The Liebherr family business was created in 1949 by Hans Liebherr. The business initially gained fame from its mobile tower crane which was noted for its affordability and ease of assembly. It was upon this invention that the foundation of the company flourished under. Today, The Liebherr company has grown to become among the leading manufacturers within the field of construction machinery. The business has also gained the reputation of being the acknowledged supplier of user-oriented technically innovative services and products in a variety of fields. The company has now become a "Group" working in every continent with over 35,000 employees and over 130 companies across the globe.
To be able to guarantee a manageable operating size, the Liebherr Group has been divided into various company units. These units have been designed to operate independently. This specific set up enables the business the ability to be flexible to market signals and stay in tune with worldwide competition. In addition, having so many individual company units also keeps customer service running at an optimum level and ensures customer proximity.
Liebherr has instituted the divisional control companies to be able to deal with the management operations of sales and production for the individual product segments. The Liebherr Group presently encompasses 10 different product divisions.
Liebherr-International AG is the Liebherr Group's holding company. They are located within Bulle, Switzerland and are completely owned by members of the Liebherr family. Presently, the family business is being managed by Dr. H.C. Isolde Liebherr and her brother Dr. H.C. Willi Liebherr in the 2nd generation. Since 2012, several of the active individual divisions have been represented by family members in the third generation including: Sophie Albrecht, Jan Liebherr, Patricia Ruf and Stefanie Wohlfarth. These family members have been working together to help set up the course of the family business in the future. They are staying on top of large-scale industrial projects and residential buildings across the globe.
Hans Liebherr started this quest during the year 1949, with his first business in the small South-German town of Kirchdorf/Iller. Today, Kirchdorf is one of more than 20 key manufacturing sites of the Liebherr Group. They employ over 1400 people in that specific workforce and are able to average a yearly output of about 2800 wheeled excavators. The company has enjoyed immense growth and diversity ever since it initially opened its doors. The Liebherr Group continues to remain dedicated to making and implementing innovative designs. They have earned a successful and positive place in the material handling industry.