Enhanced role in China for thyssenkrupp

China is likely to play a bigger role in thyssenkrupp AG's proposed new industrial solutions entity, as the German industrial conglomerate experiences its biggest reorganization in decades to pursue more focused and efficient growth, its chief executive officer has said.

The elevator business, including elevators, escalators, access and airport solutions, will remain its largest segment in China after the details of the reorganization are decided in 12 to 18 months, whereas automobile-related technologies are set to enjoy the fastest growth, according to Guido Kerkhoff, who chairs the executive board leading the reorganization.

"China is much stronger in the industrial side," Kerkhoff told reporters in a group interview in Shanghai. "You see more and more technologies which first emerged in China and are then deployed everywhere. That's a trend that will definitely continue."