Liebherr Brasil Ltda is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024. Excavators, cranes, truck mixers and slewing bearings are just some of the products manufactured for the South American market at the site in Guaratinguetá, Brazil. The sales and service activities of the group are also gathered together here. Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH also has 15 employees at the site.

In electric vehicles, the meshing of the gears can cause disruptive gearbox noise excitations. It is therefore becoming increasingly important for automotive manufacturers and suppliers of electric motors to identify and eliminate the causes of unwanted noise at an early stage. With the LHProcessMonitoring software, Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH has developed a tool that detects deviations during gear production. This saves costs and reduces rejects – and is therefore also of interest to manufacturers of conventional gearboxes.

Sustainability goals and increasing raw material prices are making the recycling of batteries from electric vehicles an increasingly pressing issue for the automotive industry. To recover the valuable raw materials and components from the battery packs, they must be disassembled and sorted at the end of their service life. Automated processes provide a basis for economic dismantling while minimizing the hazards to employees from high-voltage equipment. Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH uses its tried and tested automation technology for this and is working with research and industry to develop scalable, flexible solutions for the automotive and recycling sectors.

In 2023, Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH was awarded the Best of Industry Award in the Robotics category. The company received the award for its solution for the automated disassembly of battery packs from electric vehicles.

The opportunity to gain experience abroad and work in Europe, the USA or Asia has been an integral part of training at Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH since 2000. After a temporary interruption due to Corona, the program is once again enjoying great popularity. The young people taking part in the assignment not only experience enriching stays abroad but are also well-prepared for international service assignments.

Following the flood disaster in Slovenia in August 2023, Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH provided active assistance for the automotive supplier KLS d.o.o. With commitment, expertise and minimal bureaucracy, the team of engineers performed what seemed an impossible task in just 1,200 work-hours: all of the Slovenian company‘s gear cutting machines – initially thought to be damaged beyond repair – were back up and running before Christmas.

Julia Stachel and Laura Scheiber completed their training as industrial mechanics at Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH at the beginning of 2024. During their training period, they spent four weeks at the Liebherr plant in Yongchuan, China in August 2023. Here they explain what made them choose China, their experience there and what it is like to suddenly have lots of people wanting to take a photo with you!

E-mobility is taking hold around the world – and the automotive industry is changing. Many manufacturers are shifting from internal combustion engines to electric powertrains. The Ford Motor Company – a long-term partner of Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH – will be making most of the electric drive units for its European production at its UK transmission plant at Halewood near Liverpool. As before, Ford will be using Liebherr gantry technology, but for electric drive units rather than transmissions for internal combustion engines.