Raimondi Cranes appoints Korean dealer

One of GU Machinery Construction’s new LR273 cranes in operation on the Dongtan New Town Xi Apartment Complex near Seoul.

Italian manufacturer Raimondi Cranes has appointed La On as its official dealer in South Korea. The new distributor, which will sell Raimondi’s tower and luffing cranes along with a range of accessories, has been in operation for more than 30 years.

Seung Soon Park, managing director of La On, said, “We are proud to represent Raimondi Cranes in the region and to work with machines that meet the higher standards in terms of capabilities, innovation, and safety.”

The company has already sold five Raimondi LR273 luffing cranes to Korean company GU Machinery Construction Corporation. According to La On, a shortage of luffers available in the East Asian market meant that it was the first time the LR273 model had been used in the country.

Park said, “The purchase of the LR273s came with a significant challenge due to the country regulations. In fact, since this model was the first one to be used in Korea, we had to ensure that the Raimondi luffing crane complied with a series of norms to officially operate in the region. This included a series of strict inspections and obtaining the approval process from both the government and the construction company.

“We consider the Raimondi LR273 as a milestone for our company and the Korean heavy lifting industry, and we are using this opportunity to reintroduce Raimondi as one of the strongest European brands in Korea.”

Two of the LR273 cranes have already been rented to a second construction company, which has deployed them on the Dongtan New Town Xi Apartment Complex near Seoul. The large-scale city development will see the construction of 12 buildings measuring 29 storeys tall. Said to be one of the largest residential complexes in the new city, the buildings will provide 1,297 homes.

Park said, “These Raimondi LR273s were sold to GU Machinery Construction Corporation, who then contracted them to GS E&C. The latter is one of the biggest construction companies in Korea and its well known for its high standards in terms of jobsite safety. Therefore, the opportunity of placing the two cranes on GS E&C’s jobsite was an important step for positioning La On at the top of this segment market.”

The Raimondi LR273 offers 55 and 60 metre jibs and a maximum lift capacity of 18 tonnes. La On said the parking radius of the model, which was allows for the model to be used in built-up areas, was a key factor in the customer’s purchase decision.

The crane has a free-standing height of 44 metres, which will be increased to approximately 100 metres for later stages of the Dongtan New Town Xi Apartment Complex.

While the three remaining LR273s are due to be delivered to GU Machinery Construction by the end of March, an additional five cranes will be delivered to La On in the upcoming months as part of the distributor’s first batch of 10 machines.

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