Customer gets hands on with Palfinger in Austria

March 20, 2020

As an owner-operator buying a new lorry loader, it’s important to configure the vehicle to meet your specific needs and to provide longevity and capacity for business growth. When the owner of DMR Haulage, Darren Lappin, expressed an interest in learning more about the Palfinger product as part of his new vehicle purchase, the Palfinger UK team decided the best way to experience the features was to see them for himself – at the Palfinger headquarters in Austria! Accompanied by truck sales executive Jack Nutley, from MC Truck & Bus, Darren was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the Palfinger factory near Salzburg in Austria, to find out more about the brand, specification options and how he will benefit from his very own Palfinger crane.

Along with Palfinger UK’s south east area sales manager, Chris Lucchesi, and marketing executive, Cassie Maxfield, Darren and Jack travelled to Austria for a 3-day trip in February, welcomed enthusiastically by the Palfinger team who were only too pleased to show the group around their impressive facilities. “We were delighted to provide Darren with the opportunity to see the manufacturing facilities for himself. Darren was able to meet many members of the Palfinger team, experience a range of different crane specifications in a safe environment and ask lots of questions to learn for himself why Palfinger cranes are the global market leaders.” said Palfinger UK’s Chris. The visitors were given a guided tour around the factory in Lengau, Upper Austria, seeing firsthand the journey of a Palfinger crane in production – from cutting, bending and welding the base materials, through to the 14-step coating and painting processing, and finally the fitting, mounting and testing departments.

As a bonus, the group were given a detailed visit through the Palfinger paint facility, not a standard part of the tour due to the potential hazards involved. It was a highlight of the trip for Brighton-based Darren, who was interested in the benefits of Palfinger’s KTL coating and paint application against rust, salt and sea spray.

Not only that, the visit incorporated a day trip to the famous Palfinger World facility, where they learned the whole story of the Palfinger business, from humble beginnings as a vehicle repairs workshop in 1932 through to being the global leader in crane manufacture in 2020. Palfinger World also features an entire floor dedicated to practical learning, including scale remote controlled Palfinger and Epsilon cranes and virtual reality simulators, where the group were completely in their element!

Before they departed, Darren was able to get hands on with real Palfinger cranes at the specialist Demo Centre in Salzburg. Spending the entire afternoon there with dedicated Palfinger sales trainer Florian Kaiser, Darren and the group were able to use a range of Palfinger cranes, from the medium-sized PK 27002-SH through to the larger PK 53002-SH model, as well as the huge PK 135.002 TEC G crane with fly jib, capable of lifting 1280kg at 32m reach.

“This enabled Darren to experience all the options available to him, from joystick controls through to P-Fold automatic folding, winch systems and fly jibs” commented Cassie. “As a result, he was able to make an informed decision on a crane that will be an integral part of his business for many years to come, hugely important for an owner-operator such as Darren whose livelihood depends on this vehicle.”

To find out more about Palfinger UK visit www.palfinger.co.uk

Download Press Release as a PDF file