Ontario Formwork Association visits Raimondi Cranes headquarters in Italy

MILAN, ITALY—Members of the Ontario Formwork Association recently ventured to Italy to visit Raimondi Cranes at its headquarters in Legnano, Milan.

Raimondi Cranes, a heritage company established in 1863, welcomed the Canadian delegation, accompanied by Meridion Group, an official Canadian Raimondi Cranes agent. According to a release, the delegation experienced hands-on demonstrations and presentations that centred on the company’s R&D progress, its client-servicing segment including bespoke detailing with aftersales care and its North American expansion plans.

"The Ontario Formwork Association annually organizes for its members to travel to various locations to promote our association, and to stay informed with respect to technological advancements in the construction sector," explained Mark Mungo, president at Meridion Group, in a statement.

"This year, we chose to visit Raimondi’s factory to learn about the manufacturing process, technological advancements in these tower cranes, and to operate and test the new LR213 luffing crane prototype. Most importantly, I wanted our members to understand the benefits we have, thanks to the personal relationship with Raimondi’s engineering team. With projects in Canada becoming more and more challenging due to modern designs and logistics on urban sites, we were able to plan and design our tower crane configurations and internal climbing sequences directly with the factory."

A tour of the facilities, yard and offices took place after presentations by key Raimondi executives, followed by a question and answer session. The first presentation, a strategic business overview of the manufacturer’s current market share and future aims, was conducted by Dr. Massimiliano Volpe, Raimondi’s deputy general manager, followed by a detailed technological and engineering presentation by engineer Domenico Ciano, Raimondi’s technical director.

Audience questions were primarily focused on turnaround time of spare parts, aftersales support systems, and the likelihood of immediate assistance, added the release.

"Part of Meridion’s strategy is to build a fleet for both rental and our own use, since we also perform formwork services to the residential and ICI sectors here in Canada," said Mungo. "In the last year, we’ve purchased four new Raimondi cranes for our own use, serving as a trial period for our team to learn about the crane systems and maintenance. As we grow the fleet here in Canada, we’ll continue to grow our spare parts inventory and provide maintenance services to our customers."

Meridion was appointed the official dealer for third party Canadian customers earlier this year.

"Meridion sold two new LR213s to EllisDon Corporation that were delivered this month," said Mungo. "Meridion provides services to the construction sector, and as a service firm our most important asset is our people."