The diversified holding company S8 Capital has begun the production of products under the Meteor brand, following the acquisition of all Russian assets belonging to the American elevator manufacturer Otis Elevator Company. The transition to Meteor product manufacturing is set to commence on January 27, and the move is viewed as a strategic rebranding and optimization of the former Otis Russian division. This development was reported by Izvestia, which cited insights from Igor Mayorov, the director general of Meteor Lift, detailing the operational shift and branding changes.
On December 23, 2022, the former Russian division of Otis Worldwide Corporation underwent a formal name change to Meteor Lift. This renaming marked a clear return to a locally focused corporate identity while retaining access to the global engineering expertise associated with the original Otis portfolio. The leadership at Meteor Lift explained that the new name for the elevators previously marketed as the Meteor 400 was selected from several options under consideration, signaling a deliberate branding strategy aligned with the Meteor identity.
Ekaterina Tuton, who serves as vice president of S8 Capital, described additional branding elements during an interview with RBC. She highlighted that the mascot of Meteor Lift would be the character Puck, a choice that complements the new brand narrative and aims to resonate with customers across key markets in the region.
In another notable move, Meteor Lift acquired the image usage rights from Soyuzmultfilm. Tuton characterized this licensing agreement as very important, though she did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction publicly, suggesting the strategic value placed on the visual branding and its cultural resonance in the market.
The broader context shows that Otis halted new orders in Russia in March 2022. By July, reports indicated that Otis had agreed to sell its Russia business to S8 Capital, a holding company controlled by Armen Sargsyan. This sequence of events positioned Meteor Lift not only as a rebranded subsidiary but also as a localized continuation of Otis’s elevator engineering heritage under new ownership and branding, with long-term implications for market competition, service networks, and customer relationships in Russia and neighboring regions. Attribution: Izvestia, RBC, and corporate press releases cited by industry observers.