Spanish Elevation Sector Sees Growth in 2021

Due to increase in new construction

The lifting activity in Spain registered an overall growth of 1.23% in 2021, compared to the previous year, which translated into sales of €3.060 million. This is reflected in the annual study of statistical data on the elevation sector in Spain prepared by the Elevator Business Federation (FEEDA).

In 2021, there was a slight increase in activity compared to 2020, justified by the increase in sales in new construction, as well as in exports. Both segments are responsible for the growth in sales volume experienced by the lift sector in Spain.

Going into detail, sales in 2021 for the installation of elevators and stairs in new construction in the Spanish territory amounted to €321.4 million, which represents an increase of 5.4% compared to 2020 in this same segment. Different behavior has occurred in the modernization market (after-sales) where sales of €2,275.1 million were recorded, which translated into a decrease in business volume of -0.3% compared to 2020.

The export of elevators and escalators performed well, registering an increase of 6.3% compared to 2020, reaching €463.4 million. The total amount of new construction, after-sales and export of elevators and escalators represented sales in Spain of €3.060 million in 2021.

Compared to the year 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, sales derived from the modernization of elevators and escalators in Spain were quantified at €2.282 million. The installation of elevators and stairs in the field of new construction in that year was less than in 2021, reaching €305 million, which is justified by “the temporary stoppage and the limitations that were imposed on the works of construction, causing the delay of projects, and fully affecting the elevator installation segment,” as indicated by the DKB consultancy in one of its reports relating to 2021.

Despite this, the DKB consultancy points out that the number of finished homes continued to grow throughout the year, alluding to 2020, which made it possible to “moderate the fall in demand for new equipment.” The turnover of this installation segment recorded a decline of 1.9%, reaching €510 million in 2020.

In terms of exports, the sales obtained from lifts and escalators amounted to €436 million. In short, sales at the end of 2020 for the installation of elevators in new construction, modernization and export translated into a total amount of €3.023 million.

This growth in sales volume in 2021 has also been noted in the increase in staff hiring by +1.01%, going from 19,500 employees in 2020 to 19,695 in 2021.

The export of elevators and escalators performed well, registering an increase of 6.3% compared to 2020, reaching €463.4 million.

Installed Units

Regarding industrial data, FEEDA points out that, in terms of the number of installed lifts:

“2021 has been the best year of the last four, as the number of installed units increased by 5.9% compared to 2020. In relation to stairs and corridors, this maintain the growing trend with an increase in the number of units of 6.6% compared to 2020.”

The installation of elevators installed in 2021 amounted to 15.4 million units compared to 14.6 million in 2020. Regarding the installation of stairs and corridors, an increase was also registered, going from 349,000 units in the middle of the pandemic to 373,000 in 2021.

As for the fleet of elevators, positive data is also recorded in 2021, “by increasing by 1.4% compared to the previous year, maintaining the growing trend of recent years. In the same way, the market for stairs and corridors presents an interesting increase of 2.4%”, FEEDA affirms.

In 2021, the Spanish elevator fleet was made up of 1,086.2 million units compared to the 1,070.8 million recorded in 2020. In the segment of stairs and corridors, the fleet was made up of 16 million units in 2021 compared to 15.6 million in 2020.

José Carlos Frechilla, director of FEEDA, positively values this data and affirms that

“After two years with stagnation in some activities in our sector and decline in others, we can finally see a trend in the lifting industry as a whole toward global recovery, driven by new construction and exports. The sector is confident that in the coming years this positive trend will also be transferred to the important post-sale activity.”