Liebherr-France invest €5 million in new assembly line

New production line for Generation 8 crawler excavators to further improve quality and boost productivity

LIEBHERR-France SAS in Colmar have brought a new €5 million assembly line into operation. Based on the principles of lean management, the company says it will contribute to further improvements in quality and productivity.

The main task of the new line is to produce the latest generation of Liebherr crawler excavators, which was launched on the market worldwide this year as the ‘Generation 8’. The product line consists of the R 922, R 924, R 926, R 930, R 934, R 938 and R 945 models.

Altogether, the new ‘R3’ assembly line has 26 work stations and nine preassembly stations synchronized with the main line. With logistical means that are optimally geared to production, the new assembly line achieves average cycle times of 155 minutes per station with an output of five excavators each day.

With a workforce of more than 1,500 employees and annual production of 2,000 machines, Colmar is the main production location for earthmoving crawler excavators in the Liebherr Group. The standard production range consists of around 30 crawler excavator models, from the R 914 Compact to the R 980 SME for earthmoving and mining applications.

Production also includes a large number of special machines for special work requirements, including demolition and material handling, as well as electric excavators. The crawler excavators with operating weights from 14 to 100 tonnes are equipped with Liebherr engines that have power outputs ranging from 90 to 420kW.