An antique birdcage elevator cab at Otis Elevator in Bristol. Facing a technician shortage, Otis is responding by stepping up hiring, boosting training and expanding apprenticeship and skill development programs. (Hartford Courant file photo)

Otis Elevator faces technician shortages just months after rolling out a service platform linking the workers with elevator mechanics.

The marquee subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. is responding by stepping up hiring, boosting training and expanding apprenticeship and skill development programs.

Otis Elevator Announces Next Step In Digital Technology »

“Otis has experienced some labor shortages in certain regions, including in Europe, where economies have been strengthening,” the Farmington-based company said in a written statement.

The “labor tightening” has been reported by other companies, particularly in construction, Otis said.

Analyst Nicholas Heymann of William Blair & Co. said in a note to clients that the shortage is a near-term issue,” particularly in Europe.”

The shortage is “limiting the pace of productivity improvement for Otis’s 33,000 global elevator service workforce,” he said.

Otis, based in Farmington, rolled out its newest application of internet technology in May as it turns to digital operations to reduce elevator maintenance and repairs that are costly to customers and inconvenient to users.

The service platform links mechanics in the construction department using iPads with employees in the service department who rely on the iPhone. The result is quicker service for customers. Otis touts it as a significant improvement in productivity.

Collecting and analyzing data to predict elevator problems before they occur to save customers money on service calls is a big part of Otis’ internet of things application. Its 16,000 service technicians, connected to apps on phones, represent about half of its 33,000 service technicians worldwide.

Elevator installers and repairers are among the top paid workers in construction, with an annual median salary of more than $79,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Employment is projected to increase 12 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than average in all occupations, the labor department said. Installation and maintenance of elevators and escalators in residential and commercial buildings is driving demand.

The good pay is in response to strong demand due to a boom in construction of offices and housing in high-rise towers in U.S. cities, it said.

Heymann said he is optimistic that Otis’ work on its next generation of elevators is likely to generate “more profitable future growth for one of UTC’s most important commercial franchises.” But he is “watching closely the profitability of Otis” because of continuing challenges in new commercial construction in China.

Heymann also cautioned about a “steady erosion” in Otis’ repair and servicing business in Europe, which accounts for more than half of its sales.

Otis posted $12.3 billion in sales last year, up 3.8 percent. Its revenue growth lagged two other UTC subsidiaries: jet engine manufacture Pratt & Whitney and UTC Climate, Controls & Security, which includes its Carrier heating and cooling business.