The Liebherr family business was started in 1949 by Hans Liebherr. The company first gained fame from its mobile tower crane that was well-known for its ease of assembly and affordability. It was upon this creation that the foundation of the company flourished under. Nowadays, Liebherr has grown to become one of the top manufacturers within the world of construction machinery. The company has also earned the reputation of being the acknowledged supplier of technically innovative user-oriented services and products in a variety of fields. The company has now become a "Group" working in every continent with over 35,000 workers and more than 130 companies all over the world.
The Liebherr Group has been divided into various company units so as to guarantee a manageable operating size. These separate units operate independently. This set up enables the business the ability to be flexible to market signals and stay in tune with worldwide competition. As well, having so many individual company units additionally ensures customer proximity and keeps customer service operating at an optimum level.
Liebherr has instituted the divisional control companies to handle the management operations of sales and production for the individual product segments. The Liebherr Group currently encompasses ten different product divisions.
Liebherr-International AG is the holding company of the Liebherr Group. They are located within Bulle, Switzerland and are totally owned by the Liebherr family members. Presently, the family business is being managed by Dr. H.C. Willi Liebherr and his sister Dr. H.C. Isolde Liebherr in the 2nd generation. Since the year 2012, several of the active individual divisions have been represented by family members in the 3rd generation such as: Patricia Ruf, Stefanie Wohlfarth, Jan Liebherr and Sophie Albrecht. These family members have been working together to help set up the family business' course in the future. They are staying on top of large-scale industrial projects and residential buildings across the globe.
Hans Liebherr began this quest during 1949, with his first business in the small South-German town of Kirchdorf/Iller. These days, Kirchdorf is one of over 20 major manufacturing sites of the Liebherr Group. They employ more than 1400 individuals in that specific workforce and are able to average an annual output of around 2800 wheeled excavators. The company has enjoyed immense growth and diversity since it initially started. The Liebherr Group continues to remain dedicated to implementing and engineering innovative designs. They have earned a successful and positive place in the material handling business.