Press releases | 07/12/2023 Middle River Marine celebrates the delivery of Liebherr’s LH 110 material handler

Primarily serving the Illinois and Northwest Indiana markets, Middle River Marine (MRM), takes delivery of Liebherr’s LH 110 port litronic material handler at their largest terminal in South Chicago off of the Calumet river. MRM will use this large machine for handling material, such as pig iron, to then be transported by rail, truck, or barge across the nation.

To celebrate this handover, MRM hosted over 60 attendees at their 80-acre terminal site to recognize the newest addition of their growing Liebherr fleet of 15+ machines. This event allowed for local industry leaders and peers to connect and network as well as display many of the Liebherr machines MRM has acquired over the years including multiple L 586 Xpower wheel loaders.

Throughout the event, various industry leaders spoke highlighting the strong familial relationships and values held by each organization in attendance, followed by a luncheon and on-site tours of an MRM boat as well as the terminal grounds equipped with Liebherr equipment. Liebherr’s wide variety of offerings within the earthmoving and material handling product segment provides MRM a full line of highly specialized equipment for all of their individual terminal sites and port application needs.

“The main criteria we factored into this purchase is Liebherr’s history of providing dependable, fuel efficient, state-of-the-art equipment backed by quality service and a longstanding relationship in business,” noted Pete Colangelo, MRM Vice President of Terminal Operations.

Cargo and logistics

Middle River Marine is a fully integrated bulk material logistics service provider, serving primarily the construction materials, agricultural products, and industrial commodities bulk markets in the Chicagoland region. MRM transportation services include road, rail, and water transport. The company currently offers 10 river terminal locations throughout Illinois as well as a vast transportation network to provide optimal transport and supply chain planning for their customers. MRM continues to provide individualized solutions for each of their customers utilizing their state-of-the-art technology and superior customer service.

President of Middle River Marine, Aaron Halcomb said, “We are extremely excited to partner with Liebherr to expand our fleet and handling capabilities to better serve our customers. Liebherr has become a trusted partner in business to ensure we have dependable, capable, state-of-the-art equipment to meet rigorous demands of our business.”

Each of MRM’s locations, including the 80-acre South Chicago terminal where the MRM event took place, offers a variety of bulk transportation services including marine barging & towing, material & aggregate storage, material handling, material inventory management, railcar loading and unloading, transloading, and truck loading and unloading. Each terminal site also offers a variety of Liebherr equipment depending on incoming and departing cargo transport.

A family business

Middle River Marine operates as a subsidiary of Ozinga, a fourth-generation family-owned US based business providing concrete, bulk materials, energy solutions and transportation logistics throughout the Midwest and Florida. Established in 1928, Ozinga has continuously expanded into a premiere supplier and service provider with a vast service network and deep commitment to their local communities.

“We are proud to be here today, celebrating each of these organizations and the impact they make,” said Aaron Ozinga, President of Ozinga Ventures. “Our partners continue to showcase excellence and advance our mission and core values of serving others and our local communities.”

Ozinga as well as their subsidiaries have acquired approximately 50 Liebherr machines throughout the last decade. Liebherr, also a family-owned company, looks forward to the continued support and partnership with Ozinga and Middle River Marine.

“MRM’s newly acquired LH 110, a flag ship solution within the material handling portfolio of Liebherr, is the result of a trustful, reliable and successful cooperation between multiple family-owned businesses. Middle River Marine, Ozinga, American State Equipment/Finkbiner, and Liebherr have continued to share the same values and expectations for more than a decade,” said Kai Friedrich, Managing Director of Liebherr USA, Co. “The continuously growing fleet underlines the success and durability of this remarkable relationship. We are proud of the joint achievements and look forward to future growth.”

Superior dealer network

Liebherr USA, Co. offers an extensive line of earthmoving and material handling machines custom-engineered for special applications promoting efficiency, safety, and reliability for all customers. Liebherr also offers a vast dealer network to support the earthmoving and material handling customers with sales, service, and spare parts needs across the nation. This network provides fast support through qualified Liebherr dealers to assist customers anytime, anywhere.

Based in Illinois and Northwest Indiana, Finkbiner Equipment Company serves as a subsidiary of American State Equipment (ASE). ASE is one of Liebherr’s largest and oldest dealers, with a relationship that goes back approximately 50 years. Their consistent support and established partnership as a Liebherr dealer have been essential in assisting MRM with this latest acquisition.

“We each have a shared commitment to integrity, excellence, accountability, and innovation across all of our operations. These values allow us to build enduring partnerships with like-minded family organizations,” said Tim Kraut, President and CEO of American State Equipment.

Finkbiner Equipment Company and American State Equipment offer many Liebherr machines and attachments including concrete trailer pumps, duty cycle cranes, deep foundation machines, as well as a wide variety of mining, earthmoving and material handling equipment for many applications.

Port Litronic

The LH 110 port litronic was designed specifically for handling scrap and mixed cargo in port handling operations and offers customers extremely high load bearing capacities as well as a long reach. The machine is weight-optimized allowing for powerful operation and maximum performance at a low cost.

MRM opted to equip their machine with a shorter boom-stick combo for optimal load charts and chose a clamshell attachment for easier handling of aggregate. The LH 110 also comes equipped with the latest Liebherr technology, allowing MRM to adapt the machine to the respective needs of each individual project, assuring maximum material handling performance and efficiency, saving time and money.