6 minutes - magazine 01 | 2026
Linked for decades
A look back to Europe in the 1980s: in Prague, the capital of what was then Czechoslovakia, a young man is sitting at his desk. He is involved in a process in which the state foreign trade company for the import of machinery is looking for a service manager – someone to set up customer service for the cranes of a German manufacturer in the communist state.
Klimex – from a small company to a strong partner
The name of this manufacturer? Liebherr. The name of the young man? Karel Kladiva. What began as a professional task became the starting point of an extraordinary success story. Today, more than four decades later, Karel Kladiva stands like no other for a partnership based on trust, reliability and a genuine passion for the Liebherr brand.
Mr Klimex: Karel Kladiva at the entrance to his company’s new branch in Přerov, in the east of Czechia. In future, large Liebherr mobile cranes can also be repaired or overhauled here.
After the Velvet Revolution in 1991, Karel Kladiva ventured into self-employment and founded his own company: Klimex. With his engaging manner, his experience and a great deal of drive, he developed Klimex into a prosperous company – and a valued sales and service partner for us in Czechia. “It was actually 1983 when the name Liebherr first appeared on my desk,” Kladiva recalls with a smile. We meet him in his office in Mělník, half an hour’s drive from Prague. “Today, we not only look after the service for Liebherr in the country, but also the sales of the cranes from Ehingen.”
Next generation: “I’ve actually been with Klimex my whole life. We were there as small children in our father’s company. The stories he told us always fascinated me,” recalls Markéta Kladivová. Next to her: her brother Petr Kladiva.
Added to this is the high level of expertise in the repair of used cranes. “Karel Kladiva is indeed one of our longeststanding and most reliable partners,” says Bernd Rechtsteiner, Sales Manager Used Cranes at Liebherr in Ehingen. “When there’s a fire, Klimex often comes into play.” This is because the Czech company has long been more than just a local service partner: it regularly takes on complex repair projects and sometimes particularly urgent assignments, especially for the international marketing of used cranes. Klimex has two workshops and a great deal of expertise at its headquarters.
“Here in Mělník, however, we have reached the limits of the size of our workshops,” explains Karel Kladiva. “We can only repair cranes with up to five, maximum six axles in the halls. But here in Czechia, too, the machines are getting bigger and bigger.” Klimex has therefore significantly expanded its previously small branch in the east of the country: a modern site with an office building and spacious factory hall has been created on an area of 23,000 square metres. Today, all mobile cranes from the Liebherr range can be professionally maintained and repaired. There, in Přerov, around 50 kilometres from the border with Slovakia, around 20 employees now look after the needs of customers in the eastern part of Czechia. And of course provide reliable service for Liebherr cranes locally.
Service for the customer: A Klimex employee servicing a mobile crane from Hanyš, the largest crane company in Czechia.
One family – one passion
The next generation has been waiting in the wings at Klimex for some time. Under the management of their father, Markéta Kladivová and her brother Petr are demonstrating their commitment to the family-run company. Petr Kladiva has been on board since 2001. He started out as a mechanic, learnt all areas of the company from the ground up and, together with his father, is the Technical Manager in Mělník. After graduating, his sister Markéta initially gained international experience – including a year at Liebherr–Canada. “That was a valuable time, but I realised that I could learn the most from my father.” Today, she is responsible for customer contact, marketing and financial matters at Klimex. “I feel that being a woman is a real advantage,” she adds. “There are only a few women in this industry – that motivates me all the more. I actually have a strong connection to cranes.”
Workshop manager: Ondřej Kubát is responsible for the work in the Klimex workshops in Mělník.
The advent of an innovation
Thanks to the support of his children and the successful growth of the company, Karel Kladiva can look to the future with confidence. However, as at the beginning of this story, we take another look back – at a chapter that should not be missing from this account of the life of Karel Kladiva: shortly after the turn of the millennium, he brought one of his customers, Pavel Švestka, to the Liebherr plant in Ehingen. Švestka had a bold idea – the vision of a crawler crane with a telescopic boom.
Ondřej Kubát carrying out comprehensive maintenance on an LTC 1050-3.1. “The most challenging repair,” he says, “was on an overturned LTM 1070-4.2. Both cabs, the slewing ring and two segments of the telescopic boom had to be replaced.”
A wish that sounds unusual at first, but immediately sparks the inventive spirit in Ehingen. This encounter laid the foundation for a completely new family of cranes: our telescopic crawler cranes, which are now successful worldwide.
An episode that shows what can result from a passion everybody shares. And how much courage, curiosity and trust in partnership characterise progress. Values that have connected Liebherr and Klimex for decades.
This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 01 | 2026.
