Liebherr-France SAS makes €6 million investment in production

Liebherr-France SAS decided to replace machinery in the first part of its production line, which takes delivery of nearly 10,000 tonnes of steel annually. The main objectives were to make improvements in working conditions, the quality of cut of the profiled parts and production method performance.

Following a study in 2013, the individual machines were ordered in 2016. The dismantling of the old cutting workshop finally began in September of the same year. The entire line was put into operation in September 2017.

In this new semi-automated environment, Liebherr-France SAS has made a significant effort to ensure the training of existing employees. New internal organisation has also been put in place to enable optimal management of this new equipment.

Liebherr-Location France SAS, a sister company based in Niederhergheim, provided machinery for the project. Liebherr-France SAS’s mechanical welding training centre, an internal provision created in 2005 that trains numerous apprentices, was also involved in the planning and development of this new facility.

Facts & figures:

• €6 million global investment (€2 million of which was for civil engineering and the building)
• Saturday 15 October 2016: first sod turned
• Duration of project: 12 months (October 2016 to September 2017)
• 15 different companies employed
• Up to 28 people / day working on site
• 3000 m2 of concrete paving demolished
• 4000 m3 of earthy material excavated
• 1200 m3 of concrete cast on site

Building history of hall 2

• 1963: Construction of hall 2 with area of 3000 m2
• 1967: 1200 m2 extension of hall 2 to include current mechanical welding training centre
• 1973: Construction of shot-blasting unit with 200 m2 area (demolished in 2017)
• 1978: Manufacture and assembly of steel hoists with 10 tonne capacity and 55 m reach in place of rail-mounted mobile crane. These were produced in the workshops of Liebherr-France SAS
• 1980: Partial demolition of roof of hall 2 and elevation of building from 8.25 m to 12.4 m
• 2016-2017: 3-phase restructure of sheet cutting to meet production requirements:
  • 1. Construction of new building with 300 m2 area for new high-performance shot-blasting unit
  • 2. Restructure of workshop with installation of multiple cutting lines and transformation of roofs in current hall 2
  • 3. As soon as the new production line was operational, the building containing the old shot-blasting unit was demolished and at the same time the internal offices were renovated