Liebherr has purchased its Hong Kong-based tower-crane dealer, after the Asian firm’s parent company, Shriro Group, announced it wants to focus on its core business.

The deal sees Liebherr taking over the firm’s hire fleet of 24 tower cranes and 20 staff, including the sales and service functions.

Shriro’s ties to Liebherr date to 1978, when it became the German group’s official dealer and hire-company for tower cranes in Hong Kong and Macao. Shriro, which has a global workforce of 3,500, plans to focus more on its core business of consumer goods.

“The takeover will enable Liebherr to place a permanent footprint on the Asian market as a manufacturer”, says Dominique Tasch, managing director at Liebherr-Werk Biberach, the Liebherr business division responsible for tower cranes.

“The crane specialists are superbly trained and have already complete courses at the manufacturing plant in Biberach”, says Tasch. “That means that the transition will be very smooth and existing contracts and obligations will be met without any restrictions.”