Liebherr Excavator Plant Celebrates Delivery of 75,000th Excavator

Milestone A 918 Compact Litronic wheeled excavator received a special design by one of the world's most well-known graffiti artists

The 75,000th excavator produced at Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH was unveiled to the staff during a celebratory event in the production plant.
The 75,000th excavator produced at Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH was unveiled to the staff during a celebratory event in the production plant.

The 75,000th excavator produced at Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH -- the founding plant of the Liebherr Group, located in Kirchdorf an der Iller, Germany -- has been delivered and is being celebrated by the company and its around 1,700 employees. The anniversary machine was unveiled to the staff during a celebratory event in the production plant. The A 918 Compact Litronic wheeled excavator received a special graffiti design by Claudia Walde, aka MadC, one of the world's most well-known graffiti artists. It will join the fleet of Liebherr Rental Services.

To mark the special occasion, the 75,000th excavator from Liebherr, a A 918 Compact Litronic, received a very special design by the graffiti artist MadC.To mark the special occasion, the 75,000th excavator from Liebherr, a A 918 Compact Litronic, received a very special design by the graffiti artist MadC.

The properties of the A 918 Compact Litronic still correspond to the original requirements of the company's founder Dr.-Ing. E.h. Hans Liebherr for a mobile, robust and ergonomic earthmoving machine with high availability. Liebherr wheeled excavators are known globally for their efficiency, flexibility and performance because they combine modern technology with many years of experience in the development and production of construction machines. 

A History of Innovation

In 1949 Hans Liebherr founded the company in Kirchdorf an der Iller in south Germany on the basis of his parent's construction business. The first few decades of the plant were marked by many forward-looking new developments which formed the basis of Liebherr's success story. Many products originated from the plant and are now further developed and produced at other production plants of the company.

Back in 1954, Hans Liebherr laid the foundation for a new type of machine with his first L 300 wheeled excavator. With its six wheels, the lightweight (7.5 tonnes), 25-hp L 300 was the first hydraulic excavator in Europe. The operator's cab, the boom and the combined face shovel/backhoe bucket appeared for the first time on a construction machine. The slewing ring was developed and produced in-house. However, the drive of this machine was still mechanical. 

The A 650 wheeled excavator was the first fully hydraulic wheeled excavator from Liebherr in 1960. In addition to the hydraulic equipment, it also had a hydraulic drive. With its operating weight of 16 tonnes, the machine had a power rating of 60 hp.

Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH also has another anniversary to celebrate this year. In 1967 Liebherr developed a so-called railroader, the A 400 ZW, for use on railway tracks. It is a special version of the wheeled excavator that can be used on rails or on the road. For over 50 years, the company has been successfully offering railroaders in its range of products and it quickly gained market leadership in this segment in Germany.

With the L 300, Hans Liebherr built the first hydraulic excavator in Europe.With the L 300, Hans Liebherr built the first hydraulic excavator in Europe.From the outset it was important to Hans Liebherr to develop and produce key technologies in-house. This became especially clear in 1983 with the A 912 wheeled excavator. Its diesel engine, hydraulic pump, swivelling drive together with planetary gearbox, excavator axles as well as gearbox and transfer box in the undercarriage were all now manufactured in-house.

In 1989, the Litronic followed as another innovation highlight. The Litronic is a complete system of intelligent electronics and functional hydraulics for monitoring, controlling and coordinating all key systems of the excavator. This system was used for the first time in the A 912 Litronic and also continues to optimize the efficiency of every Liebherr construction machine in its modified form today.

The interaction of machine and tool attachment plays a decisive role for successful deployment on site. This is why Liebherr also invested in this area and in 2001 was able to present its fully automatic quick coupler system LIKUFIX. With LIKUFIX the machine operator can change all mechanical and hydraulic tool attachments at the touch of a button from the cab as well as adjust the hydraulic pressures and volumes.

Today Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH is a leading manufacturer of ultramodern hydraulic excavators. The company also develops and manufactures an extensive range of material handlers and articulated dump trucks. The machines are used in a diverse range of applications for many areas of industry and are deployed all over the world.

Page 1 of 98
Next Page