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 forecast to approach 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 innovation.

Over the past year and more, from the revision of regulations on the management of special‑equipment use to the rapid release of a series of new national standards covering remote control, steel‑structure welding, and other areas; 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 pathways in the lifting‑equipment sector have undergone 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.

The current policy direction in the lifting equipment industry is not a simple tightening or easing of regulations; rather, it involves the simultaneous advancement of three key pillars: raising the safety baseline, tightening green standards, and leveraging smart‑technology transformation.

Safety and Standards: A Wave of New Regulations Takes Effect, Shifting Oversight from “Human‑Based” to “AI‑Driven” Security

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 set more detailed requirements for aspects such as equipment registration, routine inspections, maintenance, and emergency management.

Meanwhile, a series of national standards for lifting machinery are set to be issued intensively between 2025 and 2026, covering key areas ranging from core components to complete machine systems:

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 with Mechanical Fasteners,” among others, all came into effect in August 2026.

These standards share a common feature: they no longer merely stipulate that “equipment must be compliant,” but instead begin to regulate how systems operate intelligently, how data is monitored remotely, and how risks are proactively flagged. The regulatory paradigm is shifting 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, aiming to accelerate the intelligent, green, and integrated development of energy-saving technologies.

The previously released “Green Design Guidelines for Industrial Products (2026 Edition)” systematically identified, for the first time, 11 key green design priorities—such as long‑life design, lightweight design, energy‑efficient design, noise‑reduction design, easy‑recycling and regeneration design, and zero‑carbon design—providing a clear framework for embedding low‑carbon principles into lifting equipment at the very outset of the R&D process.

In line with the seven‑department “Implementation Plan for Promoting Equipment Upgrading in the Industrial Sector,” 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 mere differentiators; they are increasingly becoming the minimum threshold for competitive success.

Industrial Development: A Clear Digital Transformation Roadmap 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‑step 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 Level 2 or above in smart manufacturing capability maturity 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 and intelligent technologies, thereby creating clear policy-driven demand for smart lifting equipment.

These policies send a clear signal: the state is no longer merely encouraging lifting‑equipment companies to “grow bigger,” but is instead leveraging a three‑pronged approach—standardization, fiscal incentives, and targeted application scenarios—to steer the industry toward a transformation that emphasizes “strength, intelligence, and sustainability.”

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

Under the guidance of policy, the development trajectory of the lifting equipment industry is becoming increasingly clear. However, it is important to note that many discussions treat “intelligence” and “greenness” as mere labels, without adequately explaining what they are actually transforming.

Trend 1: Green transformation is entering deeper waters, with electrification shifting from a “nice-to-have” to an “essential requirement.”

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 accelerated pace. Leading companies are actively deploying all‑electric, hybrid, and even hydrogen‑fuel‑cell‑powered lifting equipment.

However, greening is far more than simply “replacing the 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 electrical power; and variable‑frequency drives enable precise speed control, cutting unnecessary energy losses. Taken together, these advances deliver a substantial boost in overall energy efficiency for next‑generation lifting equipment compared with conventional models.

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

Trend Two: Deep integration of intelligence, shifting from “remote control” to “autonomous operations.”

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

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

The value of intelligentization goes beyond simply reducing manual labor. It fundamentally transforms operations by enabling 24/7 continuous equipment operation, enhancing operational precision, mitigating safety risks, and ensuring traceability of operational data. Consequently, companies are shifting their service models from standalone equipment sales to end-to-end lifecycle services that integrate equipment, data, 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 and substitution of core components—such as gear reducers, control systems, and sensors—are accelerating, and previously import‑dependent weak links are now achieving breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, Chinese lifting equipment continues to expand its overseas market share thanks to its cost-effectiveness and technological edge, with countries along the Belt and Road emerging as key growth hubs for exports. From simple product exports 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 crane equipment industry, several commonly held views are not entirely accurate.

Misconception 1: “Intelligentization means unmanned operation.” A more accurate understanding is that intelligence exists on a continuous spectrum—ranging from manual operation and remote control to semi‑autonomous and fully autonomous systems. In most scenarios, “human–machine collaboration” will remain the norm for the foreseeable future, with full automation first being deployed in settings characterized by high standardization and enclosed operating environments.

Misconception #2: “Greening simply means increasing costs.” While green equipment does have higher upfront procurement costs, its total lifecycle costs are lower. More importantly, as energy‑efficiency standards tighten and environmental regulations become stricter, the operating costs of non‑green equipment will continue to rise, potentially even leading to restrictions on market access.

Misconception #3: “Tightening policies are negative for the industry.” Standard‑based upgrades will indeed weed out smaller firms with weaker technological capabilities, but for companies that possess robust R&D and compliance expertise, higher entry barriers translate into a more orderly competitive landscape and greater room for value‑based pricing. Rather than squeezing the industry, these policies are steering it away from “price competition” toward “value‑based competition.”

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

In the face of dual shifts—both 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 companies respond swiftly to new standards and regulations? With the gradual implementation of new national standards covering remote control, welding processes, safety monitoring, and more, enterprises 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 entry and a source of cost competitiveness.

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 do those operations and maintenance activities 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‑focused 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, environmental 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 use cases, and the pace of their global expansion.

For industry players, rather than fretting over change, it’s better to plan ahead—because this wave of transformation is not a cyclical fluctuation but a structural shift. Companies that master core technologies will take the lead in the next round of industry consolidation.