Members of the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association, active in the mobile crane industry, have filed a complaint to the Europe Commission regarding the influx of mobile cranes from China into the EU.
The members, which include Liebherr, Manitowoc, Sennebogen and Tadano, have requested an urgent investigation into imports of Chinese mobile cranes marketed in the EU at conditions that lead to unfair competition for European producers.
“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,” said Christoph Kleiner, managing director sales, Liebherr-Werk Ehingen. “Chinese manufacturers benefit from a wide range of subsidy mechanisms, which gives them a massively unfair advantage when exporting to the EU.”
Emphasis is particularly on mobile cranes designed for the lifting and moving of materials on land, with a lifting capacity of at least 30 tonnes, mounted on self-propelled vehicles.
“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,” warned Erich Sennebogen, shareholder and managing director, Sennebogen. “These measures need to be taken to ensure fair global competition.”
