7 minutes - magazine 01 | 2026
Perfect premiere
The first cranes have already arrived at our customer’s premises. The MK 120-5.1E, the latest model in our mobile construction crane family, starts work.
Our new MK 120-5.1E mobile construction crane is launched
The crane not only offers impressive performance parameters, but we have also placed great emphasis on comfort, safety and functionality in the new machine. The long-established Swiss company Zaugg AG Rohrbach has put the first MK 120-5.1E into service. A prestigious parade in the federal capital of Bern was tailor-made for the newcomer on its debut.
Exactly the right crane: “The MK 120-5.1E is exactly the right crane for our fleet. With its combination of jib length and lifting capacity, it is ideal for our customers’ construction sites,” says Stephan Zaugg, CEO of Zaugg AG Rohrbach. Sophie Albrecht, Member of the Liebherr Administrative Board, came to Reiden for the handover of the new crane.
Take narrow alleyways, high projecting edges and a historic building structure with a magnificent panorama, plus a tricky job under time pressure. Precisely the right combination for our new mobile construction crane! The MK 120-5.1E from Zaugg was used for the first time in the picturesque old town of Bern in Switzerland. Two mighty emergency roofs consisting of several elements had to be lifted onto the scaffolding of construction sites at a height of 25 metres, some at a large lifting radius. The best thing about it: the crane completed the work entirely in electric mode. Zero emissions and hardly any noise for residents, tourists and passers-by in the historic city centre. Let us take you over the rooftops of Bern!
At dawn, Adrian Sommer approaches Bern’s city centre with his brand new mobile construction crane. It’s still early. Only a few passers-by hurry over the cobblestones. The young crane operator slowly works his way through Rathausgasse in reverse with his new vehicle. Just past parked cars and overhanging flower pots, the vehicle passes the picturesque arcades that have characterised the townscape since the great town fire over 600 years ago. Sommer drives the crane to its first job with routine, as he already has a lot of experience with the similarly dimensioned MK 140-5.1E. “With its all-wheel steering, the vehicle is naturally very easy to manoeuvre,” he says.
Right in the middle of the action: Adrian Sommer stands right next to the scaffolders to precisely control the crane via radio remote control. To install the roofs, the crane operator travels upwards in his cabin. “It’s luxurious and has great features,” he enthuses. With automatic climate control, cool box, USB charging socket and a modern touch display, the infinitely height-adjustable cabin offers a great deal of comfort as standard.
But Sommer isn’t in the mood for chatting. Time is of the essence. He and his colleague, crane operator Oliver Rindlisbacher, have to install large emergency roofs over two construction sites in the old town. One of them lies behind the neighbouring houses at the edge of the parallel alleyway. The distance is just shy of 50 metres. Nevertheless, this one crane location is sufficient, as the mobile construction crane can reach even this destination with its 52-metre-long horizontal jib. Loads weighing up to 2.1 tonnes can be attached to its tip.
The crane is quickly set up. The small auxiliary crane on the vertically positioned telescopic tower is really useful for this. In just a few minutes, the men from Zaugg have laid out the four heavy load distribution plates around the vehicle. Adrian Sommer then extends the hydraulic outriggers using his remote control. After this, however, things move fast: the tower is telescoped out and the fully automatic unfolding of the jib is set in motion. Finally, there is a surprising silence.
The 52-metre-long boom of the MK 120-5.1E reaches as far as the next alleyway. Even Bern cathedral is watching.
Project planner: “We can deploy the crane quickly and often very economically, even without additional ballast.” Stefan Stettler planned the operation above the rooftops of Bern’s old town.
Hardly any crane noise due to electric mode
Sommer has switched off his machine’s diesel engine. In the meantime, the energy source for the day’s work has arrived: a Liduro Power Port LPO 100, the mobile, batterybased energy storage system from Liebherr. With this mobile battery, a mobile construction crane such as the MK 120-5.1E can work for around two days in electric mode. The power cable is simply plugged into the crane and the battery and everything is ready to go.
The only noise now comes from the many scaffolders who are assembling the individual metal parts into projecting roofs on the street. The crane noise, on the other hand, are barely audible and no longer disturb anyone. Neither the residents nor the workers on the construction site are affected. Tourists and passers-by who continue to use Rathausgasse during this time can also stroll around in peace. “We only extended 50 per cent of the crane supports on the side facing away from the construction site, leaving enough space for cyclists and pedestrians,” explains Stefan Stettler. The head of Zaugg’s crane department planned this work in Bern and was keen to be there when the new crane was used for the first time. “With this long jib, the MK 120-5.1E is the ideal crane for this job. Also because it takes up very little space on the ground,” says Stettler, looking quite relaxed.
Easily enough: Towards the end of the work, the mobile Liduro Power Port still has well over half of its original stored energy.
Visual contact with the action
He also seems quite satisfied. Everything runs smoothly. The crane positions the first roofs with an impressive projection of 45 metres precisely on the prepared scaffolding. “Nevertheless, the loads weigh around two and a half tonnes,” explains Stettler. The mobile construction crane safely lifts the metal structures, which are over 20 metres long, over all the roofs and chimneys to the other side of the historic buildings. To navigate the overhanging loads precisely, Adrian Sommer moves his crane cabin upwards. This gives him visual contact with the load and the scaffolders. During work like this, the stepless height adjustment of the cabin ensures an extra degree of safety.
“What’s absolutely fantastic is the auxiliary crane for laying out the load distribution plates,” says Christian Geissmann. He works at Zaugg as project manager for crane logistics and as a member of the Board of Directors. “It means that this work is completed in minutes.”
In the late afternoon, the fourth and final large roof segment is finally installed. The premiere of the new MK 120-5.1E from Zaugg in Bern ends without a hitch. The Liduro power storage unit mounted on a trailer also easily held its own. After the work, well over half of the originally stored energy was still available in the mobile battery. The MK 120-5.1E can also be supplied with power via any construction site power box and is even optionally available with a permanently installed energy storage unit. This enables self-sufficient working in electric mode for around two days.
Origami above the rooftops: The fully automated folding and unfolding of a Liebherr mobile construction crane is always an eye-catching moment. The MK 120-5.1E is set up and ready to lift in no time at all.
But let’s head back to the construction site in Bern: the job is done. It takes perhaps half an hour before the MK 120-5.1E is ready to leave again. Then it’s back to Rohrbach, where the new crane is parked next to the three MK cranes already in use at Zaugg. Founded in 1936, the company employs a workforce of 150 in the areas of timber construction, steel construction, carpentry, tinsmithing, heavy haulage and crane logistics. Since 2022, Zaugg has also been represented on the North American market with its subsidiary “Zaugg Timber Solutions“.
This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 01 | 2026.
