Russian Elevator Week

Despite the difficulties in supply, strong market demands increased attention for Russian Elevator Week. 

The 11th Russian Elevator Week, organized by VDNKh and the National Lift Society (NLS), was held on 7-9 June at the 57th Hall of the International VDNKh Fairground in four tent halls set up outside. As a result of the Russia-Ukraine war which started on February 2022 and still continues, the lift and escalator industry in Russia has been impacted tremendously since it has been exposed to a series of sanctions by the U.S. and Europe. Russian lift companies have had to turn their head towards China and Türkiye for supply as numerous European manufacturers, especially the OEMs, ended their operations in Russia. The impact of this situation showed itself through the distribution of participating countries at the fair.

This year’s fair hosted mainly Chinese and Turkish companies apart from the local Russian companies, but companies from Kazakhstan, Belarus, Iran, Greece and Italy opened 91 booths in total. A great majority of foreign investors were located at the tent fairgrounds while the Russian manufacturers took their places at the two-story 57th hall consisting of a foyer. In the closed hall,  pictures of Russian soldiers who died in boots were  the most important evidence of the fact that this event was actually held under the shadow of war.

The official opening ceremony entertained the following  names: Svetlana Razorotneva, deputy chairman of the State Duma for Construction, Housing and Communal Services; Ivan Troshchenkov, head of Metallurgical and Material-handling Equipment Development Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade; Andrei Shirokov, deputy chair of the Federation Council Committee on Entrepreneurship in the Area of Housing and Communal Services; Yerzhan Igibayev, president of the National Association of Elevator Workers of Kazakhstan; Rakhat Zhunushbayeva, chair of Kyrgyz Association of Elevators; Alexei Zakharov, vice president of the National Lift Union; and Tatyana Anisimova, head of the Department of Congress and Exhibition Activities, VDNKh. 

During this year’s Russian Elevator Week, a Family Day was organized as part of the event agenda for the first time ever. A game program from Moslift JSC and trips to the Museum of Moscow Urban Economy, the Cosmonautics and Aviation Center and the Neft Museum were also included in the exhibition to provide different experiences to the visitors.

Meteor Lift, taking over the factory of Otis after it stopped operating in Russia, exhibited two lift models (Meteor Evo and Meteor Classic)  manufactured at the facility in St. Petersburg, and the Chinese Xizi Elevator Company exhibited a high-speed lift it developed. Moreover, the projects of Meteor Lift’s R&D and production center were presented, including a driver production project on which studies are carried out as part of the grant received from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Russian Federation.

As one of the biggest lift companies of Russia, Moslift JSC presented its Strizh lift, which is designed especially for medical institutions. This model uses a UV circulator for the disinfection of air in the car.

JSC “Scherbinsky Lift Factory” also exhibited a passenger lift named Luna that has high movement comfort and innovative solutions in terms of the aesthetic design of the car. All lifts from the company can be equipped with a contact-free control SmartAirKey system that enables remote lift control using a smart phone and SmartMirror informative panels to view reference and advertisement information on a screen placed in a mirror.

 Chinese and Turkish Companies Making an Appearance

The country with the highest number of companies participating in the fair was China, after Russia. A total of 19 companies from China, including the companies that manufacture complete systems such as Canny, Sharp, SJEC and Koyo, as well as the component manufacturers, exhibited their latest products and technologies.

The highest foreign participation after China was from Turkish companies. Sixteen companies from Türkiye at Russian Elevator Week included Ah-met, Akra, Beşgen, CEO, Eren, Geda Majör, Genemek, K-Lift, Metroplast, Onay, Önersan, Özbeşler, Selkas, Towerlift, Türkray and Upset. Towerlift, providing solutions to hundreds of projects with its Mekisan products in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, was the biggest booth where the widest product range was exhibited at the fair. Right next to Towerlift, Özbeşler was another Turkish company that exhibited the highest number of products in its own tent.

Numerous presentations and panels were also organized at the forum, which was held simultaneously with the fair for three days. On the first day of the fair, Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation Alexey Erosko; Deputy Chair of the Russian Federal Assembly Duma Committee Sergey Pakhomov; President of the National Association of Elevators Viktor Tishin; and various private sector members attended the panel on “The Russian Lift Industry: New Challenges, New Solutions,” which drew heavy interest and was moderated by the deputy chair of the National Association of Elevators.

The next Russian Elevator Week will be organized in 2025, and the exact date has not been announced yet.