The German-born Swiss company expects to have a turnover of more than 125 million in Navarra in 2023 and plans to expand its facilities and activity. The plant, started in 1953, has 350 employees, 100 of whom joined in 2022.
Liebherr’s Navarra-based plant expects to grow in turnover and industrial activity and will continue to incorporate personnel throughout the year. This increase is in addition to the one recorded in 2022, since the firm incorporated a total of 100 people, to make up a workforce of 350 workers.
Among the reasons for this need for personnel is a change in the group’s strategy, which has decided to centralize the services of the technical office of the crane division in Pamplona. The cranes are manufactured in three plants: one in Germany (in Biberach), another in India (in Pune) and the third, the only one in Spain, in Pamplona (Navarra). With this project, engineering services will be centralized in the latter plant, which ensures the stability and permanence of the activity. In addition, the Navarre site will be dedicated to the development of a new product for the wind energy sector.
Similarly, Liebherr Industrias Metálicas plans to specialize in the manufacture of a single type of crane, the self-erecting crane (which folds and folds up on itself). Until now, the Navarre and German factories shared the manufacture of this crane with the so-called tower crane (can be assembled on site). This transfer of products will be developed in sequence over the next 4 years. It will lead to an increase in the number of cranes manufactured and a need to expand the facilities, which is still to be determined. The factory has sufficient space since it has 175,000 square meters of land, of which 28,000 are already built. This project will require an investment of some 40 million euros between 2023 and 2024.
Steady growth
All these plans will be reflected in turnover. Growth has been progressive in recent years and sales have risen from 68 million euros in 2020 to 106 million euros in 2022. By 2023, the forecast is to earn 125 million euros.
There is only one explanation for the growth experienced in recent years: exports. Practically 100% of the cranes manufactured, which will exceed 700 this year, are sold in Central European countries.