Word by Sebi Joseph
With a digital future upon us, the time to create solutions that deliver value for organisations and communities is upon us
In today’s smart cities, everything is connected using the Internet of Things (IoT) — from automobile traffic to package deliveries to air quality. Vertical transportation is no different and IoT connectivity is transforming how the elevator and escalator industry moves people.
One trend emerging across the people-moving industry is collaboration to enhance connectivity through the use of IoT-enabled products. Service businesses have increased the usage of IoT-enabled technologies that deliver proactive repair recommendations. This effort marks an investment in digital tools, mobile apps, and other operational solutions to ultimately advance digitalization.
Future-ready solutions
Smart cities call for futuristic solutions. As the future is digital, the vertical mobility industry is harnessing the power of digital algorithms to build e-apps connected with smart elevators that are capable of communicating with passengers, building managers, service staff, and other systems for proactive service solutions and timely maintenance of elevators to improve the ride experience., Otis has introduced the Gen3 platform to give people the freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The Gen3 elevator is powered by the Otis ONE IoT digital platform, which provides the connected intelligence that defines these elevators. The Otis ONE platform monitors elevator health and performance in real-time, 24/7.
Leading companies like us (Otis) have deployed smartphones equipped with a suite of custom apps for field professionals around the world. These tools help field employees be more efficient, source information faster, strengthen customer ties, and identify potential issues.
Here is a brief look at some of the mobile apps that field teams use:
1. Field professionals can search and order parts right from the job site. This saves the field professional’s time and helps provide customers with a faster return to service
2. Using sensors available in the iPhone, field professionals help diagnose performance issues such as ride quality issues, excessive noise or vibrations. The field professional receives a data report that helps to determine the cause of the issue, all with the tap of a button
3. The app replaces a paper process that checks for safety and quality at job sites through what is called a field assurance audit. This helps in digitalizing a paper process and creating a more transparent communication channel – both internally and externally
4. Maintenance Apps allow field professionals to schedule maintenance activity and capture customer responses
Technology as an enabler
The next generation of connected products like the OTIS ONE IOT Solutions will play an integral role in the connected urban ecosystem, enable more proactive service solutions, and reduce downtime. Data collected and analysed with sophisticated alogorithms helps field professionals to troubleshoot potential issues prior to arrival on a job. For the building user and developer, this is an unmatched experience. IOT Technology has also taken transparency and proactive communication to a whole new level, with digital notifications and system driven reports giving the elevator a whole new persona!
Voice and video assurance in emergencies has addressed a very critical need of passenger experience throughout the lifecycle of the product.
The power of data analytics, machine learning and cloud computing is now harnessed to predict and prevent shutdowns. This information can be used to analyse data, sourced from hundreds of thousands of connected elevators across the globe, to create advanced algorithms that can generate predictive analytics. With remote monitoring and predictive analytics, we can respond to a service request in the quickest possible time. Remote monitoring and predictive analytics also help field professionals prepare for a particular job and arrive on-site ready with the tools and parts needed.
Real-time elevator performance analysis allows us to spot issues right away and notify the customer before an issue progresses. More advanced modelling allows us to assign elevator predictive modelling and health scores to ensure customers can see more about their equipment’s health to help plan for future maintenance costs.
Our industry is coming closer to customers to understand how buildings truly operate and how people travel; we are harnessing technology to help them get to their destinations safely, quickly and comfortably and digitalization with IOT is helping us scale new horizons in the quest to create a new benchmark in customer experience.
Sebi Joseph is the President of Otis India. He has nearly three decades of diverse experience with Otis, beginning as a graduate engineer trainee working closely with equipment, and later progressing on to management positions in India, Singapore, the Philippines and the Gulf area. He had the pleasure of working on the Burj Khalifa – a major feat, as nothing like the 803 meter-tall building had been executed before.
Away from his demanding and exciting work, Sebi enjoys French wine and cinema. He also loves reading autobiographies, which inspire him to walk on untrodden paths and discover new avenues of progress.
