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.
Service Contract Selector Otisline. Otis History Elevator history and innovation - US. Otis is an iconic brand with a rich history We helped build cities, transformed how people live and work, and revolutionized architecture itself.
The first elevator shaft built in actually preceded the first elevator by about four years; architect Peter Cooper , confident that a safe elevator would soon be invented, designed New York's Union Foundation building with a cylindrical shaft thinking that the most efficient shape. Otis would later design a special elevator just for the building. In , Otis attempted to shatter the public's conception of the elevator's perilousness by performing a dramatic, death-defying demonstration of his safety break feature, cutting the hoisting platform rope at New York's World Fair in It seems the stunt worked - in the first Otis passenger elevator was installed at Broadway.
Today, in conjunction with the implementation of the steel frame, the Otis elevator is generally considered the invention that paved the way for the global proliferation of skyscrapers. While the original invention of the safety break elevator precipitated the design of 20th century skyscrapers , today's modern buildings are demanding the elevator's transformation. It will be interesting to see if our century holds an invention that could similarly revolutionize architecture - what do you think it could be?
Let us know in the comments below. The Otis elevators were smoother, faster, and quieter than those installed in other parts of the tower by French elevator manufacturers.
In the late s and early s, Otis began to apply a newly emerging technology to its elevators: electricity. Soon New York had over 5, apartment elevators in use, with Otis leading the field. Partnerships with local elevator companies from Canada to Australia were formed, and over time more of these companies were acquired by Otis. Between and , Otis acquired thirteen other elevator makers.
Otis also went public that year, one of the earliest companies outside of railroads to do so. Baldwin ran the company until New York witnessed the opening of the story, foot Singer Building in , the foot Metropolitan Life Building in , and the foot Woolworth Building in , each the tallest building in the world at the time. All used Otis elevators and were considered modern wonders of the world both the buildings and their majestic elevators.
In the following decade, major new factories were added in Buffalo and Harrison, New York to supplement the main plant in Yonkers. The number of employees rose to 5, In , the company boasted that its elevators were in use in the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Mikado Palace in Japan. His efforts led to continuous improvements — lighter materials, faster and quieter elevators, automated control and timing systems, and lower costs.
Lindquist paid especial attention to the people using elevators — how fast they entered, how fast they left, and what their travel patterns were. The roaring twenties were good to Otis. Between and , the number of Otis employees rose from 8, to 19, But those times did not last, as the Great Depression hit. The s and s also saw the development of an idea that helped the company.
Against the better judgment of management, one Otis employee began promoting the idea that the company should maintain its products after installation, a job previously done by thousands of independent repairmen. By the late s, Otis had over 10, maintenance contracts, which provided a steady flow of cash even when demand for new elevators rose and fell.
A Modernization department soon followed, going back to old customers and modernizing their machines. Otis survived the Depression and was ready for the demands of wartime America. Like other companies, Otis made war materiel: guns, machine tools, radar, and of course hoists and elevators for ships including aircraft carriers. Yet the s and s brought a new challenge to the company.
The challenge was the rise of the south and west, with new cities more horizontal than vertical. The number of new skyscrapers built in the older cities declined. Like its long-time competitor, Westinghouse Electric , Otis focused on big, tall, high status jobs. Small hydraulic elevators only serving two to five floors were not of much interest to Otis, though those were the most common building heights for offices, hotels, stores, and apartments in the sunbelt.
Smaller companies, led by Dover Elevator, seized the opportunity in small elevators and Otis lost share. Otis was slow to react, only gradually entering the small elevator industry segment.
Going even further afield, Petersen even tried the bowling pinsetter business, then in a short-lived boom, against industry giants Brunswick and AMF. None of this worked, the new ventures lost money, and Otis gradually became a weakened company despite its continuing leadership in elevator technology.
The other parts of United, including Sikorsky, were too dependent on defense department spending, which had fallen as the Vietnam War ended but were always unpredictable. While Otis at first fought the deal, they finally caved when no other buyers could be found.
0コメント