Imitation, The Sincerest Form of Flattery

This article was published by Ben Hailes on 12 December, 2017

Sounding more like the name of a counter intelligence agency, the Liebherr PR 776 dozer may not have the same sweet ring to its name as a Caterpillar D10T dozer however, it’s a machine worthy of keeping your eyes on.

Designed for tough mining and quarry operations, this 70t class dozer appears positioned to take Caterpillar head on in a category that they’ve dominated for nearly 40 years. Powered by a 12-cylinder diesel engine developing 565kW (768 HP), this machine has without doubt, been created to compete with Cat and complements Liebherr’s ever increasing range of mining machines.

One thing that you will immediately notice about this dozer is that it looks remarkably like the Caterpillar equivalent. With elevated sprocket (or high-drive system), this track-type tractor has assumed a feature that has become synonymous with Caterpillar, a design that Cat perfected and released on their first D10 in 1977, effectively raising the bar and changing the game for the entire industry.

While I haven’t checked, I can only assume that Cat’s patent has lapsed, for this is a major step forward for a competitor. If sales are as much about overcoming objections, as it is sprouting a product’s features and benefits, this machine has addressed some critical stumbling blocks in one fell swoop. With a respected brand and the machine’s drive system, Liebherr have in this instance, developed a machine worthy of the market’s consideration.

Established in 1949, Liebherr is entirely family owned and diversified across many categories that include Earthmoving, Mining, Cranes, Aerospace and Domestic Appliances. Headquartered in Switzerland, it’s evident that this family has developed dominant market positions by offering high quality products, that are designed and controlled within the company.

While their mining and crane categories have prospered In Australia, their civil size construction machines have not garnered the same support. This is an area Liebherr will be keen to rectify and this dozer, the PR 776, may well be their panacea to tackling this problem from the 'top-down'.

This article was originally published by the ComponentsONLY team in the December 2017 issue of "@ The Coal Face" magazine.