Let’s highlight the issue of elevator safety – in 2020, there were 21 reported fatalities. The number is alarming mainly as there could be many that are not registered, and indeed there are multiple which were nonfatal accidents. This is unacceptable as the elevator and escalator industry’s focus has always been on making the products as safe as possible for the people who install them and the people who use them.
There is a very urgent need for the E&E industry to focus on compliance with standards and codes. These are meant to give a very safe experience to the installers as well as the users.
Compliance is the most crucial activity that this industry must focus on. It’s not just the compliance to the standards and codes by the manufacturers but also the competency of the people involved in installing and maintaining the elevators and escalators. User awareness also plays a very critical part in this.
From 2019 in the overall scheme of things, the country with the highest number of exports was China at 24 percent, followed by countries from the European Union. India’s total contribution in this overall export is less than 0.3 percent, and that is a staggeringly low figure. Comparing it against what India is importing in terms of elevator and escalator components, we import quite a bit, and the most prominent country we import from is China. China exports to many other countries, but their exports go up to 5 percent in India alone. Hence, the Indian companies need to move quickly, using up and promptly tapping on the underlying global opportunities today.
India has large-scale manufacturing facilities, but our quality standards are not yet up to the global expectations. So, for Indian manufacturers to be successful, matching up the international quality standards and the globally competitive price will be one of the critical requirements they need to chase. In addition, our products are still at the lower end of the commodity segment. So, we need to improve the performance of our components, for which the manufacturing processes must also scale up accordingly.
More effective production will seek upgrades to catch up and lead global standards.
So here lies our opportunity!
In the global E&E exports worth $20 billion, the Indian share is about 0.05 percent. Within the market that exceeds more than 75000 units per year, we are the second-largest one in the world. So there lies a golden opportunity for the elevator and escalator industry to move towards self-reliance with the quality levels that meet the expected global standards.
EECMAI is looking to facilitate this, supporting opportunities where domestic manufacturers can expand into the global market and educate on global quality requirements. This would help expand the market for local manufacturers, who would leverage the larger market size to make their products more competitive. In this way, Indian manufacturers can compete with the cheaper imports that come into the country.
EECMAI thrives on this vision of making India the preferred hub for the global elevator and escalator industry. And this vision is to be fulfilled with our mission to support the industry’s growth by promoting continuous improvement of safety and quality standards, community education, and networking with domestic and international organizations.
