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Liebherr achieves record turnover in 2012

The Liebherr Group achieved its highest turnover in its history in 2012. Turnover climbed over than 9% to €9.1 billion, while the company invested a total of €840 million in its operations. The 2012 business year progressed well for the Liebherr Group. Although the reduced dynamism of the world economy had a noticeable effect on orders received in the final months of the year, this no longer influenced turnover significantly. The Group increased its total turnover in the past business year by more than €760
April 10, 2013 Read time: 7 mins
The 718 Liebherr Group achieved its highest turnover in its history in 2012. Turnover climbed over than 9% to €9.1 billion, while the company invested a total of €840 million in its operations. The 2012 business year progressed well for the Liebherr Group. Although the reduced dynamism of the world economy had a noticeable effect on orders received in the final months of the year, this no longer influenced turnover significantly. The Group increased its total turnover in the past business year by more than €760 million to €9.1 billion. In the construction machinery and mining equipment product areas, Liebherr increased its sales revenue by almost €490 million or 9 %. Total sales revenue from these areas was approximately €5,870 million. As in the previous year, this represented about two-thirds of the Group’s total turnover. There was an above-average rise in turnover from the mining division, by almost €280 million or 28 %. This was a slight increase on the previous year’s rate of growth. Total sales revenue was €1.290 billion. Whereas turnover from the mobile cranes division fell last year, it has now also grown at an above-average rate, by more than €200 million or 12 % to a total figure in excess of €1.94 billion. In the earthmoving, tower cranes and concrete technology divisions, sales revenue remained at approximately the same level as in the previous year. Sales of earthmoving equipment brought Liebherr a turnover of approximately €2.06 billion. The tower cranes and concrete technology division generated a turnover of some €580 million.

In the 2012 business year the Liebherr Group’s turnover increased in all its sales regions. Particularly high rates of growth were recorded in Eastern Europe and Africa. The Group’s largest individual markets during that period were Germany, Russia, the USA, Australia, France, Great Britain, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands and Austria. Turnover rose slightly again during 2012 in Western Europe. The Liebherr Group’s sales revenue there was in the region of €3.97 billion, an increase of more than €150 million or 4 %. In Eastern Europe Liebherr’s total turnover increased by nearly €150 million or 16%, to more than 1.05 billion. The Near and Middle East regions generated a turnover of almost €310 million in the past business year, an increase of nearly €20 million or 6 %. In America turnover also developed positively, with an increase of almost €140 million or 11 % to approximately €1.5 billion. The Liebherr Group recorded a most welcome increase in turnover on the African continent, where turnover reached some € 590 million, more than €120 million or 26% higher than in the previous year. In the Far East/Australia region, Liebherr was able to repeat the positive tendency noted in the 2011 business year. The 12 % increase in turnover for 2012 was approximately the same as had been achieved in the previous year. The region yielded sales revenues of approximately €1.67 billion, about €180 million more than in 2011.

In the 2012 business year, total investment by the Liebherr Group was in the region of €840 million, an increase of more than €170 million or over 25%. These investments were devoted to modernisation and enlargement of the worldwide production network and further strengthening of the sales and service organisation. Investment in the construction machinery and mining product areas was in the region of €560 million, representing an increase of about €120 million or 26%. More than half of this sum was devoted to the earthmoving division.

Near Kirchdorf an der Iller (Germany) Liebherr is planning to build a logistic centre, to be used initially by the earthmoving division. A production building for the final assembly of hydraulic cylinders is to be erected on the same site, as a means of increasing the current hydraulic cylinder manufacturing capacity at Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger. The Liebherr Group’s internal IT service company is also to be moved to this location. In Bischofshofen (Austria), at the Group’s wheel loader manufacturing plant, a new building for welfare and administrative staff has begun to take shape. The Liebherr plant in Dalian (China) is currently being extended by a production shop 12,000m² in area and an adjacent administrative building. This production facility for hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, material handling machines and gearboxes was opened in 2002 and occupies a site with a total area of 90,000m². The investment is aimed at boosting production capacity for the Chinese market and for various other threshold cou
ntries.

The mining division invested almost €100 million. Progress was made again in the review year on enlarging the production facilities for mining trucks in Newport News (USA) and for mining excavators in Colmar (France). Another example is the location in Adelaide (Australia), which is being extended in order to provide mining equipment customers in the region with even more comprehensive support. A 12,000m² store and logistic centre and a component reconditioning centre measuring 16,000m² in area are being added. Some €90 million was invested in the mobile cranes division. At the Ehingen plant in Germany, where Liebherr develops and builds all its mobile cranes and also crawler cranes above a service weight of 300tonnes, work on the construction of a new assembly building continued. In the past business year the tower cranes and concrete technology division invested well over €80 million. In Biberach an der Riss (Germany), where Liebherr tower cranes are developed and manufactured, current investment projects include the building of a new training centre and a new automated high-bay store with incoming goods reception area. A new production facility began operation in Pune (India). The first truck mixers, mixing plants and tower cranes for the Indian market were assembled there in a production building 8,000m² in area. In the autumn of 2012 Liebherr took over the Waitzinger concrete pump manufacturer based in Neu-Ulm (Germany). Since January 2013 the company has traded under the name Liebherr-Betonpumpen GmbH. Acquisition of this company completes the division’s product program in the concrete technology area and makes it a single-source supplier. The Liebherr product programme in the concrete technology area includes mobile and stationary mixing plant, truck mixers and belt conveyors for truck-mixer installation.

Near Sydney (Australia) a new sales and service centre was completed in the review year and opened early in 2013. It will coordinate sales and service for earthmoving and special deep-foundation machines and mobile cranes in Australia and New Zealand. The building complex consists of a repair and servicing shop with spare parts store on an area of some 5,900m² and adjacent office space totalling about 3,000m².

To match the Group’s growth, the workforce grew again significantly in the review year, at the end of which Liebherr employed some 37,800 people worldwide, an increase of approximately 2,470.

At the end of the year the Group had some 15,500 employees in Germany, about 980 more than at the same time a year previously. The number of employees at Austrian Liebherr companies went up to approximately 4,790 in 2012, about 60 more than in the previous year. Nearly 320 new jobs were created in France, for a total in the region of 3,270 on December 31, 2012. In Switzerland, there were about 80 new employees, bringing the total up to approximately 1,280. In the remaining European countries the total workforce increased by about 370 to approximately 5,070 employees.

In regions outside Europe, the workforce grew by about 650 to a total of about 7,880. Liebherr companies on the American continent had some 3,480 employees in all on December 31, 2012, about 260 more than at the end of 2011. Some 300 new jobs were created during the review year in Asia and Australia; this put the total workforce up to more than 3,550. In Africa the workforce increased by about 90 to a new total of almost 850.

In 2013 the Liebherr Group currently expects total turnover to reach the same level as in the previous year. Relatively moderate development is to be expected in the construction machinery and mining areas in particular.

Investments in the 2013 business year will be at approximately the previous year’s level. Since the sales and service network is to be enlarged again and capacity increased at various production locations, creation of further new jobs is planned for 2013.

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