Since company founder Elisha Graves Otis invented the world’s first elevator fitted with safety features in 1853, Otis Elevator has been the world’s leading manufacturer of elevators, escalators and moving walkways, and the top maintenance service provider.

At present the company has more than 63,000 employees working in 200 nations, and maintains 1.7 million elevators and escalators.

The secret behind the company maintaining its place at the top of the market for more than 150 years is its management principles -- safety first, ethical management and service excellence.

The company’s insistence on providing the best quality products and services has led to adjectives such as “best” and “first” being used to describe the company, wherever Otis Elevator products and services are on offer.

The elevators used in the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and the first elevator installed in Korea having been produced by Otis Elevator, support such claims.

Befitting the company’s standings, Otis Elevator’s products can be found in famous buildings the world over, including the Eiffel Tower, the Forbidden City in Beijing, Incheon International Airport as well as Korea’s tallest building, the Northeast Asia Trade Tower. 

Rather than focusing solely on the domestic market, local affiliate of the U.S.-based firm Otis Elevator Korea is also a robust exporter. The company produces elevators at its facilities located in Korea, and the majority of the country’s elevator exports are accounted for by those produced by Otis Elevator Korea. And through its 11 branches located in several markets including China, Hong Kong and Vietnam as well as its overseas sales agents, Otis Elevator Korea’s products are currently being marketed in over 80 nations under the SIGMA brand.

In addition, the company recently launched a service that combines elevator maintenance with information technology. Known as the Elite Service, elevators used in the system are fitted with equipment allowing automated checkups to be carried out, the results of which are relayed to a control center.

The new service has proved particularly popular within the Korean market, with domestic figures topping the charts.

Such innovations are aimed at meeting the target of providing the best services to match the world’s best products. Furthermore, the company aims to become not only the leader within the elevator market but also to become the best service provider. To this end, the company has looked beyond the boundaries of the industry and has in the past benchmarked aviation and hospitality industries.