Liebherr’s wheeled loaders are currently made in Bischofshofen but expansion is constrained by a river, railway and road alongside.
To meet rising demand, Liebherr-Werk Bischofshofen has decided to build a new factory 240km away in Wildon, Styria, for smaller models.
The new production site is scheduled for completion in 2029.
Liebherr currently employs 1,200 people on a site covering 170,000 sq m in Bischofshofen. It has capacity to produce up to 7,000 wheeled loaders a year. However demand is expected to reach 10,000 units in the medium term, per year.
Peter Schachinger, managing director for production at the Liebherr plant in Bischofshofen, explained: “Our site is beside the B159 road that runs along the Salzach valley and is hemmed in by the slope to Mitterberghütte, the railway line and the river Salzach. We would only be able to expand our site by building upwards. Current projects around Bischofshofen do not have the required space and would result in a complex transport concept that would further burden traffic in the region. This makes the expansion in Wildon a logical and necessary decision in order to be able to meet the increasing market demand."
The new facility in Wildon, occupying a 200,000 sqm site, will manufacture the small wheeled loader models L 504 to L 518, as well as models for the OEM partners John Deere and Claas.
Bischofshofen will continue to make large and medium-sized wheeled loaders, as well as steel construction for the entire loader range.
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