Second hand but first class: Belize Sugar Industries opts for a Liebherr LTM 1130-5.1

Ehingen (Donau) (Germany), 29 October 2026 – With a second-hand LTM 1130-5.1, Belize Sugar Industries is strengthening the maintenance capabilities of its plant. The Belizean company, which employs 600 employees, operates the largest sugar factory in the Central American country and also generates electricity, around half of which is fed into the public grid. “Our need for lifting capacity for maintenance and modernisation work within the plant has risen sharply. The 110-tonne crane, now 33 years old, which we had previously used for these tasks, was no longer able to fully meet the plant’s requirements,” says Immer Torres, buyer at Belize Sugar Industries.

Second-hand, yet still the first choice

When deciding on the LTM 1130-5.1, it was not only the machine’s performance that was a key factor: the second-hand crane was available at Liebherr’s site in Veracruz (Mexico), which meant it could be made available in the region at very short notice. “Thanks to its versatile set-up and configuration options, the 5-axle crane with its 60-metre boom is suitable for a wide range of tasks within our plant,” reports Torres. “With our ‘new second-hand’ crane, we will now be able to carry out maintenance work on the production plant, repair jobs and assembly work using a single crane. Previously, we regularly had to hire an additional machine for these tasks in addition to our own crane.”

The LTM 1130-5.1 is a crane type that has proven its worth over the past 20 years or so in numerous countries across all continents. For Belize Sugar Industries, the 130-tonne crane is the company’s first Liebherr crane and will cover the upper load-capacity class in its vehicle fleet. At the same time, the machine is one of the first Liebherr mobile cranes in the country.

“For us, the available services and the long-term guarantee of spare parts supply were just as important as the crane’s technical specifications,” emphasises Torres. “With a plant that produces both sugar and electricity, we need to be able to plan maintenance work reliably. Liebherr gives us the necessary assurance for long-term operation.