Crane firm’s Wearside plant falls into the red

CRANE manufacturer Liebherr's North East operation has slipped into the red following a recent lull in demand.

- TOM KEIGHLEY Business Writer [e-mail]

New accounts for Liebherr Sunderland Works Limited - the company behind the multinational group's Wearside plant ~ show it slid to an operating loss of more than £171,000 last year, compared with profit of more than £2.2m the year before. Revenue was down from £55.2m to £46.7m.

The Ayres Quay operation specialises in maritime cranes and cargo handling equipment including ship and port cranes, offshore cranes and mobile harbour cranes.

Production started on the banks of the Wear in the late 1980s and the facility has since turned out thousands of orders.

Earlier this year, we reported how around 90 jobs at the base were under threat amid bosses efforts to secure the long-term stability of the business. At the time, management referenced continued low demand for smaller, mobile harbour cranes as having prompted the potential cuts.