Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com

BUOYED BY TECHNOLOGY, OTIS REFLECTS ON A “SOLID” FIRST HALF

In a second-quarter earnings call in late July, "solid" is how Otis CEO Judy Marks and Chief Financial Officer Rahul Ghai described the recently independent company's performance in the first half of 2020 — a year that presented challenges, mostly from the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis hasn't been all bad news for Otis: With continued business recovery in China and across the Asia-Pacific region (other than in India), the company is seeing interest in and demand for touchless and Internet of Things technology increase, although this isn't yet reflected by earnings, the Hartford Business Journal reported in August. In a pilot program, Otis recently installed gesture- and voice-activated elevator technology at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. A casino official says it is the first casino to do so, and Otis Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy Chris Smith says he expects demand for such technology to increase worldwide, even after the pandemic. ELEVATOR WORLD plans to include a more in-depth look at Otis' year so far and expectations in our November 2020 issue.

Image credit: courtesy of Foxwoods Resort Casino

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