Liebherr Cranes to temporarily wind down its Killarney plant
KILLARNEY plant Liebherr Container Cranes has decided to proceed with “an orderly, temporary winddown of complex operations” to help limit the spread of Covid-19.
Clarification on the eligibility of Liebherr Container Cranes for the published subsidy scheme is awaited from the Irish Revenue authorities, stated Liebherr’s board of managing directors. “Liebherr Management has worked intensively over the last days in the interests of our employees in this respect,” according to a statement from the Fossa-based factory.
“At Liebherr Container Cranes, we place the health and welfare of our employees, their families and the wider community, first and foremost. Over the past number of weeks, we have implemented remote working, staggered working and break hours, strict social distancing and extensive hygiene measures at our factory and remote facilities.
“We would like to commend our employees for their efforts and cooperation in this respect.”
On March 28, the Department of the Taoiseach published a list of essential service providers permitted to continue operating, under new public health guidelines. The list includes the manufacture of products necessary for the supply chain of essential services.
“The guidelines also allow for an extended window to allow for the winddown of complex manufacturing operations,” noted Liebherr.
Liebherr employs 800 people in Killarney. As an essential part of the global and local supply chains, it stated it would continue to be available to supply essential service and support to its many customers worldwide who use its machines at ports to help keep global supply chains moving. “This will require a reduced level of staffing at our factory,” added Liebherr.
“We continue to work in utmost cooperation with the latest government information, regional authorities and other stakeholders with respect to working arrangements for our employees and company.
“We look forward with optimism to reaching a balanced environment in which to commence operation as normal once again, which will hopefully be in the not-too-distant future.”
Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd Is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of ship-to-shore cranes, rail-mounted gantry cranes and rubber tyre gantry cranes. From a base in Fossa, Killarney, Liebherr Container Cranes designs, builds and exports container cranes worldwide. This base was founded in 1958 as the first Liebherr factory outside of Germany.
The Liebherr Group employs over 48,000 people in more than 130 companies across all continents. In 2019 Liebherr achieved a total consolidated turnover of more than €10.5 billion. As a global family-run technology company the Group is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of construction machines and is recognised for developing technically advanced and user-oriented products and services. Liebherr was founded in Kirchdorf an der Iller in southern Germany in 1949.
