So you will also be making use of synergies between the various product areas and divisions?

Dr. Liebherr: Certainly. Our high level of diversification and the fact that we have always attached great importance to in-house production depth are situations that regularly offer us new opportunities. Our component area is a typical example of this, and I have also mentioned the new factory in Mexico and the large anti-friction bearings for the wind power industry. We can only penetrate this market because we produce construction machines, cranes and handlers that incorporate precisely these components already.

Another example: we develop air conditioning technologies for aircraft and integrate them into surface vehicles such as high-speed trains, where they have considerable potential.

Our special projects are also evidence of how effectively we make use of synergies. We are currently supplying 250 sunshield umbrellas to Medina, to be erected around the mosque there. Deliveries will be completed by April. Each umbrella weighs 40 tons and is 26 by 26 metres in area. There are prospects of our delivering further umbrellas of this type to Medina and Mecca, and possibly even larger ones.

In view of the size of the Group and its widespread business activities, what are the special aspects of Liebherr as a family-owned business today? Are the principles that your father once formulated for a family business still valid?

Dr. Liebherr: Certain of the more important principles that matter a lot to us as a family business still apply today, above all independence and autonomy. We can only ensure that they are maintained because we are financially strong. This leads to a further principle: my father used to say “Never make plans beyond your arm’s length!” This means growing only in a healthy, sensible way, and never endangering the company by exaggerated expansion or too high a risk.

There is also another important principle: as a family-business we must always aim to be measured against the best. We have to be among the leaders as an entire business operation, not merely with our cutting-edge technologies. The most important objective of all is for our customers to be satisfied. This can only be achieved if our employees are motivated; they are the key to our success. This is why a good working climate is immensely important: progress can only be achieved by working together.

Is there a “Liebherr Spirit”, and if so, what does it consist of?

Dr. Liebherr: It certainly exists. As I see it, we create a healthy environment for our employees, so that they enjoy their work and have an opportunity for personal development. The Company offers them as much personal responsibility as possible and places its confidence in them, against a background of maximum job security. As the proprietors, my sister and I refrain from setting utopian or otherwise undesirable targets. We lay down a clear, wellstructured route for the Group’s sound ongoing development. In my opinion this is very important. We benefit from not having to keep an eye on our share price movements as others do. This is also an element in our continuity.

Our employees express their gratitude in the form of loyalty and motivation. The individual ego is not in the forefront: everyone makes his or her contribution to the whole. And when everything functions well and leads to success, each individual can feel a certain sense of pride at having pulled together.

A customer once said to me: “At Liebherr, you are always helped!” That’s the true Liebherr spirit in a nutshell. We don’t run away when faced with problems, we solve them. This has always been our policy and this is how it will remain.

Dr. Liebherr,
many thanks for this discussion.