Liebherr Customer Days 2024

Liebherr graciously invited Catalyst Communications Network’s Head of Content Brian Ethridge to Germany/Austria to be a part of their 2024 customer days. While there, he journaled the entire trip, from arrival to departure.

I boarded my first flight on Friday afternoon, around 3 p.m. Central, to Chicago. From Chicago, I had around a nine-hour flight to Munich and, of course, that flight ended up getting delayed a couple hours, so it felt like even longer!

Finally, I arrived in Munich around 11 a.m. local time. Even though I arrived two hours later than anticipated (due to the delay), the Liebherr crew waited it out and greeted me soon after picking up my luggage.

After leaving Munich airport shortly thereafter, we traveled to the Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol, in Telfs, Austria. As soon as I hopped on the bus, I was offered a beverage (couldn’t turn down a free German beer), and immediately knew I was in for a fun few days!

I was amazed by the views I took in on our drive to the hotel, but the views at the hotel … they were something else — the mountains, the trees — just imagine a gorgeous mountainous-area; then imagine it being even more gorgeous than you had originally imagined; then you’ll have an idea of how beautiful the view from this hotel was.

Saturday night, while most of us were jet lagged from the long flight from the U.S., we were treated to a buffet dinner and then left to our leisure. Personally, I was pooped from the flight and bus ride over, so after grabbing some grub, I headed to my room and passed out for about 10 hours!

Sunday morning, finally rested and refreshed, a bunch of the attendees opted to take part in an optional day tour to the Innsbruck City Center. From there, a couple of us wandered the city, took in some more amazing views and enjoyed a drink.

During my first day and a half here, it was obvious that Liebherr’s presence is all over the place around these parts. Sure, I was traveling with Liebherr employees and customers (and Liebherr owns the hotel we were staying at too), but even our parking lot at the city center had two Liebherr cranes sitting right next to it (building something amazing, I’m sure).

After taking in sights of Innsbruck, we hopped back on the bus for a short break before grabbing dinner with the entire traveling crew. Once I got back to my room, a little storm rolled in and it began to pour outside. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t let up, as it continued to rain on our short 10-minute walk to the restaurant (thanks to Liebherr for supplying everyone with their own personal umbrella though!).

At dinner Sunday night, we were treated to some local music, a little karaoke and great company by several different people in the crane industry.

Monday, I woke up to a foggy morning covering up the beautiful view. It was almost as if Mother Nature was telling us that it was time to move on from Austria and continue our adventure elsewhere.

After a two-hour drive, we arrived for a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle. Due to a little confusion, we ended up “accidently” taking the trail that caused for a bit of a strenuous hike up to the castle, but once we arrived, we couldn’t have asked for better weather or a better view. The castle is fairly small inside, so it was a short tour, but it was a great opportunity to do a tourist activity while in the area.

And, although some people complained about the hike up to the castle, personally I enjoyed it — it was a great way to burn some of the calories we had all been treated to in Austria!

Monday afternoon we checked into our final hotel of the customer days — the Maritim Hotel in Ulm. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a super nice hotel and nicer than most places I have ever stayed at, but compared to the Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol, it was like checking into a Motel 6! (I may have exaggerated slightly.)

Monday night, we all gathered again for dinner at a neighboring hotel. At this point in the trip, you can really begin to tell that everyone has started to familiarize themselves with one another, and it’s obvious that people are beginning to become more comfortable around each other.

Tuesday was the big day! It was when everyone gathered at Liebherr’s Ehingen-Berg’s new repair center. According to Liebherr, over 3,000 guests attended Tuesday’s festivities, which also celebrated the company’s 75th anniversary (Liebherr was founded in 1949 by Hans Liebherr).

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get the memo that I needed to pack an insulated jacket! This day’s event was held mostly outdoors, and, of course, it was the coldest day of them all — it was breezy and below 50 degrees for much of the day — that may not seem super cold, but I was in a short-sleeved thin dress shirt!

That’s all the complaining I can do about Tuesday, however, because it was actually a very fun-filled day. The highlight of the day was the early afternoon’s crane show, which featured several Liebherr cranes in a well thought out, entertaining and synchronized presentation.

Immediately following the show, me and a few colleagues immediately hopped on a bus for an “optional” guided tour of Liebherr’s Ehingen crane factory. Although it was “optional,” I feel bad for anyone who chose to skip it — the only negative thing I can say about this tour was that it lasted less than an hour, when that wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything. I felt like I could have easily spent three hours there.

Dinner featured some live music to go along with some tasty drinks and good grub.

To end the night, and the entire event, Liebherr treated all guests who stayed late enough with a special “surprise” drone light show. I remember seeing something like this on America’s Got Talent before but seeing it in person was definitely a treat.

Final Thoughts

While at the Munich airport, waiting for my long flight back to the U.S., I started to recollect my entire trip and all of my time spent with Liebherr employees and customers, and the one thing that stood out to me is how well Liebherr treats not only its staff, but its customers. It was clear that the company cares and tried its darndest to show everyone a great time.

Having joined Catalyst Communications Network, publisher of Crane Hot Line, just a few months ago (January 2024), I am admittedly a bit of an outsider in the crane world. The majority of people attending the Liebherr Customer Days had already met, some many years ago, but I knew nobody!

Most people were very welcoming, while others … well, let’s just say that I understand some people need a little more time to warm up to new faces — the cool thing was, by the final day of the event, I could tell that some of those who were a little leery of me on the first day started to warm up to me by the final day.

I wholeheartedly appreciate Liebherr for extending an invite to this newbie in the crane world, and I really appreciate those who were friendly and welcoming. I look forward to seeing them all again, and, with a little time, being fully integrated into the crane family.

Special thanks to Maegan Kranz, Liebherr’s content marketing team lead, for being my guide and making sure I didn’t get lost during the trip.

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The LTM 1400-6.1

The event’s centerpiece was the unveiling of the new LTM 1400-6.1, a groundbreaking 6-axle crane. It features a 70-meter telescopic boom, offering exceptional lifting capacity and simple set-up processes. As the successor to the LTM 1350-6.1, the LTM 1400-6.1 incorporates Y-guying technology, making it a powerful and versatile all-rounder with various equipment options and a modular boom kit.

Liebherr’s commitment to safety and innovation is evident in the new LTM 1400-6.1. The crane is equipped with advanced driver assistance systems to enhance road safety, in line with EU Regulation 2019/2144. These systems help navigate areas with limited visibility, protecting vulnerable road users. Key features include the Blind Spot Information System and the Moving Off Information System, which provide visual and acoustic warnings to prevent accidents.