The 10th International Elevator & Escalator Expo 2012 was held at the Guangzhou Import & Export Pazhou Exhibition Center in Guangzhou, China, from June 16 to 19 last month.

Organized by the China Elevator Association (CEA), it is the largest elevator expo in the world, with 22 countries including Germany, Italy, Finland, Japan, India, Turkey, etc. participating in the 60,000-square-meter exhibition area, attracting nearly 100,000 visitors. With a total of 703 exhibitors of elevators and escalators, as well as various parts and displays, spread over seven halls, the exhibition was widely recognized as the most extensive and powerful promotional platform in the world, with the active participation of leading companies such as Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Kon, Toshiba, Wing, Kangli, Royal Olympic, KONE, West, Shen Ling, Jiangnan Fiajie, Xinda, etc.

The four-day exhibition kicked off with an opening ceremony attended by Xiaximu Hutter, President of the German Elevator Technology Association, Li Shoulin, President of the China Elevator Association, and senior officials from Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province and Guangdong Province.

In 2010, more than 532,000 new elevators were installed worldwide, of which China accounted for 56%, making it the largest market with 300,000 new elevators installed in 2010 alone. Last year, the number of new installations reached 457,000 units, showing a steep annual growth rate of 20%. Of this total, 410,000 units were consumed in China's domestic market, making China the one market that encompasses the global elevator market.

The main themes of the exhibition are high efficiency and energy saving and elevator safety. Mr. Li Shoulin, President of the China Elevator Association, who organized the exhibition, also emphasized the importance of elevator safety and reliable service. The China Elevator Association (CEA) is a non-profit organization of the Chinese elevator industry formed by elevator manufacturers, installers, repairers, management, designers, researchers, and schools, with nearly 900 companies as members, and under the umbrella of provincial elevator associations in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou, and other cities.

 "Elevator manufacturing and installation are fundamental, and we must do our best to ensure safety so that users can use elevators safely," Li Shoulin, president of the China Elevator Association, told us. "Although we are optimistic about the future of China's elevator market, there are several problems hindering the development of the elevator industry, such as the serious low-end products on the market, the shortage of installation and maintenance personnel, and the poor R&D field compared to manufacturing capacity, which need to be improved urgently."

While the exhibition showcased the latest technologies and trends in the ever-changing Chinese market, it also exposed the low-end products behind the rapid growth. "Poor product finishing and the large number of low-end products on display show that China's elevator industry is in a transitional period of sophistication," said a member of our delegation.

However, most of our delegation members who visited the exhibition felt that the Chinese market is growing at a frightening pace. "Unlike Korea, Chinese medium-sized enterprises are very large, with thousands of employees, and local companies are very influential," said one participant, adding, "Korean companies with production bases in China will soon run into limits, and China's technology is already outpacing Korea's."

 Another participant said, "The cumulative number of elevator installations in the Korean market is 440,000 units and the Japanese market is 700,000 units, but China is installing 300,000 new elevators every year, so the volume and scale are incomparable." "As the Chinese market is so large, I felt the power of people's unity at this exhibition."

A participant from a domestic elevator parts company said, "The MC nylon sheave from Yangzhou Nier Engineering Plastics has many advantages in terms of price competitiveness when adopted in low-speed hoisting machines, so it is expected to be well received by domestic finished product companies." He also showed interest in new ideas. 

In China's elevator market, local companies account for 40% of the total market, and the top 30 companies account for more than 80% of the total output. As a reflection of this, the exhibition featured a large number of local and small and medium-sized enterprises. Exhibits included elevator light curtains from Ningbo, wire ropes from Tianjin Goldsun, balance compensating chains from Xinghua Drako and Haian Xunda, and governors and safety gear from Jiulian Elevator. In addition, large companies such as Giant KONE, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, and Otis displayed maintenance systems in spacious booths and held various events to attract attention.

Hitachi, in particular, attracted attention with a joint pavilion of Hitachi Elevator Co., Hitachi Building Systems Co., Ltd. and Hitachi Co., Ltd. displaying the ultra-high-speed SX series and the new CA series of escalators, as well as wireless remote monitoring systems, service support systems, and remote intelligent sensor systems. With operating income exceeding RMB 10 billion in China alone last year, over 42,000 elevators produced and a market share of 14.6%, Hitachi is poised to become a smart leader in information system technology. "The most important market for the Hitachi Group is China," said a Hitachi Group representative, "and we have established a global R&D network to develop ultra-high-speed elevators, escalators and vertical lifts, and intelligent systems to meet the demands of China's high-rise building market." 

 

Ltd, which is committed to becoming the 'Volvo' of the elevator industry in China, exhibited its core brand SRH brand to showcase the robustness and safety of its products, while Kangli Elevator, which is building a green line with renewable energy, exhibited various inverter technologies and products as a representative of local Chinese companies. 

Key synchronous motor parts manufacturers such as Torin, Kinetek, and Ningbo Xinda, as well as escalator parts manufacturer OTI and elevator access card intelligent system builder TIBOSHI, also participated and had their own booths.

Step exhibited a wide range of elevator-specific inverters and integrated drive control panels, elevator energy regeneration devices and door machine inverters, group control systems, and remote monitoring systems, attracting visitors, while Vitour, one of the world's leading suppliers of elevator parts, also attracted attention with its themed pavilions specializing in safety, high speed, and energy saving. Based on its Chinese production base in Suzhou, China, Vitoursa is targeting China and the Asia-Pacific region as key regions for the group's business development.   

The participation of Korean companies was also prominent. Nowtech, Haesung Sanjeon, and Autonics, among others, had fewer consultations with overseas buyers about their products, which are highly competitive in price compared to Japanese products, targeting companies that prefer foreign brands.

Guangzhou, where the exhibition was held, is the capital city of Guangdong Province, comprising 21 municipalities, and is one of the two pillars of China's economy along with the Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai) and the Greater Bay Area (Beijing and Tianjin), ranking first in the country in terms of economic size, and is a manufacturing base for global companies, making it an important frontier for the development of China's domestic market.