LOADER crane manufacturer Palfinger has announced a two-year reorganisation plan. The ‘location optimisation programme’ involves moving the assembly of medium-weight cranes (10tm to 32tm) out of the headquarters in Bergheim, Salzburg to its crane element factory in Lengau, Upper Austria. Production of hydraulic cylinders is to be centralised in Bulgaria. These measures are aimed at achieving annual cost savings of E10m when completed at the end of 2003.
Currently, spare parts stores, the Palfinger Equipment Centre, service centres, distribution stores and centres are at rented sites. Under the reorganisation, a new after-sales and service centre is being set up in Bergheim so that the company headquarters will be home to R&D, after- sales service, marketing and a training centre.
The relocation programme will turn Lengau into the group’s central crane production facility. Palfinger expects that concentrating production, assembly, surface treatment and dispatch in the group’s highest-volume segment at a single site will save costs and improve the internal systems for order processing.
The production of hydraulic cylinders, currently located in Lengau and Caussade in France, will move to Bulgaria. Production of the tailboards will be outsourced. Spare parts administration is being moved from Lengau to the spare parts stores in Bergheim.
Other sites will be largely unaffected by this programme. Heavy cranes and special hydraulic systems like the railway equipment, Mobiler container handling systems and Crayler forklifts remain in Köstendorf. Production of light cranes will continue in Cadelbosco, Italy, and production of all hook loaders will be in Caussade. Production of agricultural and forestry cranes remains in Elsbethen, Salzburg. Maribor will continue to specialise in mechanical crane components and preassembly.
