Over the decade from 2001 to 2013, China's construction crane industry went through an extraordinary phase of development. While achieving rapid growth and sharp declines, the industry also withstood the test of fierce international and domestic competition and the challenges of the financial crisis. According to expert analysis, in 2013 the construction machinery industry remained in a sluggish state throughout the year. Affected by domestic real estate macro-control measures and monetary tightening policies, major manufacturers still held low expectations for industry recovery and rising returns on investment, and market demand was relatively weak. Manufacturers and dealers alike lacked confidence. In hoisting machinery in 2013, the only small peak occurred in October; in the fourth quarter the external investment environment was stable, while real estate and infrastructure maintained a downward trend.

    As a key year for implementing the various objectives of the 12th Five-Year Plan, 2013 saw the national economy in an important period of strategic opportunity. Urbanization, new industrialization, and internationalization all entered critical stages. Construction crane enterprises began to rationally analyze the main reasons for the industry-wide market downturn, and after painful reflection, firmed up their confidence and sought effective development paths.

    From a macro perspective, in 2014 railway investment will focus on the central and western regions and intercity railways, and funding availability will gradually be ensured; total highway investment will remain low, but the western region will remain the investment focus; nuclear power shows signs of recovery and remains far from its target value, leaving greater room for investment growth over the next two years; investment opportunities in public services are emerging and deserve appropriate attention. As the domestic economic environment and downstream industries generally stabilize, the fundamentals of the construction machinery industry are expected to improve slightly in 2014, though a marked rebound will be difficult. 2014 will face an economic environment of slower growth and greater structural differentiation, and fixed investment will show a "low first, high later" trend.

    According to the analysis and forecast by Li Jun, Director of the Strategic Research Office of Zoomlion Group, at the annual meeting of the Crane Branch: based on the possible downstream situation and overall changes in the macro environment in 2014, the overall decline in cranes will continue to narrow, and sub-products may diverge noticeably. In 2014, the sales pull from new machines is expected to be weak; domestic demand for truck cranes is projected to grow by -12% year on year, with exports up 7.1% year on year; domestic demand for crawler cranes is expected to grow by 1.9% year on year.