This can be attributed partly to the new construction law in accordance with which elevators have to be installed starting in buildings with four floors. Some elevators are also being installed into smaller houses, built by more affluent Poles. A substantial increase in demand for elevators in the housing construction segment may be expected in a few years time. At present the commercial construction segment accounts for 75 percent of the overall demand for elevators, and the housing construction segment for only 25 percent. The boom in commercial construction has caused a revolution in Poland in the sphere of applied technologies.
Foreign firms possessing the required capital and know-how build most commercial buildings.
These firms co-operate with the world's leading manufacturers of elevators. Thus, the Polish market has been opened for the advanced equipment of such firms as Otis, Schindler, Thyssen or Kone. This competitive environment has forced domestic manufacturers of elevators to change and improve their products and services. According to the UDT, 35,000-40,000 elevators of the 61,000 used in Poland ought to be modernized in the near future. The condition of these elevators is considered to be poor, not due to technology or age but because of improper maintenance.