First LTM 1100-5.3 in Switzerland

The first LTM 1100-5.3 mobile crane ever shipped to Switzerland recently rolled out of Liebherr-Baumaschine AG’s facility in Reiden (Lucerne canton). The company is responsible for the distribution and servicing of the Liebherr Group’s construction machinery in Switzerland. The modern 5-axle crane featuring the new LICCON3 control was handed over to JMS RISI AG, a company specialising in special civil engineering. “At the start of August, our crane operators spent three days at Liebherr, learning about the equipment”, explains Werner Brunner, construction manager for pile drivers and hydraulic engineering at JMS RISI. From Reiden, the mobile crane travelled to its first job at a construction site in Hagendorn in the canton of Zug. “We’ll be using the mobile crane exclusively for work done within our own company. We are not a classic crane hire company. We will be using the LTM 1100-5.3, among other things, for loading and unloading work, lifting ships and pontoons and for any other recurring crane work on our construction sites and in our gravel plants”, says Brunner.

Drilling posts 32 metres down on major project

The LB 45 Liebherr drilling rig, another new acquisition, has already been in constant use for a number of weeks. This machine is being deployed, for example, in the construction of large piles on a major construction site near Laufenburg in the border region with Germany. By October, pile walls comprising around 600 piles need to be erected at depths of 32 metres and with a diameter of up to 1.2 metres in order to then be able to excavate half a million cubic metres of soil. The technology centre being built here, which will include a giant battery store and a data centre for artificial intelligence, is a major element in the supply of power to Switzerland and Europe. The total construction volume is set to be just under 900,000 cubic metres. “Not only is our new LB 45 drilling rig working on this major construction site”, says Daniel Schuler, construction manager at JMS RISI, “but an LRB 355 and a HS 850 Liebherr cable excavator from Liebherr are in operation here too.”

“Since the start of 2024 alone, we have purchased two new LRB machines and two LB machines. Since we had to replace the last drilling rig from another manufacturer a few years ago, we have only had Liebherr machines in our fleet for the major drilling projects in special civil engineering”, says Schuler. JMS RISI AG is one of the biggest companies in civil engineering and deep foundation work in Switzerland and has been a partner of Liebherr for many years. In addition to pile foundations, the JMS Group's portfolio also includes demolition, gravel, sand, primary and recycled concrete, special and heavy haulage, landfill and disposal services and hydraulic and river engineering (www.jms.ch). Some 370 staff work at various locations across Switzerland.