Liebherr acquires Hong Kong dealer

Liebherr Biberach has completed the acquisition of the Shriro tower crane division from the Shriro group in Hong Kong.

The deal is an asset based transaction and includes 24 tower cranes, with 20 sales and service staff, all of whom have transferred to the new Liebherr distribution operation. The business will report into Liebherr-Singapore which will now be responsible for the Liebherr tower crane business throughout Asia.

The Shriro Group has had close ties with Liebherr since 1978 when, under the name Peninsula Engineering & Equipment, it became the official Liebherr dealer for its tower cranes in Hong Kong and Macao. Liebherr will now run this sales and rental business itself, while Shriro will focus on its core business – international trade in consumer goods. No financial details of the transaction have been disclosed.

Dominique Tasch, managing director of Liebherr Biberach said: “The crane specialists are superbly trained and have already completed courses at our manufacturing plant in Biberach. That means that the transition will be very smooth and existing contracts and obligations will be met without any restrictions. The takeover will enable Liebherr to place a permanent footprint on the Asian market as a manufacturer.”

“We are particularly focussing on project business and special building sites. Liebherr can provide excellent services for complex special projects, using the expertise of its engineers from the ‘Tower Crane Solutions’ Business Unit. We work with the customer to find a safe, economical solution to technically complicated building projects.”

First SCX1000A-3 in Holland

Dutch engineering contractor Gebr. De Koning has taken delivery of the first 100 tonne Hitachi-Sumitomo SCX1000A-3 lattice crawler crane in the Netherlands.

Purchased through Hitachi (Europe), the SCX100A-3 lattice crawler crane can be rigged with up to 60 metres of main boom, or a combination of boom and 28 metre jib for a maximum system length of 79 metres. Powered by a stage IIIB complaint engine, the new crane has been ordered with an additional winch and a wider skywalk on its main boom for enhanced safety and easier assembly. The crane will be used to carry out concrete, waterworks and foundation contracts.

Gebr. De Koning managing director Leo van Dijk, said: “We prefer to buy rather than rent our crawler cranes, as they are used on most of our projects. We continue to choose Hitachi, because of the competitive price, high quality and overall reliability of the products. The environment is also of paramount importance, for example when working on a ProRail project the Co2 emissions are carefully monitored and the fuel consumption is also an important factor.”

Based in Papendrecht, Gebr. De Koning handles a number of projects, including the construction of bridges, tunnels and quay walls, as well as subcontracting for house building, utility and civil works. It purchased its first Hitachi crane – a KH100 – in 1978 and currently has a fleet of six Hitachi cranes as well as a number of Hitachi excavators.