Mission and vision for the Chinese Market

Mr. Walter, in 2020 a new plant was opened in Pinghu to further strengthen Liebherr-Transportation Systems’ footprint in China. How does the selling of Liebherr’s shares of the joint venture Zhejiang Liebherr Zhongche Transportation Systems Co., Ltd. fit to the messages you shared with the market in the past?

A. Walter: We want to focus even more on our own business and we therefore considered different options on how to continue with our joint venture. After discussions and various considerations, we decided to sell our shares in order to work on a clean field. So we can limit the impact on our customers, partners and suppliers. Even if this means more work for us today – as Liebherr-Transportation Systems might be challenged and understood as a newcomer – we are confident that we can deliver the perfect mix of quality and efficiency that results in mature products for the market.

When your intention to sell your shares of the joint venture took shape, you surely took the employees into your consideration?

A. Walter: Of course. We value our employees and know how important they are for our success, as well as for the trust of our customers in us as a well-known provider of excellent technologies and innovations. We agreed to offer our current joint venture employees the opportunity to continue to work for Liebherr on similar conditions at our new plant in Pinghu, which is just a 1.5 hours’ drive away from the joint venture site and in the same Zhejiang province. Furthermore, we can now offer our long-term customers newly developed metro and urban rail related products from our state-of-the-art engineering- and production site in Pinghu, combined with repair- and maintenance services for their existing fleet.

Talking about the future of Liebherr Transportation Systems (China), where do you see your activities in let’s say five years’ time?

A. Walter: Clearly in good shape with many satisfied new and already existing customers relying on us as a trustful partner for business cases in China and abroad! Liebherr Transportation Systems (China) will not only work for the Chinese market, we will also be a partner for the international railway industry. Already today, our team is not only serving Chinese customers. With our engineering and production site, we support and provide Liebherr quality products designed and made in China to customers around the globe. I have to point out that the remarkable development made so far is fully in line with our expectations.

Working with partners is essential in this market and especially in this industry…

A. Walter: We have a lot of expertise and experience here in China. In a market as challenging as ours, fruitful partnerships are important to us. Over time, but also through further development, the requirements for partnerships can change. A cooperation with Liebherr can offer opportunities for our partners and us. Therefore, we are in exchange with potential new partners and discuss possible concepts. We also strive for a close cooperation with potential new partners, which is characterized by trust and fairness. We are interested in taking innovative steps in the future and in using our deep know-how in the best possible way for our customers. However, my most important message today is that we are open for new and multiple partnerships.