During 1949, the Liebherr family business was created by Hans Liebherr. His first claim to fame was the success of his inexpensive and easy-to-assemble mobile tower crane. It was upon this invention that the foundation of the company flourished under. Nowadays, Liebherr has grown to become amongst the leading manufacturers in the field of construction machinery. The company has also gained the reputation of being the acknowledged supplier of user-oriented technically innovative services and products in different fields. The company has currently become a "Group" working in each and every continent with more than 35,000 workers and more than 130 companies all over the globe.
To be able to ensure a manageable operating size, the Liebherr Group has been divided into different company units. These units have been designed to operate separately. This set up allows the company the ability to be flexible to market signals and stay in tune with global competition. As well, having so many individual company units additionally keeps customer service running at an optimum level and ensures customer proximity.
The divisional control companies handle the operative management of the sales companies and the production for the individual product segments. The Liebherr Group currently encompasses 10 different product divisions.
Liebherr Group's holding company is Liebherr-International AG. Liebherr-International AG is located within Bulle, Switzerland and is operating by members of the Liebherr family. Now, the family business is being managed in the second generation by Dr. H.C. Willi Liebherr and his sister Dr. H.C. Isolde Liebherr. Ever since the year 2012, several of the active individual divisions have been represented by third generation members of the family like: Sophie Albrecht, Jan Liebherr, Stefanie Wohlfarth and Patricia Ruf. These members of the family have been working together to help set up the course of the family business in the future. They are staying on top of residential buildings and large-scale industrial projects across the world.
Hans Liebherr began to build his business in 1949, within a small town called Kirchdorf in southern Germany. Kirchdorf, now supports one of Liebherr's 20 manufacturing locations. They can average a yearly output of approximately 2800 wheeled excavators and employ more than 1400 individuals in that specific workforce. The company has enjoyed diversity and immense growth ever since it initially started. The Liebherr Group continues to remain dedicated to implementing and making innovative designs. They have earned a positive and successful place in the material handling business.