A career in mining: Thinking outside the box

When Sims joined Liebherr USA, Co. in 2019 he brought with him 10 years’ experience in heavy equipment sales. This experience is invaluable for Sims as he is in direct contact with customers. Sims explains, “I work with our customers to identify the best option for their projects and how to maximise performance and profitability with their Liebherr mining equipment.”

The Liebherr Group prides itself on acknowledging and respecting each of its employee’s strengths, talents, and areas of expertise. As an employer, Liebherr knows that its employees are key to its success as a business. The company gives its staff the freedom to act on their knowledge so they can seek out inventive solutions to meet customers’ needs.

When customers require something slightly out of the ordinary for their purposes, this is where Sims, his years of experience, and the special applications projects for Liebherr mining equipment can help. Sims says, “The special applications projects are really exciting. They vary from providing the most versatile demolition machines in the world to dredging machines capable of digging at extreme depths while having the ability to build rock jetties along shorelines.”

Innovative solutions for customers around the world

Ingenuity and creative thinking helped Sims to find an innovative way to use one of Liebherr Mining’s excavators to support one of the largest contractors for energy and infrastructure projects in North America.

“We sold an R 9150 with a custom long boom and stick configuration to the customer to help them build rock walls along shorelines,” explains Sims. “The machine was designed with the ability to rotate and tilt the attachment at the end of its stick. This way, rocks could be set at the exact angle and pitch to ensure the solidity of the rock walls.”

However, it was not just the R 9150 that Sims and his team needed to focus on.

“We also had to coordinate with both the customer and the company that built the barge our machine would eventually be working on. This was to ensure that the vessel provided the stability necessary for the excavator to achieve the reach and lifting capabilities necessary to handle large stones,” Sims says.

Continuous innovation is one of Liebherr’s primary driving forces. Employees are encouraged to think creatively to ensure customers are provided with best service and equipment for their circumstances. With its wide range of mining machinery, complemented by 50 years’ experience in designing, manufacturing, and supporting mining equipment, Liebherr Mining has the industry expertise needed to find the right solution for each customer. Liebherr Mining’s international customer service support network also allows the company to provide these solutions to customers in a timely manner, wherever they are.

The personal touch

These special application projects provide Sims with unique and exciting challenges. He emphasises that the best part of his job is travelling throughout the USA to attend various exhibitions and meet new people. “Even though attending exhibitions requires a good bit of work setting up booths, coordinating with industry conventions, and plane hopping, most of the shows allow vendors and customers to have a good time making connections and networking,” Sims says.

Because of the amount of travel required in his role, Sims has come to appreciate the job stability and culture of respect that Liebherr offers its workforce. “I love that Liebherr remains to this day, a family-run company that cares for its employees. There is a mutual respect, professionalism, and consideration between the company, my colleagues, and myself,” explains Sims.