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Liebherr

ApplicationBulle, SwitzerlandFounded 1949· One of 686 Application companies tracked by AMPulse

A multinational equipment manufacturer that uses metal additive manufacturing to produce certified, flight-critical components for the aerospace industry.

CEO / Founder
Jan Liebherr (President of the Administrative Board of Liebherr-International AG, since April 2023); company remains jointly managed by the 2nd and 3rd generation of the Liebherr family.
Team Size
10000+
Stage
Subsidiary
Total Funding
Undisclosed
Latest Round
Grant
Key Investors
Liebherr Family

Technology & Products

Key Products

Liebherr manufactures construction machinery and supplies innovative products in divisions like earthmoving, mining, mobile cranes, tower cranes, concrete technology, and maritime cranes. The Group also focuses on aerospace and transportation systems, gear technology, and automation systems.

Technological Advantage

Deep domain expertise and in-house capabilities across the entire AM process chain, from design for additive and simulation to printing, post-processing, and rigorous testing and certification for safety-critical parts. This ensures high quality, reliability, and supply chain control.

Patent position

Liebherr filed 0 patent families in 2022–2024, down from 9 in 2019–2021: filings fell 100%, versus a 22% fall in tracked AM filings in the same patent offices. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
0 families filed 2022–2024, 9 in 2019–2021 (-100%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -22%
Filed in
US 42%EP 33%WO 21%CN 17%
Named competitors, AM patent families
Caterpillar 79

24 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Leveraging extensive manufacturing and systems integration expertise to produce certified, lightweight, and highly complex metal AM components for critical applications, enabling part consolidation and improved performance.

How They Differentiate

Liebherr differentiates by being a direct user and integrator of its own AM parts into larger, complex systems it supplies. Unlike pure-play AM service bureaus or component manufacturers, Liebherr's focus is on using AM to enhance the performance and value of its own product lines, such as flight control and actuation systems.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Major aircraft manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers in the aerospace and defense sectors.

Industry Verticals

Aerospace, Defense, Industrial Manufacturing

Competitors

Caterpillar, Komatsu

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

The Liebherr Group achieved revenue of €14,772 million in FY2025 (+1.0% YoY) with 55,963 employees at year-end (+2.3% YoY). The maritime cranes/aerospace & transportation systems/gear technology & automation/refrigeration/components/hotels segment group achieved €5,427 million in combined revenue, up 14.7% YoY, offsetting softer construction and mining machinery sales. AM adoption in the aerospace and transportation systems division remains a strategic initiative.

Major Milestones

Achieving serial production of a complex 3D printed titanium flex shaft for the Airbus A350., Successfully producing and certifying the first 3D printed primary flight control hydraulic component (spoiler actuator valve block) for the Airbus A380., Receiving EASA approval for flight-critical additive manufactured parts., Establishing a dedicated, certified AM production facility at its Lindenberg, Germany site.

Notable Customers

Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Fortescue

https://www.liebherr.com

Recent coverage of Liebherr

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
29
Granted
10
Families
24

Leading domains: process (29), equipment (13), material (11)

Filings by year: 2019: 10 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2012: 2

  1. METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING AND/OR REPAIRING A CONSTRUCTION MACHINE03768902 · EP
  2. DEVICE, A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR BUILDING STATIONARY STRUCTURES ON A WORKING SURFACE03440289 · EP
  3. Tool for realising a press quenching and tempering method107828950 · CN
  4. Structural frame for a crane and similar machines, and crane comprising such a structural frame12162730 · US
  5. SUPPORTING FRAMEWORK FOR A CRANE AND SIMILAR WORK MACHINES, AND CRANE HAVING SUCH A SUPPORTING FRAMEWORK03612383 · EP

Funding rounds

  • Grant (prize money)$1.7M2021-01-12Lead: Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty
  • Grant (prize money)$0.2M2020-01-01Lead: European Union
  • Grant (prize money)$0.3M2019-07-01Lead: European Union