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Liebherr remains strong in Mobile Harbour Crane market

At the beginning of 2020, Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes was able to rely on a strong order backlog, which was already built up in 2019. The first quarter of 2020 was also very positive with several incoming orders. At the beginning of the second quarter of 2020, a decline in orders was noticeable. This was strongly linked to the corona pandemic and the resulting global lockdown.

However, current projects were not cancelled but postponed. A certain amount of uncertainty was felt in the market, but in this never-before-seen situation, this behaviour was quite understandable and comprehensible. These delayed decisions led, positively speaking, to an extended summer break but not to a drastic downturn. In addition, Liebherr was able to maintain the production operation in compliance with all the required hygiene rules and in constant communication with the local health authority. During this period supply chains could be maintained.

Close to the customer despite Corona

Despite the slight drop in sales in the course of the worldwide lockdown, Liebherr equipment continued to operate at ports around the world. Although the flow of goods declined for a short time, ports are systemically important, so service and support from the Liebherr customer service continued to be in demand. The worldwide well-positioned Liebherr service network has helped a lot during this time and through local mixed sales companies, dealers and partners Liebherr was always on site at the customer’s location. Trade fairs and customer visits that were cancelled due to travel restrictions were also well compensated by online trade fairs, online webinars and online talk shows. In this way, the sales staff were able to maintain contact with customers, although online offers naturally do not replace personal contact.

A strong fourth quarter

The Mobile Harbour Crane market was lively throughout the entire period. Liebherr sold LHM equipment on every continent in the fourth quarter 2020 and ended the year with an order intake slightly above the level of 2019.

“This development gives grounds for optimism and provides a good base to start in 2021. A stable order intake will be the goal and a challenge in the coming year – especially due to the restrictions imposed by the corona pandemic. If we manage to achieve this, we should also achieve an increase in sales compared to 2020 – all in all, a positive forecast,” said Andreas Müller, sales director of Liebherr mobile harbour cranes and reachstackers.