Otis Elevator Company, a unit of United Technologies Corporation, opened the world's first "green" elevator manufacturing facility, which will produce environmentally friendly elevator systems.
The Otis TEDA Elevator Center, located in the heart of China's Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) on a 1.5 million-square-foot (141,643-square-meter) site, incorporates the most advanced, energy-saving technologies to reduce site energy usage by at least 25 percent. The center will produce Gen2 elevators and high-speed permanent magnet gearless systems.
"It is of great significance that the Otis TEDA Elevator Center has opened in TEDA," said Yang Dongliang, member of Tianjin Municipal Standing Committee and vice mayor of Tianjin. "Through its extensive use of green technologies, this center sets the standard for balancing economic growth with environmental protection."
"We are delighted to open the Otis TEDA Elevator Center, which allows us to further expand on our commitment to sustainable development in China and worldwide," said Otis president Ari Bousbib. "Among the products our new factory will manufacture are Otis' environmentally friendly flagship product, the Gen2 elevator system, as well as other gearless systems. This world-class facility will lead the way to a greener future, allowing Otis to produce environmentally responsible products while minimizing energy usage."
The Otis TEDA Elevator Center was designed and constructed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards. It uses extensive day lighting and natural ventilation, cool roofs to reduce heat island effects, radiant heating in offices and the cafeteria, intensive insulation, high-performance windows, and rainwater collection for site irrigation. The center also includes heating, ventilating and air conditioning and building automation systems from UTC's Carrier business unit and security and access systems from UTC Fire & Security. These integrated systems help maximize the center's overall environmental performance to reduce energy consumption.
Otis' facilities will feature the most advanced product development, manufacturing and testing capabilities for Gen2 elevators and gearless systems with energy-efficient permanent magnet machines. In addition to using half the energy of conventional geared machines, the Gen2 elevator's patented coated-steel belts and gearless machine do not require any additional lubrication, making the system cleaner for the environment.
Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products including elevators, escalators and moving walkways. With headquarters in Farmington, Conn., Otis employs 61,000 people, offers products and services in more than 200 countries and territories and maintains 1.5 million elevators and escalators worldwide. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries.