Purchases of new elevators for overhaul decreased by three times

The association “Russian Elevator Association” (RLO) calculated that from January to July this year, 4,300 auctions were held to replace elevators with a total value of 14 billion rubles. within the framework of programs for the overhaul of apartment buildings, during which all elevators that have been in operation for more than 25 years are subject to mandatory replacement, transmits “Kommersant”. It is specified that this is three times lower than the figures for the same period in 2021 and two times lower than in 2020.

The most noticeable reduction was noted in Moscow, where in 2022 98% fewer elevators were purchased than a year earlier: 35 units against 2283. Among the other leaders in the decline are the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Volgograd and Rostov Regions, where the decrease was 93% each.

The reason for such a significant drop in purchases is due to the increase in prices for elevator equipment. In particular, in just seven months of 2022, prices increased by 30%, while for the whole of last year – by 20%. And the budget for the replacement of elevators in 2022 was laid down at the beginning of 2021, said Petr Kharlamov, CEO of the RLS. It is clarified that the cost of new elevators with dismantling and installation depends on the specific region and can reach 3 million rubles. The general director of the Moscow Electrical Equipment and Elevators plant, Ruslan Rodikov, emphasized that in 2022, the cost of manufacturing elevators increased by 30-40% due to imported components.

According to Kharlamov, the decrease in purchases is a “worrisome situation” because it leads to a decrease in production. In particular, according to Rosstat estimates, the production of elevators in the first half of the year has already decreased by 40% yoy and amounted to 9,000 units. At the same time, in previous years, growth was observed in this segment: in 2019, the volume of production increased by 16%, in 2020 – by 18%.

The decline in production is due to several reasons. In particular, according to experts, the departure of foreign suppliers from the Russian market played an important role. At the end of July, the American elevator manufacturer Otis announced the sale of the Russian business to Ice Development (part of the S8 Capital holding). According to the National Elevator Union, Otis occupied 16% of the Russian elevator market – second only to Shcherbinsky Elevator Plant with a 20% share. A month earlier, the Finnish manufacturer Kone, which occupied 3% of the Russian market, also announced the sale of the Russian business.

In early June, developers reported to Forbes that there was a shortage of complex, high-speed elevators that had to be designed for a specific building. It was on such elevators that the manufacturers who left the Russian market specialized.

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