Airside speaks with Joinsun Ding, general manager of Jiangsu Tianyi Aviation Industry Co., about developments in the Chinese ground support equipment (GSE) market
Tianyi is a China-based manufacturer with a comprehensive portfolio of GSE vehicles, including catering trucks, passenger stairs, ambulifts, baggage tractors and water and lavatory service trucks. Despite its foothold in the eastward aviation markets, the company has its sights on the West.
But a number of Chinese GSE manufacturers have previously highlighted to Airside the difficulty of breaking into the mature aviation markets – so how will Tianyi get a foothold in the West?
How do you assess the growth of the global GSE market today and shift in demand for equipment with new technologies, such as automation or artificial intelligence?
AI smart devices are a big trend that can replace most jobs with repetitive labour.
New energy equipment is also the direction of our company’s vigorous development and, at present, all products on the GSE product line have been upgraded to new energy lithium battery power functions.
Which markets are the biggest for Tianyi, and where would you like to see more growth?
Our biggest markets are Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia and Oceania – but we’d like to see more growth in Europe and North and South America.
What makes Tianyi’s GSE different to other equipment on the market?
We fully consider the individual needs of customers and our product upgrading modular is convenient and fast.
Safety performance is also fully guaranteed, with many inventions and patents. We also offer the perfect after-sales service.
Several Chinese GSE manufacturers have told Airside it is difficult to break out of the domestic market. Why do you think this is?
We don’t think this is the case. Our products are selling well. The quality of our GSE is sufficient to sell to Europe and North America.
But the domestic market is also very large and has consumed a lot of our production capacity, which we need to increase.
Our new [electric] products, especially our catering trucks, are selling well at home and abroad, for example.
What are some of the challenges for Chinese GSE manufacturers who want to break into international GSE markets?
Quality improvement, market access rules that need to be deeply understood and product design, which needs to make some adjustments.
Foreign markets’ [electrification drive] and the degree of policy inclination of the country where they are located is also a consideration.
Is it harder to sell in the domestic market due to the number of manufacturers in China?
This is a problem, not just for GSE products and markets, but in many industries. But we are running at full capacity and were running at full capacity during the coronavirus pandemic, which proves that the quality of our products can be trusted by customers.
How can Chinese GSE manufacturers overcome the challenges associated with selling to new markets such as Europe and North America?
As I previously mentioned, it’s about quality improvement, product design and understanding the demand for electric GSE.
The Chinese market also needs to communicate more with foreign customers and learn more about the advantages of advanced manufacturers – and fully understand the individual needs of customers.
Through these internal upgrades, I think we will gain the trust of customers and receive [more] orders.
Why do you believe Chinese GSE manufacturers are keen to enter new markets such as Europe and North America?
I don’t say, or see, that other companies are eager to enter the European and American markets. But we think [Western] markets operate in an environmental the promotes the attitude of ‘survival of the fittest’.
A business needs the determination to continue to grow and grow and be willing to work hard for that growth. So I think no matter where the market, we need to try and develop.
