Looking beyond the price barrier

Manufacturers therefore have to look at other ways to compete, and in that respect achieving premium service levels is the battleground for European producers today.

“We offer 24-hour technical back-up around the globe, although outside Spain we arrange a service agreement with a local company, as has been the case in Argentina. Most of our customers are Spanish and, for these, we keep a good inventory of spare parts, which can be swiftly delivered. In fact, servicing our cranes throughout Europe is comparatively easy, given short distances and good transport links,” says Paceco España Enrique Marchessi.

His comments are echoed by Liebherr: “We have always offered a global 24-hour backup service to customers. We can also provide spare parts to operators at competitive prices by virtue of the fact that we are buying these in large quantities. Since we hold a large number of parts in our stocks, availability is high and dispatch rapid,” says Gerry Bunyan.

Significantly, Liebherr supplies original part numbers in crane documentation given to the purchaser, even though this provides the option of parts being sourced direct from the supplier instead of being ordered from Liebherr. While much of the crane is built in house, motors and gearboxes, built to Liebherr specification, are acquired from reputable sub-suppliers.