them with training is the key to success. The solution may lie in partnering with government skill-development institutions and liaising with industrial training institutes across the country.