Otis Elevator Company

The Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest producer of elevators. Its global market share is estimated at about 28 percent, the worldwide turnover in 2005 of around 9.6 billion U.S. dollars. The company employs in the year 2003 about 60,000 employees worldwide, including about 2,650 in Germany, almost 600 in Austria, circa 460 in Switzerland and about 9,000 in the United States.

History

The company was founded in 1853 by Elisha Graves Otis in New York City after he had invented a locking safety catch. Since 1975, the company owned by the group United Technologies Corporation.

Otis has installed elevators in the Eiffel Tower, among other things, CN Tower, Burj Khalifa and the Empire State Building. The elevators in the World Trade Center came from Otis, as well as the new World Trade Center (currently under construction).

In February 2007, the EU Competition Commission imposed a record antitrust fine of 224.93 million euros because of the affiliation to the elevators and escalators cartel, except the Otis and Kone, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp belonged. Injured party companies sue the offender for damages ( for example iMMoFinAnZ ).

Research and development centers are located in the United States, Japan, China, France, Germany, Austria and Spain. Otis has manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia and America and offices in more than 200 countries.

Formerly the world's largest elevator test tower

The OTIS Shibayama test tower was its establishment, at 154 meters the highest test tower in the world. He has 39 stories above and 6 floors below the ground. An extension has an additional 3 floors above ground. The entire building area is 12,793 square meters. In the tower are 11 elevator shafts for the development of the elevators of the next generation, such as the double-deck elevator and the ropeless linear elevator.

Otis Germany

The corporate headquarters for Germany is located in the Otisstraße in Berlin- Tegel. A total of 2,650 employees, a turnover of 502 million euros in 2008 earned.

Otis Austria

The headquarters of Otis Austria in Vienna and employed 550 staff, with which the subsidiary generated a turnover of 120 million euros in 2009. In Austria 30,000 elevators are operated.

In 2006 the company achieved third place in the Austria's Leading Companies among the big players.