Despite a disappointing first-half, elevator and escalator supplier Golden Friends Corp (崇友實業) remains upbeat about prospects for its replacement business in the second half of the year.
The company replaced 170 elevators in the first six months of the year — lower than the 226 units it replaced a year earlier — but is confident that it would be able to catch up in the latter half of the year, a public relations officer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday.
For the full year, Golden Friends expects to replace 500 elevators, higher than last year’s 443 units.
The company has received replacement orders for 400 elevators so far this year, the officer said.
“Sales by the replacement business should grow between 10 and 15 percent year-on-year this year,” he said, adding that the company last quarter received a replacement order from an international hotel in Taipei.
He declined to elaborate.
Golden Friends’ first-half revenue edged up 1.57 percent annually to NT$2.15 billion (US$69.19 million), thanks to robust sales of new elevators to returning Taiwanese companies.
It delivered about 980 new elevators, compared with 827 units in the same period last year, accounting for 47 percent of overall sales, the officer said.
New elevator sales are expected to climb between 5 and 10 percent this year, he said.
Orders for new elevators for large construction projects are expected to contribute NT$430 million in sales during the second half, flat from last year, he said.
Such projects are forecast to contribute about NT$800 million to new elevator sales this year, he added.
The company repaired about 35,400 elevators in the first half, compared with 34,000 units a year earlier, he said.
Maintenance and repair accounted for 45 percent of sales in the first half, he said, adding that full-year sales for this division should increase by 2 to 3 percent.
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