Liebherr-France SAS, subsidiary of Liebherr Group, has invested US$5.67mn in a new assembly line for ?Generation 8? excavators in Colmar, situated in northeastern France
Based on the principles of lean management, the new assembly line is expected to improve quality and productivity.
The main task of the assembly line is to produce the latest generation of Liebherr crawler excavators, consisting of the R 922, R 924, R 926, R 930, R 934, R 938 and R 945 models.
According to the company, the assembly line achieves average cycle times of 155 minutes per station with an output of five excavators each day. Altogether, it has 26 work stations and nine preassembly stations synchronised with the main line, said the company.
With a workforce of more than 1,500 employees and annual production of 2,000 machines, standard production range at Liebherr-France SAS comprises around 30 crawler excavator models, from the R 914 Compact to the R 980 SME for earthmoving work and for use in mining.
Production further includes a large number of machines for special work requirements such as the deconstruction of buildings, material handling, maritime applications or tunnel construction applications, as well as electric excavators.