Liebherr machinery at work in expansion project

Construction equipment maker Liebherr says its own equipment has been deployed to help undertake an expansion project at its North American headquarters and production facility in Newport News, Virginia.

The Europe-based make of excavators, scrap handlers and other heavy equipment says the Virginia location “has played a crucial role in fulfilling the growing demand for Liebherr products both locally and globally since Liebherr’s expansion to North America in 1970.”

Among other activities at the site, the plant partially assembles and then tests and certifies models in Liebherr’s range of diesel electric mining trucks. Complete assembly of the massive trucks is then carried out at mines around the world to enable easier shipping.

Citing global demand for mining trucks, Liebherr says it has partnered with several eastern Virginia (the region also is known as Hampton Roads) contractors to begin expansion of the production facilities.

The firm says Liebherr machines “have been the choice of equipment to handle the diverse and demanding tasks in the different phases” of the project at the worksite.

“From specialized demolition machines to heavy lift mobile cranes and a variety of earthmoving equipment, the current demolition and construction plans are projected to be completed by the end of 2025,” states Liebherr.

Among the models at work in Newport News are a Liebherr R936 compact crawler excavator, being operated by North Carolina-based East Coast Demolition.

That firm is dismantling a plant annex being torn down to make room for the new 80,000-square-foot addition, according to Liebherr. The compact crawler excavator has been deployed to sort, pick and process for recycling all steel, debris and other materials, and then ship them out.

“The biggest challenge is performing demolition next to a live plant and the active construction work that is happening around the demo site,” says Ricky Webb, chief operating officer of East Coast Demolition. “The Liebherr R 936 compact crawler excavator is a smooth and balanced machine equipped with the demolition guarding and protection making it safe to run in a high-risk environment.”

After the demolition project, three structural trusses weighing 30,000 pounds each had to be removed from the back of the production plant.

For that task, Virginia-based Prillaman’s Crane and Rigging Inc. used a Liebherr LTM 1090-4.2 mobile crane and an LTM 1250-5.1 mobile crane to undertake the heavy lifting, says Liebherr.

Another firm involved in the project is C.A. Barrs Contracting Inc., also based in Virginia. That company is using a Liebherr R946 crawler excavator plus a PR 716 dozer to clear eight acres of land so it can host machines due to be shipped out by Liebherr Mining Equipment.

“We feel that our machines are a great value and have served our company very well,” says Steve Barrs, president of C.A. Barrs, regarding the Liebherr models.

Liebherr says its U.S. expansion undertaking “is more than just a construction project; it is a cornerstone of Liebherr Mining Equipment’s strategic vision, laying a stronger foundation for the many ambitious projects anticipated in the future.”

Remarks Cort Reiser, managing director of the Liebherr Mining Equipment Newport News location, “We’re thankful for the partnerships with the cities of Hampton and Newport News and the Commonwealth of Virginia that have greatly enriched our operations and enabled Liebherr Mining Equipment to bring 175 new jobs and investment to the region.”