Feb 01 | 2021
Liebherr mobile harbour cranes achieve successful year-end despite adverse conditions caused by the pandemic
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 definitely noticeable. This was strongly linked to the global outbreak of SARSCoV-2 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 understandable. These delayed decisions led, positively speaking, to an extended summer break but not to a drastic downturn.We were able to maintain our production operation in compliance with all the required hygiene rules and in constant communication with the local health authority. Our suppliers have also been able to continue supplying us with the necessary parts during this period.
Despite the slight drop in sales in the course of the worldwide lockdown, our 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 our 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 we are always on site at the customer's location.
The Mobile Harbour Crane market was lively throughout the entire period. With the beginning of the fourth quarter 2020, Liebherr felt a substantial recovery and sold LHM equipment on every continent in the 4th quarter 2020, ending the year with an order intake slightly above the level of 2019.
“This means that Liebherr remains the market leader in the mobile harbour cranes segment,” Andreas Müller, Sales Director of Liebherr mobile harbour cranes and reachstackers said in a statement. “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 COVID-19 pandemic. If we manage to achieve this, we should also achieve an increase in sales compared to 2020 - all in all, a positive forecast.”
About Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH
Liebherr-MCCtec Rostock GmbH is one of the leading European manufacturers of maritime material handling solutions. The product range comprises ship, mobile harbour and offshore cranes. Reachstackers and components for container cranes are also included in the product portfolio.
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