Liebherr says it will add 2,240 employees by the end of this year, seeing what Stefan Heissler, member of the board of directors of Liebherr-International AG, calls a “very significant jump in orders” in 2017.
In the first six months of 2017, Liebherr saw a 6.4 percent year-on-year increase in total sales, Heissler says. “We expect a strong finish to what we anticipate to be a record year,” he says. Heissler made his remarks during a Liebherr press event that took place in late October in Austria.
Heissler attributes some of this growth to what Liebherr calls “start-up units” within the company. Designed to operate independently within the company, these start-up units are described by Heissler as “well-funded and able to focus their energy and knowledge on one single project, independent from standard assignments.”
The T 236 mining truck, introduced at MINExpo last year as a prototype, is an example of one product that has benefitted from this start-up mindset, Heissler says. The 110-tonne rigid-frame unit is now undergoing field trials at the Erzberg iron mine in Austria. Liebherr says the machine is the first in its class with a four-corner, oil-immersed braking system. When the truck will be commercially available is still uncertain.
Other “start-up” projects within the company include:
Heissler declined to comment on the company’s autonomous machine efforts. “We have research going on in that area, but it’s too early to discuss.”
Liebherr maintains a medium-sized business character that allows it to implement ideas “without unnecessary bureaucracy,” Heissler says. “As a result, truly disruptive ideas have a better chance of becoming successful innovations.”