Members of the Liebherr family, executive management and Newport News city officials gathered in July 2018 to celebrate the ground-breaking of the $45-million project, which marks a new chapter for Liebherr in the United States. The company has outgrown its existing four-story administration building, which is 100 percent occupied.
Favorable weather has allowed construction to proceed without any significant delays, according to Safety and Facilities Manager Terrence Leo. Curtain walls are now being installed on the four-story administration building. Vertical metal stud framing is underway and the building’s weather barrier is being placed. Next, concrete floor slabs will be poured and windows will be installed. Once the buildings are closed in, work can continue in any weather. A new warehouse and workshop also are part of the project.
Modern Warehouse will Increase Capacity
“The new Liebherr USA, Co. warehouse in Newport News will allow all aspects of our logistics operation to be fully centralized and integrated into a modern, state-of-the-art facility,” said Oliver Frey, General Manager of Warehousing and Logistics. “The new Liebherr USA facility will provide the latest safety features and an increase of 50 percent in storage capacity. In addition to the increased shelf space, the warehousing will also incorporate a dual shuttle vertical lifting machine to increase small component picking speed and storage capacity over our existing single shuttle unit.”
Frey added that “all pallet racking will be modernized to include the latest safety features and location barcoding will be implemented for all bin locations. Our receiving and shipping departments will also be ergonomically separated to allow for better material flow through the facility versus our current conditions.”
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Concrete aprons on the east and south sides of the warehouse will provide outdoor storage for large components such as counter weights, track chains and sticks. The south apron will also feature a large canopy for inbound and outbound freight staging. A two-story office and conference room for managers and staff will be located on the warehouse’s south side. Frey said an overview of the entire logistics operation is possible from these offices.
Workshop Facility will Enhance Customer Support and Service
Liebherr’s Houston, Texas-based mobile and crawler cranes workshop has also outgrown its capacity. The division is opening a second workshop for cranes and construction equipment in Newport News to accommodate a growing East Coast customer base. The mobile and crawler cranes division will have three stations to service and repair equipment. This will allow the division to improve its efficiency and productivity.
Twelve repair stations will be available for the earthmoving division — an increase from the eight currently available — for equipment modifications and pre-delivery inspections. In addition, the building will also house a semi-knockdown kit assembly area for concrete pumps. Warehouse roof installation is underway and foundation work is in progress for the workshop.
When completed, the new buildings will add over 251,000 square feet to the company’s existing 560,000-square-foot campus. The existing four-story administration building will be retained, renovated and fully occupied by Liebherr Mining Equipment Newport News, Co. Liebherr‘s manufacturing of large mining gauge trucks will continue in Newport News.
