As Africa ascends, lift business booms

Zhao says rising demand for lift repair and maintenance has provided Brilliant with another avenue for increasing its business. About 220,000 units that need maintenance are installed in Africa, he says.

Countries such as Kenya, Malawi and South Africa have strict regulations on lift maintenance, and the norms they set out on maintenance and modernization help drive the industry.

"It's hard to say what the average lifecycle for lifts in Africa is," Zhao says. "But most Chinese-made lifts can be used for between 30 and 35 years if are they properly maintained and serviced."

Many of the lifts in Africa are fairly new, he says.

Cong of Brilliant says: "We want to be a service-oriented company instead of just making and installing equipment."

In Africa, where customers are sensitive to price, third-party maintenance is usually the cheapest, but original equipment suppliers normally provide the best service, Cong says.

Both kinds of service have their place and should be supported to promote a market where fair pricing and competition rule, he says.

Li Shoulin, president of the China Elevator Association in Beijing, says Africa's modernization and the growth of services will keep the continent's demand for lifts high over the next decade. Li, who was in Africa twice last year promoting sales, says: "Many African countries are spending at lot on boosting industries such as transport, hospitality and tourism, so a lot of infrastructure building projects are needed.

"That means more lifts will be installed in public places such as office buildings, shopping malls, hotels, airports, railway stations and residential areas sooner or later."

Contact the writers through zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/20/2013 page19)