Policy Support and Technological Synergy: The Lifting Equipment Industry Enters a New Phase of High-Quality Transformation

In 2025, the Chinese lifting equipment industry is expected to reach a market size of approximately RMB 186 billion, with projections indicating it will surpass RMB 200 billion by 2026. The two-year compound annual growth rate is close to 9%, outpacing the global average growth rate over the same period. However, even more noteworthy than the expansion in scale is the structural upgrade currently underway, driven jointly by policy standards and technological advancements.

Over the past year and more, a series of developments have unfolded: from the revision of regulations on the management of special equipment use to the rapid release of a batch of new national standards covering remote control and steel‑structure welding; from the issuance of a plan for the high‑quality development of energy‑saving equipment to the clarification of a roadmap for the digital transformation of the machinery industry. — Both the policy landscape and the technological trajectory of the lifting equipment industry are undergoing profound changes.

This article eschews broad‑brush trends and instead addresses three key questions: What exactly has the latest policy changed? Where is the industry truly headed? And how should companies and professionals make sense of it?

1 Comprehensive upgrade of the policy framework: three core pillars are being advanced in tandem.

At present, the policy direction in the lifting equipment industry is neither a simple tightening nor a straightforward relaxation, but rather… The three main pillars—raising the safety baseline, tightening green standards, and empowering smart transformation—are being advanced in parallel.

Safety and Standards: New Regulations Are Being Rapidly Implemented, with Oversight Moving From… From “Human Defense” to “Smart Defense”

In February 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the revised “Rules on the Management of the Use of Special Equipment” (TSG 08—2026), which will take effect on May 1, 2026, replacing the 2017 edition that had been in force for nearly nine years. The new rules further strengthen the principal responsibility of equipment‑using entities for safety and introduce more detailed requirements for aspects such as equipment registration, routine inspections, maintenance and upkeep, and emergency management.

Meanwhile, a batch of national standards for lifting machinery is being… A series of intensive releases between 2025 and 2026 will cover key areas, ranging from core components to complete system integration:

GB/T 47720-2026 “Crane Machinery—General Technical Specification for Remote Control Systems,” published in May 2026 and effective from December 2026, establishes, for the first time, a unified technical standard for remote operation.

GB/T 47748-2026, “Crane Machinery — Technical Specification for Welding of Steel Structures,” was published in July 2026 and came into effect in February 2027, thereby enhancing the process standards for structural safety.

GB/T 47722-2026 “Technical Specification for Wind Resistance and Anti-Slip of Lifting Machinery” focuses on the safety of outdoor operations.

GB/T 24810.1-2026 “Crane Limiters and Indicators — Part 1: General Requirements” and GB/T 5973-2026 “Lifting Machinery — Wire Rope Terminations,” among others, all came into effect in August 2026.

The common feature of these standards is that they no longer merely stipulate… “Equipment must be qualified,” but the focus has shifted to standardizing “how systems operate intelligently, how data is monitored remotely, and how risks are flagged in advance.” The regulatory paradigm is transitioning from traditional periodic inspections to intelligent, full‑lifecycle oversight.

Green and Low-Carbon: Raising Energy-Consumption Thresholds, with Policy Constraints and Incentives Operating in Parallel

Green transformation is no longer an optional path; it is increasingly becoming a mandatory准入 requirement. In March 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the “Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of Energy-Saving Equipment (2026–2028),” designating six categories of equipment—including energy-efficient motors and industrial refrigeration systems—as priority areas. The plan outlines a roadmap centered on green design and manufacturing, equipment upgrading and retrofitting, and AI-driven empowerment, with the aim of accelerating the intelligent, green, and integrated development of energy-saving equipment.

The previously released “Green Design Guidelines for Industrial Products ( The 2026 edition for the first time systematically outlines 11 key green design priorities, including long-life design, lightweight design, energy-saving design, noise-reduction design, easy-recycling and regeneration design, and zero-carbon design, providing a clear framework for embedding low-carbon principles into the very outset of lifting equipment R&D.

In line with the “Implementation Plan for Promoting Equipment Upgrading in the Industrial Sector” issued by seven government departments, a large number of energy‑intensive, aging lifting equipment are entering a phase of retirement and replacement. Technologies such as electrification, permanent‑magnet direct drive, and energy recovery are no longer… It is no longer a “bonus point,” but is gradually becoming the “passing threshold” in market competition.

Industry Development: A clear roadmap for digital transformation has been established, with smart equipment serving as a key policy lever.

In August 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the “Implementation Plan for the Digital Transformation of the Machinery Industry (2025–2030),” setting out a two‑phase roadmap: by 2027, digital and intelligent technologies will be widely deployed across equipment R&D and design, production and manufacturing, business management, and operations and maintenance services; enterprises achieving Smart Manufacturing Capability Maturity Level 2 or above will account for 50%; and no fewer than 200 world‑class smart factories will be established.

In May 2026, the State Council issued the “Action Plan for Tackling Bottlenecks and Removing Obstacles in Multimodal Transport (2026–2030),” which explicitly mandates that ports and logistics hubs be equipped with intelligent checkpoint systems, remotely controlled gantry cranes, unmanned straddle carriers, automated sorting systems, AGV robots, and other digital‑intelligent technologies, thereby creating clear policy demand for smart lifting equipment.

These policies send a clear signal: the state is no longer merely encouraging lifting equipment enterprises. Rather than simply “getting bigger,” we are driving the industry’s transformation toward “stronger, smarter, and greener” through a three-pronged approach encompassing standards, fiscal incentives, and application scenarios.

02 Three Major Trends in Industry Development: Not Just Concepts, but Structural Changes That Are Already Taking Place

Under policy guidance, the development trajectory of the lifting equipment industry is becoming increasingly clear. However, it should be noted that many discussions have… “Intelligentization” and “greenification” have been adopted as buzzwords, yet it remains unclear what exactly they are transforming.

Trend 1: Green transformation is entering deeper waters, with electrification moving from… “Optional question” has become a “mandatory question.”

The most direct manifestation of greening is the shift in powertrain technologies. Electric cranes and permanent‑magnet direct‑drive systems are seeing rapidly increasing market penetration, while high‑energy‑consumption diesel‑powered models are being phased out at an accelerating pace. Leading companies are actively deploying all‑electric, hybrid, and even hydrogen‑fuel‑cell‑powered lifting equipment.

But greening is not just… “Switch to a new engine.” It is reshaping the entire product‑design paradigm: the use of lightweight materials reduces structural weight, energy‑recovery systems convert gravitational potential energy into electricity, and variable‑frequency control enables precise speed regulation, cutting unnecessary energy losses. Taken together, these innovations deliver a substantial improvement in the overall energy efficiency of next‑generation lifting equipment compared with conventional models.

For users, green equipment may have a higher upfront purchase cost, but its total lifecycle operating costs are lower. — Electricity costs less than fuel, maintenance is simpler, noise levels are lower, and it meets increasingly stringent environmental standards. This is why, in addition to policy-driven initiatives, the market itself is generating momentum for a green transition.

Trend Two: Deep implementation of intelligence, from From “Remote Control” to “Autonomous Operation”

Intelligentization is the fastest‑evolving segment of the lifting equipment industry. The release of the national standard GB/T 47720‑2026 for remote control marks a shift in remote operation from isolated, enterprise‑specific efforts to a standardized framework. Even more noteworthy is that unmanned and autonomous technologies are advancing from pilot projects toward large‑scale deployment.

Data shows that the global unmanned crane market… In 2025, the market is projected to reach approximately US$379 million, and by 2032 it is expected to grow to US$1.347 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of nearly 20%, significantly outpacing the overall industry growth rate. In settings such as ports, steel plants, and logistics parks, unmanned cranes and intelligent gantry cranes have already been deployed on a large scale.

The value of intelligence goes beyond just “Fewer operators required.” What it truly transforms is this: equipment can operate continuously around the clock, with higher operational precision, reduced safety risks, and traceable operating data. Consequently, companies’ service models have evolved from standalone equipment sales to end-to-end lifecycle services encompassing “equipment + data + operations and maintenance.”

Trend 3: Synergy between industrial-chain self-reliance and globalization, with the share of high-end products continuing to rise.

The third trend is the transformation of the industrial structure itself. By 2025, the share of high-end lifting equipment in China had risen from 29.4% in 2020 to 43.8%. The localization of core components such as gear reducers, control systems, and sensors has accelerated, and previously import‑dependent weak links are now achieving breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, Chinese lifting equipment continues to expand its overseas market share, leveraging its cost-effectiveness and technological advantages. The Belt and Road regions have become the core hubs for export growth. From purely exporting products to establishing overseas manufacturing facilities and offering end-to-end solutions, Chinese lifting equipment companies are increasingly globalizing.

03 Several common misconceptions that need to be addressed first

When examining the lifting equipment industry, several commonly held views are not entirely accurate.

Misconception One: “Intelligentization is unmanned operation.”   A more accurate understanding is that intelligence is a continuous spectrum. — From manual operation to remote control, and then to semi-autonomous and fully autonomous systems. In most scenarios, “human–machine collaboration” will remain the norm for the foreseeable future, with unmanned operations first being deployed in highly standardized settings characterized by enclosed work environments.

Misconception No. 2: “Greening means increasing costs.”   While green equipment does entail higher upfront procurement costs, its total lifecycle costs are lower. More importantly, as energy‑efficiency standards tighten and environmental regulations become more stringent, the operating costs of non‑green equipment will continue to rise, potentially even leading to restrictions on their use.

Misconception Three: “Tightening policies are negative for the industry.”   Standardized upgrades will indeed weed out smaller firms with weak technological capabilities, but for companies that possess both R&D expertise and regulatory compliance, higher entry barriers translate into a more orderly competitive landscape and greater room for premium pricing. Rather than squeezing the industry, these policies are driving it toward… “Price competition” is shifting to “value competition.”

04 Going forward, when assessing the lifting equipment industry, you can refer to this framework.

In the face of dual shifts in policy and technology, whether you’re an equipment manufacturer, an end user, or an investor, assessing the prospects of a company or a particular direction hinges on four key variables:

Compliance Capability: Can enterprises respond swiftly to new standards and regulations? With the gradual implementation of new national standards covering remote control, welding processes, safety monitoring, and more, companies whose R&D and quality‑control capabilities fail to keep pace will be progressively marginalized.

Green Technology Reserve: Whether it has mastered core technologies such as electrification, energy‑efficiency optimization, and lightweighting. Green is not merely a marketing buzzword; it is the future threshold for market access and a source of cost advantages.

Intelligent Implementation Capability: Are there real-world, production‑ready smart‑city projects, rather than just conceptual demonstrations? The criteria are straightforward: does the equipment generate data, is that data used to optimize operations and maintenance, and does O&M itself generate revenue?

Full-industry-chain layout: Whether core components are independently controllable and whether the company possesses the capability to extend its offerings from equipment sales to operations and maintenance services. Enterprises that focus on a single link in the value chain have relatively weaker risk resilience, whereas those with a full‑chain industrial layout are better positioned to navigate market cycles.

Conclusion

The lifting equipment industry is at a critical juncture, transitioning from scale‑driven expansion to quality‑oriented advancement. The ongoing refinement of policies and standards has both raised the bar for market entry and fostered a more orderly competitive landscape for high‑quality enterprises.

At present, it is clear that the three core pillars—safety, sustainability, and intelligence—have been firmly established, with relevant standards and policies being rapidly implemented. However, the ultimate reshaping of the industry landscape will depend on companies’ speed of technological adaptation, their ability to deploy solutions across real-world scenarios, and the pace of their global expansion.

For industry professionals, rather than worrying about change, it’s better to plan ahead. — Because this round of change is not a cyclical fluctuation but a structural transformation, companies that master core technologies will take the lead in the next wave of industry consolidation.