Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group is an international manufacturer of

ropeway Ropeway may refer to: Cable transport * Cableway, or cable transport, a broad class of transport modes that have cables * Aerial lift, a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by mea ...

s and

people mover A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small-scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks ...

s for ski areas, urban transport,

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

s, and material handling systems. As of 2023, the group had produced over 15,400 installations in 96 countries. Their annual revenue in 2022/2023 was 946 million euros. The Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group was formed in 2002 when Doppelmayr of Wolfurt,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

merged with Garaventa AG of

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

to form the world's largest ropeway manufacturer. __TOC__

History

Doppelmayr was founded in Wolfurt,

in 1893 (originally as Konrad Doppelmayr & Sohn), and started manufacturing ropeways in 1937. Garaventa was founded in 1928. In 1967, , grandson of the founder Konrad and son of Emil, who was a businessman, became managing director of the company. As alpine recreation rapidly expanded around the world during the last half of the 20th century, Artur led and established the

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...

cable car company as the world leader. In 1996, Doppelmayr Holding AG acquired Von Roll Seilbahnen AG, a Swiss manufacturer of gondola lifts, chairlifts, and cable cars. In 2002, Doppelmayr acquired CWA, a Swiss maker of gondola and cable car cabins. The merger of Doppelmayr and Garaventa was announced in 2001 and completed in 2002. In 2016 they broke two world records in Vietnam: Called the Ha Long Queen Cable Car, the largest cable car cabins (produced by Swiss company CWA) travel on the tallest ropeway support of the world. In 2017, produced by Garaventa and CWA, the steepest funicular railway came into effect in Stoos,

Divisions

Doppelmayr Garaventa Group operates subsidiaries in 50 countries manufacturing ropeways under the Doppelmayr and Garaventa brands. Seven of these are responsible for manufacturing parts, namely Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH (Austria), Garaventa AG (Switzerland), Doppelmayr Canada Ltd., Sanhe Doppelmayr Transport Systems Co., Ltd. (China), Doppelmayr France SAS, Doppelmayr Italia Srl, and Doppelmayr USA, Inc. The company's core ropeway products include cable cars,

funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

detachable chairlift A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope (called a ''haul rope'') that is strung between two ...

s, fixed grip chairlifts, and

surface lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher ...

s. The company developed the "3S" tricable gondola lift, having acquired the technology from Von Roll Seilbahnen, and built lifts including those located in

Kitzbühel Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a town rights, medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol (state), Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbüh ...

(

Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...

(

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

) and Whistler-Blackcomb (

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Doppelmayr Cable Car

Doppelmayr Cable Car GmbH manufactures automated

s. Their main product is the rope-propelled Cable Liner system, used in

airports An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such ...

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

intermodal passenger transport Intermodal passenger transport, also called mixed-mode commuting, involves using two or more mode of transport, modes of transportation in a journey. Mixed-mode commuting is often used to combine the strengths (and offset the weaknesses) of va ...

connections,

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

facilities, campuses, resorts, and

amusement parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Doppelmayr Garaventa Group, having been established by Doppelmayr in 1996. Up until 2019, the subsidiary was referred to as DCC Doppelmayr Cable Car. The first installation was completed at

Mandalay Bay Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. It was developed by Circus Circus Enterprises and complete ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

in 1999. In 2003, after the world's first

maglev Maglev (derived from '' magnetic levitation'') is a system of rail transport whose rolling stock is levitated by electromagnets rather than rolled on wheels, eliminating rolling resistance. Compared to conventional railways, maglev trains h ...

transport system (opened in 1984 at Birmingham International Airport) fell into disrepair, DCC installed the "

AirRail Link The Air-Rail Link is a people mover linking Birmingham Airport with Birmingham International railway station and the National Exhibition Centre in England. The current system, originally known as SkyRail, replaced the earlier Birmingham Maglev ...

" to replace the maglev and temporary replacement bus-service that had been operating since 1995. The company is contracted to operate some of the systems it builds. A newer system is Luton DART, opened in March 2023. CityCenter Tram - 2010-03-06

Doppelmayr Transport Technology

Doppelmayr Transport Technology GmbH develops and sells material-handling ropeway systems. Initially, these systems were similar to cable cars and chairlifts designed for people, but fitted with specially designed carriers. In the early 2000s, Doppelmayr developed a cable-driven material-handling ropeway called RopeCon. RopeCon is a conveyor system that can transport materials over long distances with little ground disturbance. Such installations can be found in Papua New Guinea, Jamaica, Sudan, Switzerland, and Austria.

CWA Constructions

CWA Constructions SA of Olten, Switzerland, was acquired by Doppelmayr in 2001. The subsidiary manufactures cabins, such as gondola and people mover cabins, for most Doppelmayr Garaventa Group installations as well as for systems built by other manufacturers.

Frey AG Stans

Frey AG Stans was founded in 1966 and was acquired by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group in April 2017. The subsidiary manufactures various electrical components and control systems for ropeways.

Gassner Stahlbau

Gassner Stahlbau GmbH is a subsidiary based in

Bürs Bürs is a municipality in the district of Bludenz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, althoug ...

, Austria, that manufactures steel for pylons, chairs, and suspension, as well as various

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

parts. Gassner Stahlbau has manufactured parts for Doppelmayr since 1969, and was later acquired by Doppelmayr.

Input Projektentwicklungs GmbH

The Input Projektentwicklungs GmbH division produces mountain systems and

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This could be due to ...

s, such as the experimental Mountain Glider roller coaster in Walibi,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. This project was plagued with problems and the ride was eventually removed.

Liftbyggarna

In December 2013, the company's Swedish division, Doppelmayr Scandinavia AB, acquired Swedish lift manufacturer Liftbyggarna AB, which has retained its own separate branding. The company was originally founded in 1952.

LTW Intralogistics

LTW Intralogistics produces automated warehouse technology.

References

External links

Input Projektentwicklungs GmbHCWA-Constructions SA/CorpDoppelmayr Transport Technology GmbHLTW Intralogistics, Inc
{{Authority control Aerial lift manufacturers Manufacturing companies of Switzerland Manufacturing companies of Austria Manufacturing companies established in 1892 1892 establishments in Austria-Hungary Austrian brands Swiss brands