Liebherr Press Breakfast

at Bauma China 2008

November 26, 2008

Liebherr Mobile Cranes

presented by

Christoph Kleiner

Managing Director Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH

Ehingen (Germany)

　　Ladies and Gentlemen,

　　Before I talk about the all terrain crane LTM 1500-8.1, which is our division’s exhibit here at bauma China, let me provide you with some data about our division and comment on the current market situation.

　　Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH (Germany) is the divisional controlling company and at the same time the manufacturing site for Liebherr all-terrain cranes and crawler cranes (over 300 tonnes lifting capacity). The division currently employs a workforce of more than 2,900 people. The total area of the Ehingen plant is 620,000 m² with production halls of 180,000 m².

　　During the recent years our factory has produced at its capacity limits and the situation has not changed in the course of the year 2008. The world market for all terrain mobile cranes has continued to grow. For the whole year 2008 we are expecting a market growth of 10 %, which is the equivalent of 3,500 delivered units. The trend towards large cranes has continued.

　　To cover the growth of the markets and provide the necessary capacities, Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH has set aside approximately 30 million EUR of investments in 2008. To cope with the demand for large cranes we just have completed a new production hall for the crawler crane assembly. With a length of 216 m and a width of 90 m it is laid out for the line production of large cranes and assures a noticeable increasing of productivity compared to the existing facilities. Some data of the shop: 4,000 tonnes of steel will be processed every year and the capacity will be 150 units in single shift production. After moving to this shop the steel construction is gaining more space and will be completely new structured.

　　Our continuous investment into our production facilities in the recent years has enabled us to considerably enhance our production programme. Three years ago, we produced 1,200 cranes per year. In 2008 as a whole we expect to deliver 1,800 cranes to the world market. In the product area of all terrain mobile cranes we will have a market share of about 43 % again, which means that we continue to be the world market leader in this segment.

　　The largest markets for sales of Liebherr all terrain mobile cranes and crawler cranes (over 300 tonnes lifting capacity) in 2008 are Germany, Spain, Great Britain, the USA and France. China is our most important Asian market. During the current business year, we are involved in a large number of projects in China, I would like to highlight two of them:

　　Presently the 1,350 ton Liebherr crawler crane LR 11350 is working in Qingshan at the nuclear power station. Only few days ago it lifted the 180-ton dome to a hook height of 80 m at a radius of 46 m.

　　In December two LR 11350 will lift a 1700-ton reactor in Guangxi. Both cranes will be equipped with 66 m main boom and derrick-system.

　　Ladies and Gentlemen,

　　to conclude my remarks, some words about our division’s exhibit at bauma China. The LTM 1500-8.1 is an eight-axle all terrain crane equipped with a seven-section 84 m telescopic boom which provides outstanding lifting height and outreach. Its maximum lifting capacity is rated at 500 tons.

The largest exhibit at Liebherr’s Bauma China 2008 display is the LTM 1500-8.1 eight-axle all terrain crane.

　　First introduced ten years ago, the LTM 1500 has become a very successful crane for customers throughout the world and still represents a state-of-the-art lifting machine. Only recently, that is in September 2008, Liebherr delivered the 200th unit of the LTM 1500-8.1 to a German customer. Undoubtedly, this makes it the most successful model of its size class.

　　Also China was an excellent market for this model: We delivered twelve units over the last years and for 2009 another three units are on order.

　　The LTM 1500 has been the pioneering model to feature Liebherr’s unique, award decorated boom technology, that relies on a wide, oval boom with outstanding buckling-load resistance and high strength even when long additional jibs are used. The equally innovative ”Tele­matik” telescoping system developed by Liebherr, which is based on internal locking of the telescopic sections, allows the boom to be extended fully automatically to any length.

　　As an alternative to the 84 m telescopic boom, the LTM 1500-8.1 can travel with a four-section, 50 m compact boom. This allows the crane to be transported on roads with a 12 t axle load limit without removing the boom. The 84 m boom, on the other hand, has to be transported on a separate trailer.

　　With the rigidly attached or pivoted lattice jib end section, lifting heights of up to 145 m and working radii of up to 108 m can be achieved. Increases of up to 250 % in load capacity can be achieved by guying the boom with the Y-shaped suspension system. Another important reason for the success of the LTM 1500-8.1 is the easy and fast set-up of the equipments like the assembly of the counterweights and the fly jibs.

　　Thank you very much for your kind attention.