LOTTE World Tower

Lotte World Tower named Skyscraper of the Year – SBZ 151 used in its construction

The elumatec SBZ 151 profile machining centre was heavily involved in the construction of the 555 metre-high Lotte World Tower in Seoul, which has now won the Emporis Skyscraper Award.

Each year a jury made up of international experts decides the winner of the highly sought-after award, and this year they chose the Lotte World Tower. With 123 floors, the tower in the east of Seoul is the tallest skyscraper in South Korea and the fifth tallest in the world, and it also features the world’s highest glass-floored viewing platform. The expert panel explained their decision by highlighting the design of the Lotte World Tower: “The design combines modern elements with classical forms from Korea's art and cultural history, making the Lotte World Tower a particularly harmonious skyscraper”. Officially opened on 3 April 2017, the skyscraper features curtain walls and aluminium windows made by elumatec customer Tostem, a company that produces high-quality window systems and aluminium curtain walls at its site in Chungju, south of Seoul. And the elumatec SBZ 151 profile machining centre was heavily used in production for the Lotte World Tower, as Tostem manager RYU Young-Suk reports: “We needed a high level of precision, and 3D machining gives us that. That was a reason for us to use elumatec machines.” The Tostem manager explains that using the SBZ 151 reduced the error rate by 20 per cent. “Productivity increased by 30 per cent and our delivery times were significantly quicker”, he adds.

elumatec CEO Ralf Haspel views the award as recognition for a challenging job well done: “The Lotte World Tower is an impressive example of effective cooperation with our partners and shows what our products can do. We are delighted to have contributed to an award-winning skyscraper, and this will spur us on to ever greater heights.”