HERE IS HOW THE FAMILY-RUN LIEBHERR COMPANY MANAGED TO EMPLOY 46,000 PEOPLE

Liebherr is definitely one of the biggest names in the world when it comes to construction machinery, appliances and other types of technology. Hans Liebherr was the visionary who founded the company in 1948. He invented the mobile tower crane which was the initial stepping stone for his future success. Liebherr was already in the construction business after WWII ended. He was able to fully design the mobile tower crane in 1949 and it was the first official model produced by Hans Liebherr Maschinenfabrik.

Liebherr introduced the groundbreaking hydraulic excavator in 1954– the first of its kind in Europe. Later that year he realized the potential of kitchen appliances like refrigerators, so he set up a new plant and started manufacturing them in 1955. A year later he added concrete transportation machines to the model range.

THE NEW PRODUCTION FACILITIES

The German company expanded abroad in the 50s by setting up a factory in Ireland for the assembly of tower and container cranes. His next endeavor was outside Europe – Liebherr built a factory in South Africa in the 60s. Around the same time he established Liebherr-Aero-Technik GmbH, thus entering the world of aircraft technology. The company was renamed Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbHin 1996.

Just a couple of decades after he founded the company, Hans Liebherr had more than 6,000 employees. The 60s were marked by opening new factories in Austria and France for the assembly of crawler excavators. The French factory was a massively successful endeavor and a decade later it started producing mining excavators as well.

The innovations introduced by Liebherr regarding tower cranes, hydraulic cranes and mixers were backed up by more than 60 patents altogether and these inventions had already proved the simplification they brought to all construction activities.

THE SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH

The company was growing continuously for twenty years, and it expanded both inside and outside of Germany. The Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH was founded in 1969 and it soon became the leading production facility for mobile and crawler cranes. The engineering teams tried to comply with the rising number of order from all around the world and came up with all kinds of new products such as offshore cranes and cranes designed for mounting on flatbed trucks.

The real Liebherr Group’s overseas expansion happened in the 70s. The American market was targeted in 1970 and Liebherr-America Inc. was founded in the state of Virginia. The company supplied the U.S. market with machine tools, aeronautical equipment, crawlers, wheel loaders and hydraulic excavators. 1974 was marked by opening several new production facilities in Brazil, Canada, Austria and Switzerland.

The restructuring of the group of companies resulted in creating Liebherr-International AG which still manages all subsidiaries today.

THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE

1984 was an important year for the Liebherr Group as the engineers began introducing key technologies and most of the important assemblies were developed and produced within the Group. One of the most important steps was the development of the company’s first diesel engine.

The progressive diversification of the company ensured its stable market position after 40 years in the business. Liebherr Group enjoyed great independence in the late 80s in terms of business activities and market presence.

Hans Liebherr, aged 78, passed away in 1993, leaving a stable and thriving company for the next generation of managers to handle. At the time, the Group consisted of 46 companies employing a total of 15,000 people. His children took over the control of the holding immediately as managing partners.

The company first set foot in China in the late 70s but it was only represented on the market. They made a huge step in 1996 by creating their first joint venture focused on the design and distribution of stationary mixing plants and mixer trucks. Just a year later the Group initiated a new business – climate control technology, more specifically they focused on air control systems for airplanes and helicopters. Eventually the business grew and by the end of the 90s they offered numerous other heating and air conditioning solutions.

In 1997 the Liebherr-Mietpartner GmbH was founded, offering rental equipment. By this time, the range of products included all kinds of construction and earthmoving machines such as compact loaders, mini excavators, demolition tools, generators and compressors. Liebherr-Elektronik GmbH began operating four years later – the company was dedicated to manufacturing electronic assemblies and systems for cranes, construction machinery and mining equipment, as well as other products.

THE MANAGEMENT

The company was completely restructured in 2002, becoming entirely product-area-based in terms of primary operations. This proved to be a really effective move. The rapid growth between 2003 and 2008 proved that, and 12,000 new employees joined the company force in that period.

The third generation of managers entered the company after that period. The new production and development center for mining excavators in France was opened in 2011, and the first Russian production site was opened around that time, too. The following years were marked by major production expansions in Germany and Switzerland. Liebherr built the world’s biggest mobile crane in 2015.

The company is still a family-run business. Their products were used in many of the world’s biggest construction projects in the past few years. The portfolio currently includes crawler tractors and loaders, hydraulic-operated excavators and crawler cranes, telescopic handlers, wheel loaders, articulated trucks, tower cranes. Other product lines include crawler tractors and excavators, mining trucks, mobile cranes, maritime cranes and port equipment.