Otis wins inaugural CIBSE MENA vertical transportation award

Otis was named Manufacturer and Supplier of the Year for Vertical Transportation at the 2026 CIBSE Middle East and North Africa Awards in Dubai. The win matters because it marks the first year the awards have recognized vertical transportation specifically, underscoring the region’s rising demand for complex mobility solutions.

Why it matters: - The award spotlights the growing importance of vertical transportation in the Middle East as large projects raise safety, performance and innovation demands. - The recognition also reinforces Otis’ position in a market where mobility systems are becoming more complex across major developments.

What happened: - Otis was named Manufacturer and Supplier of the Year for Vertical Transportation at the 2026 CIBSE Middle East and North Africa Awards. - The awards were held Oct. 29 at the W Hotel, Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. - The CIBSE MENA Awards included dedicated vertical transportation categories for the first time this year.

The details: - The recognition was based on Otis’ work supporting mobility requirements across the Middle East through innovation, engineering expertise, safety and customer service. - Wesley Steels, vice president and general manager for the Middle East at Otis, said the award is especially meaningful because it came in the first year of the dedicated vertical transportation categories. - Steels said the Middle East is a fast-growing market with ambitious developments that require high standards of safety, performance and innovation. - Otis said its regional portfolio includes landmark UAE developments such as Burj Khalifa and One Za’abeel in Dubai, along with Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Center. - Otis says it has extensive experience delivering complex vertical transportation solutions around the world and across the Middle East. - The CIBSE MENA Awards were formerly known as the CIBSE UAE Annual Awards. - The awards recognize excellence in building services engineering across the Middle East and North Africa, including sustainability, safety and performance. - The 2026 program covered project, individual, executive, company, initiative and product categories. - The awards also covered fields ranging from major infrastructure and data centers to sustainable design and digital innovation.

Between the lines: - The new vertical transportation category suggests the industry now sees elevators and escalators as a distinct specialty, not just a support service inside larger building projects. - Otis’ win fits a broader regional trend: faster urban development is pushing demand for systems that can handle higher traffic, tighter design constraints and stricter safety expectations. - The company’s focus on landmark buildings signals that reputation in the Middle East is being built through highly visible reference projects.

What's next: - Otis is likely to keep competing for work tied to major regional developments where complex mobility systems are a core requirement. - The CIBSE MENA Awards are expected to continue highlighting vertical transportation alongside other building-services disciplines as the category matures.

The bottom line: - Otis’ first-year win in a new CIBSE MENA category gives the company a regional credibility boost in one of the world’s fastest-growing construction markets.