Sophie Albrecht, member of the administrative board of the Liebherr Group, was awarded the ‘Médaille de l‘Ordre National du Mérite’ (French National Order of Merit) in November. The medal was presented to her at the factory site of Liebherr-Mining Equipment Colmar SAS, in front of an R 9600 mining excavator. In her address, Brigitte Klinkert, Alsatian politician and Member of Parliament for the first constituency of Haut-Rhin, highlighted Sophie Albrecht’s commitment to industry in France and, in particular, in Alsace, saying that Sophie Albrecht, the granddaughter of the company founder Hans Liebherr, has the ability to combine success, responsibility and humanity. The local politician thanked the Group for their significant investment in the local economy.
The ‘Médaille de l‘Ordre National du Mérite’ is a French order of merit that was created in 1963. It is the fourth highest award in France for people who have distinguished themselves through special public, civil, military or private achievements and is only presented to non-French nationals in rare exceptions. In March, in Paris, Jan Liebherr was presented with the ‘Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur’ award (French National Order of the Legion of Honour) for the Liebherr Group’s key role in the development of French industry.
France is one of Liebherr’s biggest markets and, since the opening ceremony of the first production site in Colmar in 1961, it has held a special place in the history of the Group. The country was one of the first foreign markets to be opened up by company founder Hans Liebherr. In Colmar, Liebherr-France SAS produces crawler excavators and Liebherr-Mining Equipment SAS develops and produces large hydraulic excavators for the mining industry. In addition to these two sites, Liebherr is also one of the leading European manufacturers of air management systems for aircraft in the Occitania region of France, with sites in Toulouse, Campsas and Montauban. The Group, including its various sales and service branches, has more than 4,000 employees in France, of which 3,000 are in Alsace. Liebherr also invests heavily in the local economy. Most recently, the company purchased a 47 hectare plot in Nambsheim, which will be used for the expansion of activities in Alsace.
