Otis Worldwide Corporation, doing business as its former legal name Otis Elevator Company and styled as OTIS, is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and related equipment. Based in Farmington, Connecticut, U.S., Otis is the world's largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems, principally focusing on elevators, escalators, and moving walkways. It currently has a market share of 18%. The company pioneered the development of the "safety elevator", invented by Elisha Otis in 1852, which used a special mechanism that locked the elevator car in place against hoisting rope failure. The Otis Elevator Company was acquired by United Technologies in 1976, and was spun off as an independent company 44 years later in April 2020.