We can now look back on a very eventful year. At the start of 2022, just as we were hoping that the world could gradually recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the next crisis of global proportions emerged with the war in Ukraine. The pandemic and this terrible war have not only cost countless lives and created the need for massive humanitarian aid, but have also left a deep mark on the global economy. Sharp rises in raw material and energy prices, huge increases in bottlenecks in supply chains, these are just a few of the issues we’ve faced. And all this is overshadowed by the enormous challenge of taking effective measures against climate change, which humankind can only carry out together.

As an independent family-run company, we focus on our strengths in such challenging times. In our almost 75-year history, we have often demonstrated our ability to react flexibly to all sorts of situations, and to venture down previously untrodden paths. We’ve shown that responsible action, proven reliability, and a focus on the long term are essential in ensuring our success, both in the present and the future.

This mindset helped us deal with the numerous challenges worldwide over the past year, so that now we can look back on a good year for business overall. We received a high level of new orders and set a new turnover record of more than € 12.5 billion.

Over the past year, many Liebherr companies have been working on projects related to our corporate responsibility. In terms of technology alone, we made enormous progress in ensuring the environmental compatibility of our products in 2022. For instance, we achieved a quantum leap in energy efficiency for refrigeration and freezing by developing our new BluRoX vacuum perlite insulation model.

We’ve also made great progress with drives for construction machines, cranes, material handling machines and mining equipment. We are currently conducting research into the entire range of climate-neutral fuels and drive technologies, and we showcased numerous examples at the Bauma exhibition in Munich in the autumn.

Given the difficult environment, we know that we can only break new ground if we have a strong team. That’s why we’d like to take this opportunity to thank our employees worldwide, who now number more than 50,000. Their dedication and ideas make a significant contribution towards ensuring our future viability. We will continue to be a dependable and appreciative employer for them. And, of course, weʼd also like to express our sincere thanks to our customers all over the world! Delighting them with our solutions and acting as a strong and steadfast partner will continue to be our top priority, and thatʼs not going to change.

We have appointed our children Jan and Stéfanie as the new presiding committee of the administrative board of Liebherr-International AG, effective 1 April 2023. This marks a further step towards establishing the next generation in the companyʼs management. However, we are not leaving the company, but will remain members of the administrative board.

Our Group got 2023 off to a great start.We are optimistic about this coming year and Liebherrʼs fast-approaching 75th anniversary in 2024.

Dr. h.c. Dipl.-Kfm. Isolde Liebherr and Dr. h.c. Dipl.-Ing. (ETH) Willi Liebherr

Presiding Committee of the administrative board of Liebherr-International AG (until 31 March 2023)