MARKET REPORT | SOUTHERN EUROPE
CSOUTHERN S
outhern Europe as far as geography is concerned stretches approximately 4,000km from Spain along the
length of the Mediterranean to Greece and the Balkans. The market for hoists can be expected to vary accordingly. There are of course some constants, though, of which the pandemic is the largest and most glaring. If we start at the western end of the continent, Spain has crane and hoist manufacturers Jaso, and also Elebia, the world-renowned makers of specialist below-the hook equipment. “Every country has its own particularities, but generally speaking the pattern is almost the same everywhere, and this includes Northern as well as Southern Europe,” says Esteve Fornells, marketing manager, Elebia. “COVID-19 has hit Europe fiercely: “The market in France, Italy and Spain has certainly been greatly impacted by
the pandemic,” he says. “Many companies in different sectors and industries have suffered prolonged lockdowns, which have affected not only sales but also workers and the workforce in general with layoffs, furloughs and temporary employment regulations. The lifting industry has also been greatly affected by this pandemic. On a more positive note, we can say that most projects have been temporarily frozen rather than abandoned. General feedback from clients and customers is that investments are on hold until the pandemic is under control and general conditions return to a “new normal”. There is still plenty of uncertainty, and we cannot yet talk about signs of recovery.” And the ‘new normal’ will be different
from the old: “This prolonged situation has forced many companies not only in Southern Europe, but worldwide, to reinvent themselves and to ‘think out of the box’,” he says. “Their approach to their
OMFORT
The market for hoists and factory cranes in Southern Europe is by no means as dire as some, in light of the pandemic, might have been led to believe. Julian Champkin finds optimism amongst its peers.
day-to-day activity will change. “But, there is still plenty of pent- up demand for lifting equipment as industries will start to pick up where they left off. All economies are keen on moving forward; pending projects will be put into motion once again, new projects will arise and the economy will slowly get in motion once more as the world needs to keep on turning.” No cause then for despair: “The outlook in general is positive,” he says. And, despite the pandemic, Elebia was
able to bring new products to the market last year. “In 2020 we introduced the S40 Automatic Shackle. This product has widened our reach in the lifting industry. Under the same fail-safe principle as the rest of our lifting products, the S40 shackle is specifically oriented to loads with a lifting lug with a hole or padeye, and applications such as silos and wind turbines,” he says. “We have also launched the NEO100 lifting hook, our newest solution for lifting
R A JASO 24t double-girder installation in southern Spain
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