On October 21, the Jiangsu Provincial Market Regulation and Supervision Administration held an online conference to deploy measures promoting the high-quality development of the elevator industry. At the conference, the agency issued a document consisting of 6 groups of content with 22 specific measures, focusing on management from production and procurement to the use, maintenance, inspection, and examination of elevators.
Elevators are an important means of serving people's daily travel needs. As of the end of 2025, Jiangsu Province had approximately 1.148 million elevators, accounting for nearly one-tenth of the total number of elevators in China. The number of devices has maintained an average growth rate of about 10% per year, serving approximately 200 million passenger trips per day.
As the number of devices continues to increase, the provincial government has set the goal of shifting the elevator industry from "low-price competition" to competition based on "quality commensurate with price," thoroughly addressing the situation of "involution-style" competition.
In response to competition through low prices and cutting product and service quality, Jiangsu Province (China) has introduced measures to improve quality and prevent price-based competition.
Full life-cycle supervision of elevators
Jiangsu's measures focus on key stages throughout the entire life cycle of elevators, from production and procurement to use, maintenance, inspection, and examination.
At the production stage, authorities will strictly apply safety technical standards, strengthen inspection and sampling of important components, and supervise enterprises after licensing. Enterprises that do not meet licensing conditions will be removed from the market; those that fail to rectify violations to the required standard or allow problems to recur will be dealt with strictly in accordance with regulations.
Regarding procurement and bidding activities, entities are guided to reasonably determine the weight of price scores in bid evaluation, preventing quotations below cost. Low-price winning projects will be subject to key supervision; acts of supplying goods not in accordance with commitments, cutting corners on processes or materials will be inspected and strictly handled.
Entities and projects with prices significantly lower than reasonable costs will be subject to key monitoring.
During use, the conference required strengthening the responsibility of elevator-using entities, implementing the mechanism of "daily control, weekly review, monthly coordination." Maintenance and servicing records must be signed and confirmed by safety personnel; fake maintenance practices are strictly prohibited.
Regulatory authorities will also regularly inspect the resource conditions of maintenance entities, apply supervision methods appropriate to each group of subjects; review and eliminate entities operating pro forma or operating under the name of another enterprise.
Projects with maintenance prices significantly lower than reasonable costs will be subject to key monitoring. Elevators with risks of causing serious accidents must be suspended from use for rectification.
Rectifying fake maintenance, inspection, and examination
Jiangsu aims to improve maintenance service quality by promoting the use of electronic records and supervising service providers by classification and credit rating. Fake maintenance practices will be strictly handled.
In production activities, Jiangsu Province will strictly apply safety technical standards, strengthen inspection and sampling of important components, and supervise enterprises after licensing.
In the field of inspection and examination, the province requires improving service provision processes; deploying methods of scanning codes, taking photos, and recording videos to document the inspection process.
Acts of fake inspection and examination, failure to appear on site, or issuing false reports will be investigated and handled. Unfair competition through low prices in this field is also subject to rectification.
Encouraging competition through quality
Along with strengthening supervision, Jiangsu has introduced support policies to encourage enterprises to compete through technology, product quality, and services.
The province will use funds from ultra-long-term special government bonds to support the replacement of old elevators in residential buildings and the installation of additional elevators in old residential areas. This measure is expected to create additional markets for high-quality products and services.
Enterprises are also supported in smart renovation, digital transformation, and network connectivity; research into core technologies; development of high-value patents and brand building. Jiangsu also encourages the development of leading enterprises and supports enterprises in joining forces to expand operations into foreign markets.
The conference required that support policies be disseminated and implemented promptly, helping enterprises grasp and benefit from them effectively.
Strengthening management coordination and mobilizing social participation
Jiangsu Province also requires local authorities and entities to strengthen inter-sectoral coordination, establish cooperation mechanisms and periodic exchanges to resolve difficulties and obstacles in the elevator industry.
Support policies need to be disseminated and implemented promptly, helping enterprises grasp and benefit from them effectively.
Safety supervision activities must focus on low-price winning projects and projects with maintenance prices significantly lower than reasonable costs. Elevators with risks of causing serious accidents must be suspended from use for rectification.
