One of the things we’re most proud of as a business is that our employees often stay with us for decades, bringing their enthusiasm and dedication to their work year after year. We chatted with some of our longest serving employees to understand what it is about Liebherr Mining that encouraged them to stick around for as long as they have.

Our highly motivated team around the world is not something we take for granted. Their hard work and innovative thinking are key factors in our success. So we make it a priority to give them room to grow professionally in a stable environment that encourages everyone’s ideas and perspectives.

Keeping things interesting

We offer our customers some of the best mining machines and technology products in the world. But coming up with the innovative ideas that keep us ahead of the curve, and bringing them to life, requires an enthusiastic interest from our employees. So it is vital that the people working on our products love them as much as we do. Many of our longest serving employees have been involved in introducing new Liebherr machines around the world. Jim Wood, site manager for our Mining Technology Development Center – which is connected to our truck production facility in Newport News (USA) – is one such person. He’s worked with Liebherr trucks since before there were Liebherr trucks.

‘Before it was bought out by Liebherr in 1995, I had been working for Wiseda for about five years. In that time, I was involved in fabrication and assembly as well as mechanical and electrical testing. When Liebherr took Wiseda over, I moved to the field service team in Wyoming, where I supported our early haul trucks, including three different prototypes! Working on large off-highway trucks is a satisfying challenge,’ Jim explains. ‘After my time in Wyoming, I worked in various customer support roles for many years. The best thing about my work was travelling around the world and meeting new people – customers and colleagues, janitors and directors – in the process. Helping customers get the most out of their Liebherr mining trucks while experiencing new cultures was a unique experience that I still carry with me.’

Working with our mining trucks, specifically our mid-size mining trucks, was also a career highlight for Alain Tritschler, who has been part of the Liebherr Mining team for more than 40 years. While today he works as an engineer in the production planning and management department of our production facility in Colmar (France), he spent 10 years working as part of our mid-size truck department. At the beginning, it was a small team of about 12 people and, because of the nature of the department, all team members wore a number of different hats. This is what gave Alain the opportunity to spend three weeks in southern Spain in 2016 as part of the team assembling a Liebherr truck prototype. Working to bring brand-new ideas to fruition for the benefit of our customers? It’s a source of great interest, and pride, for our employees and one that Alain shares.

‘During that time, there was a sense of pride that was heightened by the fact that we were creating a new product in a new environment,’ recalls Alain. ‘The time I spent in that department remains the best period of my career.’

As our truck portfolio began to evolve, so too did the projects our people had the opportunity to be involved in. Jeffery Appiah Johnson – general manager, operations, Liebherr Zambia Ltd. – saw this first-hand when he took part in the project that first saw two of our ultra-class T 284 trucks successfully operating under a trolley line using Liebherr Mining’s Trolley Assist System. It’s one of his favourite memories from his more than 20 years with Liebherr.

‘The T 284 trolley trial in Zambia was a challenging project that required close collaboration across teams and regions, and it was rewarding to see the technology perform as intended. Being involved in a project that pushed boundaries and set new benchmarks for mining operations stands out as a defining moment in my career with Liebherr. This project also paved the way to expand the Zambia fleet and a larger T 284 trolley project in Panama,’ Jeffery recalls.

A stable foundation for personal growth

Having a stable working environment is not the most glamourous thing in the world. But without it, it’s difficult for people to realise their full potential. That’s why we work incredibly hard to be a place where our team can see themselves for years – and if we’re lucky, decades – into the future.

Brigitte Wetterer has been serving delicious food for Liebherr personnel in Colmar (France) for more than 35 years – first with Liebherr-France SAS and then with Liebherr-Mining Equipment Colmar SAS. A big part of why she has stayed with us for so long is because of the advantages that working with Liebherr offers.

‘The main reason I’ve stayed with Liebherr is because it is a solid family business that provides many benefits,’ Brigitte explains.

With the stability that these benefits give, Brigitte has been able to do the work she enjoys since the mid-90s.

‘I enjoy my daily work as a whole, but it is above all the contact with customers – Liebherr employees, business partners and the Liebherr family alike – that I appreciate most,’ she adds.

Providing a stable working environment also means providing clear pathways for career progression so employees feel confident that their careers can grow and change as they do – all with Liebherr’s support.

Jair Machado, divisional commercial manager for mining equipment for Liebherr Brasil LTDA.., has held a number of different roles across several of the Group’s product segments before joining Liebherr Mining in 1992.

‘Between my first and last positions with Liebherr, I have worked in the training, aftersales and sales teams of the earthmoving, maritime canes and mining product segments. Being provided so many professional opportunities over the years, in an organisational climate that provides a sense of belonging, professional appreciation and a strong team spirit, made it easy to stay with Liebherr for the past 34 years,’ Jair explains.

There’s no ‘I’ in team

Diversity of thought is an integral part of how Liebherr succeeds as a business. Each and every one of our employees around the world has a wealth of expertise and experiences that gives them a unique perspective. Bringing all of these perspectives together is the bedrock of creativity and innovation.

Jaco Myburgh, one of Liebherr-Africa (Pty) Ltd’s branch managers for mining in South Africa, has worked with the business for almost 25 years. For Jaco, the best part about working for Liebherr is our culture of respect and inclusion.

‘At Liebherr, employees are treated as valued members of the organisation. Liebherr’s steadfast values foster a sense of pride in being part of the company,’ says Jaco. ‘This, coupled with the company’s strong focus on innovation, has resulted in its continued advancement of state-of-the-art technology.’

Rodrigo Sodario, product engineering coordinator for Liebherr Brasil, saw our team spirit on full display during his first three months with the company. In 2006, Rodrigo joined Liebherr as a design engineer. In order to become familiar with the range of mining excavators we had available at the time, he was sent to Liebherr-France in Colmar, which was responsible for manufacturing our mining excavators back then. Specifically, he was to learn all he could about the R 9350 excavator before production of this model began.

‘On my first day, I brought a typically Brazilian gift for the project leader: a wall clock that plays Brazilian bird songs every hour. As soon as he received the gift, he hung it in the engineering office. It is still there today and has become the traditional engineering clock. I hear it every time I call a colleague at our production facility in Colmar on the hour, and it always reminds me of the day I gifted that clock to my old project leader,’ Rodrigo reminisces.

In 2019, after working with our range of mining excavators for 13 years, Rodrigo accepted an opportunity to work with our off-highway trucks – a role he still holds today.

Tim Broderick, a customer support representative from Liebherr-Australia Pty. Ltd. who has been with the company for over 35 years, can also attest to the strength of Liebherr’s team spirit in the workplace.

‘The camaraderie within the team as we work together to solve difficult tasks helps to make everyone feel as though they’re a part of something,’ says Tim. ‘During my time with Liebherr, I have built working relationships with team members who have gone on to become some of my oldest friends.’

The importance of trust

It’s important to us that our employees feel as though the company trusts them enough to find solutions and implement them without needing to seek constant approval from managers. So we work hard to give our people the freedom to act based on their own expertise. And what better way to practise what we preach than to trust our employees to set up our sales and service companies around the world?

In 2011, a pivotal chapter began for Liebherr in Latin America. That year, Oliver Hoelzer and Julio Coelho joined forces to establish Liebherr Colombia SAS, marking the start of a journey that, in 2026, sees the company proudly celebrating 15 years of its presence in, and dedication to, the Colombian market.

Building on that success, Oliver and Julio came together once again in 2017 to collaborate on a strategic milestone. With each of their more than two decades of experience with the Liebherr Group, they co-led the project that established Liebherr Panama S.A., Liebherr’s dedicated sales and service company in Panama.

‘From selecting the location to assembling the team and setting up operations, we had the trust and independence to make critical decisions. That level of confidence from the organisation not only accelerated the process but also reinforced our commitment to deliver results,’ Oliver says. ‘It’s this culture of trust and initiative that makes Liebherr such a unique place to work.’

Today, Oliver is the operations director for both Liebherr Panama and Liebherr Colombia and continues to work closely with Julio, who works as the financial administrative director for the same two sales and service companies. Both have worked in different countries, across various roles, and it was their vast experience within the company that made them the perfect pair to head up Liebherr Panama. Oliver worked in Spain and France for a number of years – starting as a student intern and eventually moving onto roles in parts management and sales support in both the earthmoving and mining product segments.

Julio, on the other hand, began as an accountant assistant for Liebherr-Australia and took on roles of increasing responsibility – such as financial controller at PT Liebherr Indonesia Perkasa – before accepting his current role. ‘Each step along the way has contributed to my growth, both professionally and personally,’ Julio says. ‘Having the opportunity to work in several countries has contributed greatly to my development as a person – helping me understand different cultures, embrace diversity and learn how to treat people with respect.’

But throughout it all, the fact that they have had the freedom to act within each role – not just during the Panama project – has kept them around for all of these years.

‘The balance of autonomy and teamwork creates an environment where you can truly grow and make an impact,’ Oliver says.

‘Most importantly, at Liebherr, we know for whom we work,’ adds Julio. ‘Not just for the company but with and for each other. This sense of belonging and shared purpose is what has kept me committed to Liebherr over the years.’

Published April 2026