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Manufacturing 2025: FRIEDRICH, KAI
MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIEBHERR USA, NEWPORT NEWS
Virginia Business //September 2, 2025//
Manufacturing 2025: FRIEDRICH, KAI
MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIEBHERR USA, NEWPORT NEWS
Virginia Business //September 2, 2025//
Friedrich joined Liebherr’s U.S. operations in 2021 as its managing director. In February, the Swiss equipment manufacturer announced Hirohito Imakoji has also been named a managing director of Liebherr USA and that he will work jointly with Friedrich, who is also the company’s managing director and divisional director of earthmoving and material handling technology.
Out of a worldwide workforce of nearly 55,000 employees, Liebherr employs more than 2,500 people in North America.
In Newport News, Liebherr has had a presence since 1970, when it built two production facilities and an office building there. A $60 million expansion of its Newport News facilities was completed in 2020. During the summer of 2024, Liebherr Mining Equipment announced plans to invest $72.3 million to expand a plant at the border of Newport News and Hampton, creating 175 jobs and increasing production capabilities.
Friedrich has worked for Liebherr for more than two decades, previously serving in management roles in Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Switzerland. He is a graduate of the Fontys Venlo University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.
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