IN FOCUS / USED CRANES
MEETING THE DEMAND FOR USED CRANES Although the Liebherr used crane business is a little over two years old, demand from the market has been above expectations and cranes are being sourced from right around the globe. SINCE THE AGE OF 14, TOM GRADY, Liebherr’s national used crane manager, has been working on and with Liebherr products. He explains a bit more about his role with Liebherr used cranes and how the business is fairing. “In the mid 90s, I started an apprenticeship at the age of 14 with the Liebherr agent. We sold and serviced Liebherr mobile and crawler cranes, mining, concrete foundation and construction equipment. In 2005, we took on the LWN crawler crane and foundation products and then carried these over to Liebherr Australia in 2008. “Being the national service manager/ head of customer service, I was carrying out field servicing nationally, technically advising, managing spare parts, overseeing daily operations and supporting the sales team. In the early days, as with the Ehingen cranes, there were only a few units from the Nenzing factory, but in the following decades the business grew into the hundreds,” he said. Grady provides background on the Liebherr used crane business. “I spoke to Andrew Esquilant about the role and understood what he was after and he could see I had the relevant skills and experience. I manage the whole process from the pre-purchase crane inspection, management of the import process, overseeing of required works through our workshops and final delivery ensuring the mechanical side and presentation is up to scratch. I also facilitate local used crane sales, trades and various other functions the job requires,” he said. The Used Crane Department suits Grady’s skills set. “I really enjoy the pre-owned cranes side of the business including all the technical aspects. The most enjoyable part of the job is dealing with customers during the sales process and seeing the end result. I feel my 25 years of experience, across Liebherr products, was perfect 32 / CAL January 2020
Tom Grady, Liebherr’s national used crane manager.
training for me to step up and into this role,” he said. According to Grady, there are various sources for used cranes and his role isn’t just selling them. “I have to be across available products and be in a position to sell and deliver them into the market. I also help manage the trade requests from the five new crane sales managers. They have trades to go in on new cranes and it’s my job to ensure we get the customer the best price on the trade,” he said. “This may mean facilitating a deal between two customers. Instead of putting the trade ‘on the books’ and having to hold or re-sell it, we put customer A who is trading the crane, in touch with customer B who is looking for that used model of crane. With this scenario, the crane will generally end up going through the workshop where we might make a tyre change, carry out a major inspection, provide a service and Crane Safe inspection, along with weighing them and carrying out the registration process. “Our factory in Ehingen Germany trades around 250 cranes a year in terms of mobile and crawler cranes so there’s nearly always the correct sized crane available
somewhere in the world. Last year we delivered the 10,000th used crane from our facility in Germany. Like the majority of the cranes we trade, we knew the history and background to the crane as Liebherr initially sold it, serviced it, traded it back against a new Liebherr, and then put it through our inspection process before delivering and commissioning it into Melbourne,” said Grady. According to Grady, a lot of cranes in Europe are not fully equipped for the Australian market and explains why customers consider pre-owned cranes. “Many of the cranes we see from Europe are ‘under-specced’ for the Australian market and being the manufacturer, we have the opportunity to ‘spec them up’ with different fly’s, winches, dolly preparation etc. and then deliver the crane into Australia exactly how the customer wants it,” he said. “There are many reasons why our customers choose a used Liebherr. We have a premium product and customers see the value in owning a Liebherr whether it’s new or pre-owned. Customers can buy a two-year-old crane, fully serviced and delivered on road with warranty, for a similar cost to a new crane from another manufacturer. “We also have customers purchasing a new crane and then find they can’t get the finance for a second, so they look for a pre-owned Liebherr crane as an option. We also have customers with an urgent requirement for a particular size and the lead time for a new crane might be too long and we have had a used crane on stock,” said Grady. Grady works closely with the new crane sales managers ensuring the best outcome for customers. “Most days, I work with the new crane managers across Australia and New Zealand and we understand what the customer wants. Together, we’ll put forward a new or a used option, it’s not www.cranesandlifting.com.au
