The Otis Elevator Company’s local affiliate Otis (UAE) has been awarded one of the most-sought-after contracts in the elevator sector – that of supplying and installing elevators in Burj Dubai tower which is destined to become the tallest building in the world.

Competition among the leading elevator suppliers for this prestigious contract was tough but after an eight-month-long process of tender and negotiations, Otis is confident that it has met all the safety and reliability criteria of the Burj developers.
“We are honoured that Emaar has selected Otis for this prestigious contract,” says Yusef Shalabi, general manager of Otis (UAE) in Dubai.
Otis will supply around 60 state-of-the-art elevators of different specifi-cations in the tower and ancillary buildings. These will include the first double-deck lifts to be installed anywhere in the Middle East. The double-deck elevators will carry visitors to the observation deck, which will offer a breathtaking view of the city of Dubai.
The Otis Elevator Company is a fully-owned subsidiary of the US-based industrial conglomerate the United Technologies Corporation, which is also the corporate parent of Carrier, the world famous air-conditioning equipment supplier, and Pratt & Whitney, the aircraft engine manufacturer.
Otis has numerous high-rise elevator contracts to its name including the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. In fact, Otis elevators are moving people in 85 per cent of the world’s tallest buildings, he says. The company’s track record is exceptional and Otis has proven over the 150 years of its existence that it has the expertise in developing special elevators to suit any specification set for a high-rise building.
“This contract further highlights Otis’ position as the world leader in high-rise projects,” adds Mohamed Rasheed, Otis managing director (Arabian Gulf).
Otis has been in operation in the UAE, supplying lifts, escalators and moving walks since the late 1960s. The company operated until 2002 through its agent the United National Development Company, which was jointly owned by two prominent Dubai businessmen namely Abdulrahman S Al Ghurair and Khalifa J Al Nabooda. Otis (UAE) was formed in 2002 as an affiliate of the Otis Elevator Company, which got management control. “Bearing in mind the scale of development in the country, especially during the last five years, it was necessary to strengthen our operations here to capitalise on the opportunities available. Otis has been very busy as the market has expanded considerably over this boom period and we are confident of maintaining our market leadership and current growth pattern in the years to follow,” Shalabi asserts.

Gen2 elevators use steel-reinforced belts instead of conventional steel ropes.

Over the years, Otis has introduced a number of innovative products to the UAE. It was the first company that supplied and installed escalators and moving walks in the country.  It introduced the revolutionary Gen2 machine room-less elevator in 2002 that has created a stir in the market. “The concept of the machine room-less elevator was taken further when Otis introduced its Gen2 model, whereby Otis came up with the novel concept of using steel-reinforced belts to replace conventional steel ropes to move the elevator,” he explains. “Today, Otis is a world leader in this technology and thousands of our Gen-2 elevators of different specifications are operating across the globe.”
During its long operational history in the country spanning over almost three decades, Otis has been associated with various types of projects in the commercial, residential and institutional sectors. It has provided elevators and escalators to numerous projects and has managed to surpass the expectation of the customers with the quality of products and the reliability of its service.
The list of projects in the UAE include landmarks such as the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi International Airport, the Al Ain International Airport; the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai, the Dubai, Rashid, Al Wasl and and Welcare hospitals; the National Bank of Dubai and the Commercial Bank of Dubai headquarter buildings in Dubai, among many others.
Otis in the UAE strives for customer satisfaction by exceeding customer expectations and has an established comprehensive service set-up.
“We offer a 24-hour helpline and extend complete emergency service facilities to our clients. We are inducting more technical staff and encouraging local graduates from the technical colleges to join the company to train as elevator technicians and engineers,” he concludes.