Three years ago XCMG joined with six major industry associations to launch the first competition.

This year twenty-nine companies either attended or bought their employees to compete. Enterprises competing included Shandong Haiwan and Guangdong Lift Engineering Machinery, while Sinopec and CNPC also attended.

XCMG said the event was meant to raise Chinese operators’ skill levels.

Lu Chuan, vice-president of XCMG, said manufacturers should go beyond making equipment by working to raise industry standards and foster talents.

"Only by deeply integrating the hard power and soft power of the whole industry, can China’s crane industry achieve structural optimization and upgrading and play a more important role on the world stage," he said.

This year XCMG and the Construction Branch of China’s Architecture Association jointly published the Practical Handbook of Large Equipment Hoisting Engineering, a collaboration of industry experts.

It also set up 15 training bases for crane operators that use virtual simulation training technology for ultra-ton cranes.

XCMG said that the regional crane industry has matured, switching gears from product development towards fulfilling its responsibility to citizens.

The corporate social responsibility of crane manufacturers has been particularly critical for rescue work during the last few years’ earthquakes in Wenchuan, Yushu and Yunnan, it said.