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“We at Otis are extremely proud of our heritage. It inspires us to keep innovating,” said Ari Bousbib, president, Otis Elevator Company. “In the 150 years since Elisha Otis invented his ‘safety elevator’, we have developed and introduced increasingly efficient ways to move people both vertically and horizontally. Our foundation of innovation will continue to be the driving force for Otis in the 21st century and beyond.”
The original event, which took place during P.T. Barnum’s Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York, marked the first time Otis demonstrated his “safety elevator.” The invention enabled elevators to travel safely up and down by employing a special spring device that locked in place automatically if the hoisting ropes (later cables) broke. Today’s elevators, while far more sophisticated and safer, continue to rely on the same principle.
During the Crystal Palace demonstration, Otis rode a lifting platform up an open shaft. When he reached the top the hoisting rope was cut. The crowd gasped, expecting the elevator to come crashing down, but the safety device held fast. “All safe, gentleman, all safe,” he announced.
Following his demonstration Otis started receiving orders for his invention. On March 23, 1857, he installed the first commercial passenger elevator in the E.V. Haughwout and Company department store in New York City. It rose at a speed of 40 feet per minute. By the 1870s, there were 2,000 Otis elevators in service.
Since Elisha Otis’ demonstration, the elevator has had a significant impact on the world. It enabled cities to flourish, revolutionized architecture and laid the foundation for urban centers around the world. Today, Otis elevators move the equivalent of the world’s population once every nine days. Otis elevators can be found in many renowned structures around the world, including the Vatican, the Statue of Liberty, Petronas Towers and Buckingham Palace.
Although today’s elevators continue to work off the basic mechanical principles of Elisha Otis’ original safety elevator design, the Otis Elevator Company has kept its eye on technology and innovation and continued to develop significant enhancements. The recent introduction of the Gen2™ elevator system marks one of the most significant breakthroughs in lifting technology. It uses flexible, flat, polyurethane-coated steel belts instead of the conventional metal cables. As a result, it requires a machine only one-quarter the size of traditional elevators and eliminates the need for a machine room on the top floor.
Otis Elevator Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, is the world's largest manufacturer and maintainer of people moving products, including elevators, escalators, shuttle systems and moving walkways. Headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut, USA, Otis employs more than 60,000 people, offers products and services in more than 200 countries and territories and maintains more than 1.35 million elevators and escalators worldwide.
To obtain additional information about Otis’ 150 years of innovation, please visit www.otis150.com.
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