After more than a hundred years of trading is it all over for German crane and aerial lift sales and rental company Hüffermann Krandienst?
According to local reports, the long established company filed for insolvency last Tuesday, September 23rd. This was confirmed by an announcement from the Delmenhorst District Court under the file number 12 IN 135/25. Bremen attorney Tim Beyer from the Hamburg law firm Görg was appointed as provisional insolvency administrator.
Hüffermann promptly responded to an inquiry from Vertikal.net, sadly confirming the facts but emphasised that it was business as usual and that it would continue to operate virtually unchanged.
A letter to suppliers states: "The preliminary insolvency proceedings are intended to conclusively examine the possibilities for a sustainable consolidation of the company. Business operations will therefore continue without restrictions. Discussions have already been held with the relevant clients to achieve long term stabilisation of the company."
The letter, signed by Hüffermann managing director Daniel Janssen and insolvency administrator Tim Beyer, continues: "The Insolvency Code enables any applicant company, with the consent of the creditors, to return to a sound basis through judicial reorganisation proceedings. Examining the prospects for this is the subject of the pending insolvency filing proceedings and the task of the provisional insolvency administrator. We will keep you informed about further developments, in particular about the possible opening of insolvency proceedings themselves, after the insolvency filing proceedings have been concluded."
Daniel Janssen
A potential insolvency would affect most, if not all of the company’s 600 employees based across 12 locations in seven federal states. Hüffermann has acquired several companies in the crane and heavy transport sector in recent years and has entered the tower crane market on a large scale. The group includes, for example, Autodienst West Ganske, Eisele from Maintal, as well as Thömen, Knaack, and Velsycon. All of which would have placed a strain on its borrowings.
In 2024, the Hüffermann group generated annual revenues of around €232 million, and runs more than 1,200 pieces of equipment including 268 cranes along with other rental equipment. It ranks fifth among the largest rental companies in the German speaking countries: See Kran & Bühne No. 209 July/August 2025.
It has blamed its situation on the ongoing tough market, compounded by tariffs which has hit is international equipment sales business hard.
In recent days the company has started to explain why it is facing such challenges, stating: “After three years of economic recession in Germany, the company was faced with faced significant financial challenges. Since the beginning of this year, the situation had further escalated - particularly due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and increasing political and economic uncertainty worldwide."
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