Europe’s leading mobile crane manufacturers have filed an urgent request for the European Commission to investigate imports of Chinese mobile cranes, claiming these products are being marketed in the EU under conditions that constitute “manifestly unfair competition” for European producers.
The complaint is backed by companies representing roughly 99% of the entire EU mobile crane industry. The manufacturers involved include Liebherr, headquartered in Ehingen and Nenzing; Manitowoc, whose European base is in Wilhelmshaven; Sennebogen, based in Straubing and specialised in crawler cranes; and Tadano, which operates major production facilities in Zweibrücken and Lauf an der Pegnitz. Together, these companies warn that the surge of low-priced Chinese imports threatens the viability of a sector essential to Europe’s strategic autonomy.
The complaint targets mobile cranes mounted on self-propelled vehicles with a minimum lifting capacity of 30 tonnes—machines vital to Europe’s energy transition, major infrastructure projects and defence capabilities. These cranes are indispensable for building renewable energy infrastructure, maintaining transportation networks, supporting emergency services and equipping military operations.
European manufacturers stress that they operate under strict environmental, safety and data protection standards, and have heavily invested in technological advancements that improve both performance and safety. The complaint argues that the EU must act to safeguard this strategically important industrial base and avoid future dependency on non-EU suppliers.
The companies’ leaders have issued clear warnings:
“Our European industry welcomes fair competition, but it is patently unfair to compete with products whose selling conditions do not come close to covering the raw materials, energy and production costs of a European mobile crane manufacturer. Chinese manufacturers benefit from a wide range of subsidy mechanisms, which gives them a massively unfair advantage when exporting to the EU,” says Christoph Kleiner, Managing Director Sales, Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH.
“We believe in fair competition and have urged the European Commission to address the material injury to European industry caused by the dumping tactics of Chinese exporting producers. We call on the Commission to restore a level playing field across the EU,” states Aaron Ravenscroft, President & CEO of The Manitowoc Company, Inc.
“While we believe in fair competition, the distortive pricing tactics of exporting producers from China warrant the opening of a trade defence investigation. We call on the European Commission to take swift and decisive action to ensure a fair and competitive environment for future production and employment in Europe’s mobile crane manufacturing sector,” says Noriaki Yashiro, CEO, Tadano Europe Holdings GmbH.
“Chinese mobile crane producers are increasingly focusing on export markets, with the EU market being a prime target. The combination of spare production capacities in China, existing stocks and substantial Chinese governmental support, means that material injury to the vulnerable European industry will continue if anti-dumping measures are not imposed. These measures need to be taken to ensure fair global competition,” concludes Erich Sennebogen, Shareholder and Managing Director, SENNEBOGEN Maschinenfabrik GmbH.
The European Commission is now under pressure to launch a formal trade investigation that could result in anti-dumping measures aimed at restoring competitiveness and protecting the continent’s long-standing industrial capabilities.
