960413

China world's 3rd

largest elevator

manufacturer

BEIJING: The more than 30,000 elevators that are produced each year in China, mean that it has become the third largest manufacturer in the world, after the United States and Japan, "China Machinery and Electronics" has reported.

This is a great leap forward from the 10,000 elevators produced in the 30 years from 1949, when New China was founded, to 1979, when the reform and opening up policy was initiated.

What is even more important is that China is now capable of large-scale production of more sophisticated elevators, the paper says.

However, it noted that both the quality and quantity of domestic elevators still cannot meet domestic demand because the country is also the largest elevator market in the world.

To make up for that shortcoming, China has to spend more than 400 million dollars each year in importing 7,000 to 8,000 elevators, and imports of spareparts are also enormous.

To improve the quality of elevator production and maintenance, the Chinese government has published its "Provisional Regulations for Better Management of Elevators", imposing stiff requirements on manufacture, installation, and maintenance.-AP