The Liebherr family business was started in 1949 by Hans Liebherr. The company first gained fame from its mobile tower crane which was noted for its ease of assembly and affordability. It was upon this invention that the foundation of the company flourished under. Today, Liebherr has grown to become one of the world's leading manufacturers of construction machines. The company has also gained the reputation of being the accredited provider of user-oriented technically innovative products and services in a range of fields. The business has now become a "Group" working in each and every continent with over 130 companies and over 35,000 employees all over the world.
To be able to guarantee a manageable operating size, the Liebherr Group has been divided into different company units. These units have been designed to operate independently. This set up allows the company the ability to be flexible to market signals and stay in tune with worldwide competition. Moreover, having so many individual company units also ensures customer proximity and keeps customer service operating at an optimum level.
The divisional control companies deal with the production for the individual product segments and the operative management of the sales companies. The Liebherr Group presently has 10 various product divisions.
Liebherr-International AG is the holding company of the Liebherr Group. They are situated in Bulle, Switzerland and are completely owned by members of the Liebherr family. 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 2012, some of the active individual divisions have been represented by third generation family members including: Patricia Ruf, Stefanie Wohlfarth, Jan Liebherr and Sophie Albrecht. These members of the family 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 world.
Hans Liebherr began this quest in the year 1949, with his first company in the tiny South-German town of Kirchdorf/Iller. Today, Kirchdorf is among more than 20 key manufacturing sites of the Liebherr Group. They employ more than 1400 individuals in that particular workforce and can average a yearly output of roughly 2800 wheeled excavators. The company has enjoyed diversity and immense growth ever since it first opened its doors. The Liebherr Group continues to remain devoted to implementing and engineering innovative designs. They have earned a positive and successful place within the material handling business.