The KBK price has dropped by 10%, Wang said, since Demag started manufacturing locally in July. “We save a lot on localization,” said sales and marketing manager Yun Wang.

Jib cranes are next in the pipeline, and should be available in February or March.

Demag is only manufacturing the track in China. Trolleys will continue to be imported from the West. “Not everything will be made in China,” Wang says. “There will be global assignment according to resources and cost.”

It is not the only western manufacturer to make rail: in March, US light crane manufacturer Gorbel will open a light rail factory in Tianjin.

The company has been assembling hoists from parts imported from Germany since 1997, according to managing director Thomas Dorn.