Cranes lift Liebherr performance

Turnover at the Liebherr Group in 2005 rose 15.6% to €5.3 billion ($6.7 billion). Performance was strong from the mobile, construction and maritime crane divisions, the company said.

Turnover in the mobile crane group, which includes large crawler cranes, rose 13% to €1.1 billion ($1.4 billion). The company said that of the 2,700 new all terrain cranes sold worldwide last year, 1,100 were Liebherrs, giving it a market share of 40%.

Spain and the US were cited as the best performing regions for mobiles, followed by the near and Middle East, India, Japan and China. Liebherr said that it expects turnover in the mobile crane division to exceed €1.2 billion in 2006.

Construction (tower) crane turnover rose €103 million ($131 million), or 26%, to €500 million ($636 million). Spain, the Middle East and the US were mentioned as the strongest markets.

Turnover for maritime cranes rose €58.8 million ($73 million), or 21%, to €303 million ($385 million), with offshore and ship cranes achieving above average turnover. Asia, the UK and Western Europe were the strongest performing regions.