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Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing in Germany - Market Research Report (2015-2030)

Robert Maier Robert Maier Frankfurt, Germany Last Updated: August 2025 WZ C28.22DE

Revenue

€27.6bn

2025

€27.6bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

€X.Xbn

Employees

94,575

Businesses

1,110

Wages

€X.Xbn

Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing in Germany industry analysis

The companies in the industry manufacture a wide range of different products. These include various crane systems for construction sites and transshipment centres, goods and passenger lifts and industrial trucks such as forklift trucks or continuous conveyor systems such as conveyor belts. In the first half of the last five-year period, suppliers of materials handling and intralogistics technology in particular benefited from stable demand. Rising global freight volumes ensured that numerous logistics companies invested in the acquisition of a wide range of loading and unloading equipment as well as in the purchase of various transport vehicles for their warehouses. From 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and an increasingly sluggish global economy led to a decline in demand for the industry's products and lower profit margins for many players. As a result, industry turnover has grown by an average of 1.5% per year since 2020.

In 2025, industry turnover is expected to reach 27.6 billion euros. This corresponds to a decline of 3.3% compared to 2024. This development is due to the weak order situation in 2023 and 2024. The unclear economic impact of the trade conflict between the European Union and the US government is causing additional uncertainty among industry players in the current year.

IBISWorld assumes that the industry will experience a positive long-term trend in the coming years. Its turnover is expected to increase by an average of 1.4% per year until 2030, totalling 29.6 billion euros in 2030. Industry growth is likely to be driven by the prospective increase in demand for highly developed logistics and conveyor technology. Market players are already anticipating such a development and are pushing ahead with the development of accompanying consulting and service offerings.

Trends and Insights

  • The downturn in the construction industry has slowed down sales of construction cranes and other lifting equipment in recent years. The slowdown in the construction industry not only affected the domestic market, but also extended to important export markets in Europe, North America and East Asia.
  • The 15% tariffs on lifting and handling equipment negotiated with the USA are likely to significantly worsen the export opportunities of European manufacturers and could lead to a noticeable decline in exports. Companies without local US production are particularly affected, as the higher prices weaken competitiveness and cause a loss of sales.
  • The four federal states in the Central Region are home to the highest number of companies in the sector. The attractiveness of the Central Region is explained by its strong industrial locations, good transport links and a large number of universities and other technical research institutions.
  • Domestic manufacturers of hoists and materials handling equipment are in intense competition with suppliers from abroad. In recent years, Chinese companies in particular have succeeded in gaining market share from internationally established manufacturers from Japan, Germany, South Korea and the USA.
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Competitors

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Complementors

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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2015-2030)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 1.5 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated €27.6bn in 2025.

Trends and Insights

The modernisation and digitalisation of retail and industrial logistics kept sales of transport and conveyor technology stable for a long time

  • The production of continuous conveyor systems and transport equipment for retail and industrial intralogistics is an important part of the industry. Over the past five years, this industry segment has performed slightly better than the rest of the industry and also better than the rest of the mechanical engineering sector. One of the main reasons for this development was the growing global trade volume trend, which already far exceeded the level of the years before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021 with a volume of 28 trillion US dollars.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing in Germany
Revenue (2015-2030)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2025-2030)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Due to its export-orientation, the industry is susceptible to protectionist measures in global trade

  • The global economy and global trade volumes are expected to grow in the coming years, which should keep global demand for highly developed and digitally networked logistics and conveyor technology stable. The International Monetary Fund expects the global economy to grow by 3% in 2025 and by 3.1% in 2026. At the same time, the UN specialised agency sees an increased risk that geopolitical uncertainties and trade disruptions will lead to slower growth in the medium term.

Biggest companies in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing in Germany

Company
Market Share (%)
2025
Revenue (€m)
2025
Liebherr-International S. A.
2,925.0
Kion Group AG
2,345.0
Jungheinrich AG
1,595.0

To view the market share and analysis for all 4 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing in Germany
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Industrial trucks, Continuous conveyor and Lifting and loading systems. Industrial trucks is the largest segment of the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing in Germany.

Trends and Insights

As flexible means of transport, industrial trucks are central to warehouse management in many industries

  • Industrial trucks are mobile conveying and transport equipment used for internal and ground-level goods transport. They can be equipped with a lifting device for loads.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

The lifting and handling equipment manufacturing sector includes the manufacture and assembly of manual or power-driven lifting equipment, handling equipment and loading and unloading equipment. The sector does not include the production of multi-purpose industrial robots, excavators and crane trucks.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany include Industrial trucks, Continuous conveyor, Lifting and loading systems, Cranes and crane systems and Lifts.

Companies

Companies covered in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany include Liebherr-International S. A., Kion Group AG and Jungheinrich AG.

Purchase this report to view all 4 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

Related terms covered in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany include lifting equipment, cloud technology and derrick.

Industry Code

WZ 2008

WZ 28.22 - Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing in Germany

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

The downturn in the construction industry has slowed down sales of construction cranes and other lifting equipment in recent years. The slowdown in the construction industry ...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Employees, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Businesses, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Profit, including historical (2015-2025)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

The 15% tariffs on lifting and handling equipment negotiated with the USA are likely to significantly worsen the export opportunities of European manufacturers and could lead ...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets
  • International Trade

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2025
  • Product innovation level
  • Total imports, level and trend
  • Total exports, level and trend
  • Trade Balance

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2025
  • Major market segmentation in 2025
  • International trade, including imports by country and exports by country

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
  • Recent trends in import and export volumes, country of origin or destination, and expected future trends

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

The four federal states in the Central Region are home to the highest number of companies in the sector. The attractiveness of the Central Region is explained by its strong i...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2025

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2025
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Europe, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Domestic manufacturers of hoists and materials handling equipment are in intense competition with suppliers from abroad. In recent years, Chinese companies in particular have...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2020-2025
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Jungheinrich is a pioneer in the development of industrial trucks with lithium-ion batteries. This has enabled the company to gain extensive experience with this battery tech...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2021 through 2025
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2025
  • Overview of Liebherr-International S. A.'s performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of Kion Group AG's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of Jungheinrich AG's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of revenue, market share and profit margin trend for one additional company

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for Liebherr-International S. A., and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Kion Group AG, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Jungheinrich AG, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description, key data and performance trends for one additional company

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

Lifting and handling equipment manufactured by industry players must meet high safety standards. The requirements for cranes and other equipment intended for lifting loads ar...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

The cost of materials is by far the largest cost block in the industry. Over the past five years, temporary supply bottlenecks for important primary products such as microchi...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2015-2030)
  • Revenue per Employee (2015-2030)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • Employees per Establishment (2015-2030)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • Average Wage (2015-2030)
  • Wages/Revenue (2015-2030)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • IVA/Revenue (2015-2030)
  • Imports/Demand (2015-2030)
  • Exports/Revenue (2015-2030)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2015-2030)
  • IVA (2015-2030)
  • Establishments (2015-2030)
  • Enterprises (2015-2030)
  • Employment (2015-2030)
  • Exports (2015-2030)
  • Imports (2015-2030)
  • Wages (2015-2030)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany in 2025?

The market size of the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany is €27.6bn in 2025.

How many businesses are there in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany in 2025?

There are 1,110 businesses in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.5 % between 2020 and 2025.

How may import tariffs affect the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany?

The Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany is likely to be impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a moderate share of industry revenue.

How may export tariffs affect the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany?

The Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany is likely to be significantly impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a high share of industry revenue.

Has the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany has been growing at a CAGR of 1.5 % between 2020 and 2025.

What is the forecast growth of the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany?

The biggest companies operating in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany are Liebherr-International S. A., Kion Group AG and Jungheinrich AG

What does the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany include?

Industrial trucks and Continuous conveyor are part of the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany?

The company holding the most market share in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany is Liebherr-International S. A..

How competitive is the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany?

The level of competition is high and steady in the Lifting & Handling Equipment Manufacturing industry in Germany.

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in Germany include:

  • German Federal Statistics Office (Destatis)
  • European Statistics Office (Eurostat)
  • United Nations Comtrade

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.

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