New Crane, New Generation: ESB Renews Both Fleet and Management

The Biberach crane hire company has taken its first LICCON3 crane, a 55-tonne LTM 1055-3.3, as Larissa Maurer joins the family business’s management

Family crane hire firms rarely change just one thing at a time. At ESB Kranverleih Transport u. Hebetechnik GmbH, near Liebherr’s Ehingen plant in southern Germany, a new crane and a new generation of management have arrived together.

The company, founded in 1981, has added a Liebherr LTM 1055-3.3, ordered at Bauma. It is ESB’s first mobile crane with the LICCON3 control system. Since 1 January 2026, Larissa Maurer has been part of the management team, representing the third generation of the family.

Built for narrow regional sites

ESB works mainly within about 40 km of Biberach, where confined sites and limited space are daily challenges. “The three-axle crane is highly manoeuvrable, quick to get to the job site as a ‘taxi crane’ and, thanks to flexible driving modes, offers maximum operational freedom,” said Managing Director Karl Engeser Jr., with or without a special road permit under Germany’s Section 29. With a boom of about 40 metres, the 55-tonne crane can work over tall obstacles on urban sites.

The crane has been working since the end of May. “It has also managed to get through easily so far, even on narrow access routes and uneven terrain,” Engeser said.

Continuous modernisation

ESB operates eleven Liebherr mobile cranes from 35 to 230 tonnes. The new LTM 1055-3.3 replaces an older machine, and a further step is planned for the second half of the year: a 150-tonne crane will replace the existing 130-tonne unit and extend the fleet’s range. Engeser pointed to Liebherr’s nearby service and sales support as key to the decision.

Three generations

Founder Karl Engeser Sr. has stepped back from day-to-day work but still supports the business. Karl Engeser Jr. runs the commercial side. The company employs eleven crane operators alongside the management team.

“Carrying on our family-run company into its third generation and helping to shape its future is something I am particularly proud of,” said Larissa Maurer. “We have a lean organisational structure and are benefiting from a stable business situation.”