Second life – used cranes get a new lease of life

To connect one with the other, we have been buying back used cranes from our customers since the seventies and reselling them as second hand. This business sector is so strategically important to us that for the last 40 years it has been managed by a dedicated department established specifically for the purpose. The used crane sales team celebrated its own anniversary in summer 2019 – namely on the day when the ten thousandth used crane was handed over to a customer. Top class!

In addition to quality and sustainability, there are several other good reasons for our customers to buy a second hand crane. “Of course the significantly lower finance involved is one aspect”, says Bernd Rechtsteiner, who has managed the department since 2012. “But waiting time can also be a major factor”, says the management graduate. After all, speed is of the essence on construction sites – when a crane contractor wins an order for a major project such as a wind farm, the normal lead time for a brand new crane could be a problem. “Recently we had an enquiry from a customer in Africa asking for the urgent delivery of an LG 1750. A new crane? Nine months. A used crane? Eight weeks!” In cases such as this, Bernd Rechtsteiner and his team are proud and happy to be able to offer the customer a first class crane from the second hand pool – and the customer is delighted to take it.

France is another important, large market for Liebherr used cranes. At the end of 2019, S.E Levage placed an order for a third large crane for its fleet. In fact, the LTM 11200-9.1 built in 2016 meant that the company, based near the Swiss border, had acquired the most powerful crane in the country to date. “The crane was like new when we took delivery at the Liebherr plant in Ehingen”, remembers the operator at the time, Christophe Thenery. At S.E Levage’s request, all the cranes had undergone factory refurbishment and had been resprayed. They were also supplied with a six-month warranty. In its everyday work, the company can now tackle wind farms using this powerful fleet, thus helping achieve the French strategy of increasing the use of renewable energy. By the end of 2019, all three large cranes were in action erecting wind turbines.

The company’s French competitor Mediaco also uses the pool of used cranes at Ehingen to expand its fleet with top quality machines. Last year, Mediaco, the largest crane and heavy haulage logistics contractor in the country, took delivery of both an LG 1750 and an LR 1600/2 crawler crane. Mediaco also decided on a complete refurbishment and respray in the company’s corporate livery. However, this additional work is not compulsory. “Customers can decide on the condition of the crane when they take delivery of it”, says Bernd Rechtsteiner. “Whether it is bought as seen, together with a brief inspection or after extensive factory refurbishment with technology upgrade and warranty – the customer is free to decide.”

When Liebherr buys back mobile and crawler cranes in Germany, their first port of call is Ehingen or the repair centres in Alt Bork (near Berlin) and Oberhausen. In other countries, the cranes are stored in local branches or tested on site and then transported straight to the new owner. They may also be transported between continents if necessary. An LR 11350 crawler crane underwent one of the longest journeys of all – the only place that one of these models was available quickly was on the border between the USA and Canada. The giant crane was therefore shipped from Huston via Genoa to Novorossiysk in Russia “quickly” (and of course with the appropriate care). Mission accomplished, customer happy, project rescued. The vast majority of cranes are located in Europe, however, from where they are shipped to Eastern Europe where most buyers of used cranes can be found.

It should also be mentioned that we at Liebherr are not only the only crane manufacturer that sells second hand machines, but we are also the largest dealer of used cranes in the world. Bernd Rechtsteiner and his team sell around 250 cranes every year – from small two-axle machines to massive crawler cranes. The Liebherr homepage generally only features around 30 used cranes available to buy at any one time, however. “But not because we only have so few available”, says Department Manager Rechtsteiner. “Instead, the fact is that we often know long in advance when a crane will be coming back and who is looking for that model. That means that we can react very quickly and precisely to specific customer enquiries.”

The second hand trade is also strategically important due to its role as a door-opener. In regions with upward-trending economies such as South Africa and Australia at the current time, the value for money used machines provide us with a method of opening up new markets and customers. “We are renowned for quality and value retention there as well”, says Rechtsteiner. “Our mobile cranes can easily get to 25 years old or more, whilst lattice boom cranes last even longer. Together with our efficient, worldwide service network, our good customer relations and lower capital commitment, these are very telling arguments in favour of our low cost cranes.”

The wide range of possible additions is another aspect which should not be forgotten. Naturally, Liebherr also offers its customers the option of upgrading the used cranes with new technical features, where possible, or enhancing their equipment packages. For example, Mediaco ordered a second winch and modifications to the ballasting system on its LG 1750. The derrick systems on both the large cranes were also fitted with the practical “VarioTray” split ballast system. This meant that Mediaco received two state of the art cranes. Making old into new – and a machine which is absolutely equivalent to a brand new one. In other words, genuine first class, second hand!

This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 01 | 2020.