Elevator Industry Covıd-19 Survey Results Analysis

Elevator World, Inc., the German elevator association VFA Interlift e.V. and fair organizer AFAG, in association with Credit Suisse, recently shared results of a survey of elevator industry representatives on the current industry status and anticipated effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on business.

Credit Suisse Managing Director and Head of European Capital Goods Equity Research Andre Kukhnin assisted with preparation of a chart analysis, including breakdowns by country, of the results

(excluding China, as only three of the nearly 600 responses were from that country). Calculating results using a method akin to the widely followed, evenly balanced Purchasing Manager Index, observations include:

• Overall assessment of the current economic situation leans toward “challenging,” with 34%answering “bad,” 26%, “good” and the remaining 40% “neutral.”
• Industry associations are most negative in their outlook versus pre-pandemic time
• Manufacturers and service providers are least negative in their outlook versus pre-pandemic times
• Overall, the industry outlook is slightly cautious, with 29% expecting unfavorable development over the next six months, half expecting stability and 19%expecting favorable development. Respondents from Europe and North America were less negative.
• In terms of business outlook, industry associations are most cautious in their pandemic-era outlook, followed by manufacturers/components suppliers and consultants/service providers.
• The most-cited business-limiting factor is COVID-19-related restrictions, followed by economic uncertainty and lagging demand.
• Those in Europe and North America plan to maintain current levels of employment over the next three months, but those in the Asia-Pacific region do not.
• New equipment providers in Europe anticipate business to be up to 10% below pre-COVID-19 levels, while modernization providers, expect the firms to be only 3% below previous levels.