Swiss OEM Liebherr Group has announced that its total turnover reached $10.4bn in 2015.
This is the highest figure in the Group’s history and an increase of $466m, or 4.7% compared with the previous year.
According to Construction Week Online the various sales regions recorded differing business development, with Western Europe, the most important of these for Liebherr, recording an increase in turnover.
Contributing to this were positive developments in Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands.
However, in France, the Group’s third-largest market, sales revenue dropped.
Jens Kotzurek sales director, Tower Crane division Liebherr, Middle East, said at the 2016 bauma construction equipment show, that the OEM enjoys a substantial market share, specifically when it comes to tower cranes.
“In Qatar we have between 70 and 80% market share, but it is difficult to say for certain, as Qatar is still a young market that has been booming for the past five to seven years, having started from scratch.”
He added ““We estimate that there is a tower crane population of about 700 machines in the market, most of them in operation.”
During 2015, Liebherr achieved growth in the construction machinery and mining area and also in the area comprising maritime cranes, aerospace and transportation systems, machine tools and automation systems, domestic appliances, components and hotels.
Turnover from construction machinery and mining equipment, including the earthmoving, mining, mobile cranes, tower cranes and concrete technology divisions, rose by $372m, or 6.2% to $6.34m.
The group’s revenues across its other divisions rose by $94.6m, or 2.4% to $4.07bn.
However, Liebherr recorded a $331m surplus in 2015, which is $24.8m lower than the 2014 figure – a financial result that was lower primarily due to the negative influence of currency exchange rates.
In 2015 the workforce increased slightly: at the end of the year, Liebherr employed 41,545 people, 706 or 1.7% more than at the end of 2014.
Liebherr maintained a high level of investment in its production facilities and international sales and service network, at $835m, offset by a depreciation in its existing infrastructure of $505m.
With global economic development set to achieve approximately the same rate of growth in 2016 as in the previous year, the group expects its turnover this year to also be at a similar level.
by Kim Kemp on Jun 16, 2016
