The second lift and escalator fair of developing Kazakhstan was held in Almaty on April 3-5.
The Republic of Kazakhstan has been governed under the chairmanship of Nur Sultan Nazarbayev since its independence from the Soviet Union on December 16, 1991, until March 2019. Regulations made by the president in administrative fields are carried out by presidential decrees and ministry renewals. Nur Sultan Nazarbayev is the main element of the current political stability in the country.
With a surface area of 2,279,900 km2, Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and second largest country among the former Soviet Union countries in terms of surface area. The country, which is approximately 3.5 times the size of Türkiye, is located in Central Asia, in the northwest of China, west of the Ural River.
Kazakhstan’s economy is fundamentally composed of crude oil, mining industry and natural gas exportation. Revenue from oil and gas accounts for more than a third of the GDP. Development of the non-oil industry is slow.
Various policies are implemented to ensure economic diversity and create an industrial infrastructure in the country. As part of the long-term road map determined by the “Nurlu Yol Economy Program” spearheaded by the former President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan aims to diversify its industrialization rather than the economic model based on the export of underground resources. Efforts are made to pave the way for new investments in various industrial areas in Kazakhstan, including especially the processing of energy and agricultural products. In recent years, an increase has been observed in service, construction and education activities and the manufacturing industry on a sectoral basis.
Efforts are made to attract direct foreign capital to the country through the incentives provided as part of Special Economic Zones so that sectoral diversity is ensured and industrial production is enhanced by transforming the economic structure based on underground resources. There are currently 14 Special Economic Zones in the country, and various incentives are provided to investor companies, including various tax exemptions and loan allocations with affordable interest.
The effects of economic growth, which accelerated with the oil sector, have reflected in other sectors, especially the service sector. The service sector provides the highest employment in the country among other sectors.
Foreign Trade Status of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has an economy with a current account surplus due to its natural resources, and it exports raw materials and semi-finished products due to its production structure. Almost half of the export is composed of oil and oil products. Exports of consumer goods are quite limited. Kazakhstan export amounted to US$84 billion in 2022. The main export countries include Italy, China, Russia, the Netherlands and Türkiye. Türkiye ranks fifth in the country’s export with a share of 6%. The main products exported by the country in 2022 were crude oil, gold, refined copper and copper alloys, copper ores and concentrates and ferroalloys. The import amounted to US$50 billion in 2022. The main import countries include Russia, China, Germany, the U.S. and Türkiye. Türkiye ranks fifth in the country’s imports with a share of 3.2%. The People’s Republic of China is the most important supplier country of Kazakhstan, followed by Russia, due to its logistics and price advantage with its 1,533-km border with Kazakhstan (Table 2).
Lift Industry
Upon the revival of the construction sector after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the lift and escalator sector also gained rapid momentum. Nowadays, the interest of lift manufacturers in the country, which requires approximately 5,000 new units annually, has increased. Although the largest lift suppliers in the country after OEMs are still China and Russia, the influence of Turkish companies in the region seems to be increasing. Turkish companies, especially those operating in the construction industry, have implemented several projects in the capital Astana and Almaty.
It is a serious advantage that Turkish contractor companies prefer Turkish companies for vertical-transportation solutions, though it is not easy to compete with Chinese companies. On the other hand, Turkish companies are still preferred in various projects.
Second Kazakhstan Lift Fair
The second Lift Expo Kazakhstan fair, organized by İntro Fair, was held on April 3-5 at Almati Baluan Sholak Sports Center.
70 companies, mostly from China, as well as from Kazakhstan, Russia, Türkiye, Uzbekistan and Iran, exhibited their latest designs and products. Even though the number of visitors was lower compared to last year, the qualified visitors made the participants happy. Due to reasons such as high freight prices and delays at customs, there were not many foreign companies able to exhibit their products. Companies that could not bring products tried to promote their products through options such as videos and catalogs or VR (virtual reality) they offered to visitors.
This year, the companies that attended the fair from Türkiye included CEO Lift, Çözüm As Asansör, Emlak Konut Asansör (EKA), Genemek, İtimat, Mars, Onaylift and TTI.
Lift Expo Kazakhstan Fair, which was held for the last time in Almaty, will be organized in Astana on March 26-28, 2025.
Source:
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade data
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