‘Do it yourself, think for yourself and less talk, more action.’ Once upon a time, Hans Liebherr used this motto as the basis for establishing and consistently further developing the company. Since then, the courage to innovate has been in Liebherr’s DNA. At the same time, it gives rise to a ‘blueprint’ for construction machinery and their applications that makes all the difference on the way to the future.
Stephen Albrecht, Member of the board of directors of the Liebherr Group
‘The only constant in life is change,’ said Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) – a universal scholar, who, more than any other, stands for creative thinking and surpassing boundaries. Yet innovation was a risky business even in his time. Many of his contemporaries deemed da Vinci’s designs for parachutes, tanks or muscle-powered aircraft absurd, if not insane. The concept of imagining something that has never existed before – and then turning it into a reality – is still one of the biggest challenges of our time. Innovation requires courage, persistence and, above all, people who are not discouraged by scepticism or setbacks.
Hans Liebherr was one such person. In 1949, he invented the mobile tower crane and, in doing so, not only laid the foundations for a global company, but also for a culture of innovation that is unique to this day and serves as a blueprint for entrepreneurial progress: ‘Do it yourself, think for yourself and less talk, more action.’
But what if the idea is bigger than the market or the imagination of those who could benefit from it? Flashback: full of enthusiasm, and in view of the reconstruction of post-war Europe, Hans Liebherr presented his mobile tower crane at the relevant trade shows. The response? Polite interest, but barely any orders. The market was not ready, and the idea threatened to fail. But instead of giving up, Hans Liebherr acted according to the principle now known in the field of innovation research as ‘effectuation’: he did everything he could to make his vision a reality with the means available to him. And so he started production at his own expense, fine-tuned the product and had complete faith in its potential. The first orders soon followed and the tower crane became a ‘game changer’. It’s a great story that shows how innovation often begins with a contradiction – between what exists and what could be.
The people behind the machines
Then, as now, the innovative strength of Liebherr lay in more than just groundbreaking products. High-performance fibre ropes for tower cranes, ever new equipment for zero emission construction sites, battery-electric mining trucks, autonomous wheel loaders, the breakthrough for hydrogen combustion engines in heavy duty use, and much more, would not exist without the people who make everything possible. ‘Innovation exists where there is freedom,’ said Stephen Albrecht, member of the board of directors of the Liebherr Group. This belief is reflected in the corporate culture: ‘Trust, personal responsibility and team spirit form the basis for top creative performance,’ said Albrecht. ‘Many employees stay with the company for decades – that’s worth a lot in a world that is turning faster than ever. This long-term loyalty not only creates stability, but also the space to pursue ideas with perseverance.’
Pioneering spirit and pragmatism
Albrecht stresses that Liebherr’s innovation strategy is anything but dogmatic. ‘While many companies rely on individual technologies, we are pursuing a technology-neutral approach: whether for diesel, electric, hybrid or hydrogen drives – the aim is always to find the best solution for the respective use case.’ Yet it is often not the big vision that counts, but the pragmatic implementation: ‘How do we design long-lasting, complex technology reliably and efficiently?’
Today, with digitalisation and the new possibilities of artificial intelligence, innovations seem possible ‘at the push of a button’. It’s just a question of data processing and predictive simulation, isn’t it? Well, reality tells a different story: progress requires time, patience and, above all, the willingness to make mistakes along the way. ‘Innovations that endure require persistence,’ said Steffen Günther, member of the board of directors of the Liebherr Group. ‘We don’t think in quarters, but in generations.’
Steffen Günther, Member of the board of directors of the Liebherr Group
Innovation through technology-neutral approach
In order to remain flexible within such wide horizons, continues Günther, Liebherr backed alternative drive concepts through its technology-neutral approach. These concepts meet the requirements of the legislator and society regarding the decarbonisation of the construction and industry sector, while also offering good economic prospects. They include, for example, hydrogen combustion engines, including with innovative injection solutions developed by Liebherr, which optimise combustion and power density.
Liebherr is also pursuing this kind of pragmatic approach to innovation in the development of new, highly efficient electric motor technology with very high power and torque densities. ‘It’s about engineering that combines innovative strength with broad, practical experience,’ stresses Stephen Albrecht. In order to meet the extremely challenging environmental conditions and power requirements of construction machinery and construction vehicles, this new technology is significantly more compact and powerful when used in challenging, continuous operation, and it also requires minimal maintenance due to simplified cooling.
Embedded in a digital ecosystem
Liebherr places importance on drives as well as the continuous development and improvement of new and existing assistance systems. These support the machine operators in their daily work, while also increasing safety and productivity. Today, Liebherr’s digital experts across all product segments are working on the data integration and creation of a comprehensive digital ecosystem for construction machinery. It’s about more than just digital innovations – it’s also about ever new ways of networking the hardware and the associated systems with each other. ‘We have several hundred digital solutions in the field, from APIs to IoT solutions and training simulators – and more are always being added,’ says Stephen Albrecht. But there is no need for the individual development departments of the different product segments to completely redesign the respective digital basis today. ‘We are continuously working on finding and using synergies, wherever they appear,’ says Albrecht.
A holistic approach to innovations
Liebherr’s innovation strategy today is clearly centred around this type of holistic approach: ‘These days, change is inevitable. Right now, nobody knows exactly where technology will go next,’ according to Stephen Albrecht. But this doesn’t leave Liebherr at a loss. Quite the opposite, in fact. ‘As a Group, we keep up with all the latest issues affecting all product segments and do our utmost to find innovations.’
Courage to innovate means there is always an element of risk. And Stephen Albrecht and Steffen Günther are aware of this too. Hans Liebherr always had the possibility of failure at the back of his mind – but it never held him back from constantly contemplating big and small changes: as the company founder said: ‘With dogged determination, it is also possible to achieve what appear to be almost unattainable targets. Don’t allow yourself to be disheartened by setbacks, having faith can move mountains.’ The countless innovations by Liebherr since it was founded over 75 years ago are more than just a confirmation of this theory. They also set the tone for an extraordinary success story with a title that says it all: ‘made by Liebherr’.
