Cableway & Technology, Planning & Construction, Snowmaking & Slope Maintenance
HTI opens production facility in Utah, USA
After just ten months of construction, the HTI Group has now opened its new and largest production facility in North America in the state of Utah.
On a total area of 20 hectares, a 12,000 square meter plant has been created that, in addition to modernization and capacity expansion in production, also sets new standards in terms of sustainability.
The $30 million investment is also a strong signal in the growing overseas market. “With the new location, we are proactively responding to the increasing demands of the winter business and new trends in urban transportation,” said Daren Cole, CEO of Leitner Poma of America.
Strategy
With the new plant, the HTI Group is doubling the capacity of its production centers and thus strengthening its business in North America, which currently accounts for 30 percent (over 400 million euros) of the group’s revenue.
In addition to the historic headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado, with production areas and offices spanning over 9,000 square meters, Leitner Poma of America (LPOA) – a company within the HTI Group specializing in cable cars – will now produce on an additional 20 hectares in Tooele, Utah.
The 12,000 square meter campus of the latest and most sustainable generation enables the company to meet the growing demands of the US and Canadian markets in the winter sports and urban cable car segments.
While the company has already enjoyed a record season for alpine cable cars overseas for the second consecutive year, the recently presented combined cable car-bus system ConnX at the World Congress of Cable Cars in Vancouver also sets a strong example for urban transportation systems.
Focus on comprehensive sustainability.
The production hall was designed and built with a strong emphasis on ecological sustainability. In addition to the upcoming installation of solar panels, a powerful wind turbine from the HTI company Leitwind, with a total capacity of 250 kilowatts, will soon be installed next to the building.
Much more than a headquarter
After just ten months of construction, the $30 million plant is now ready for its 120 employees. The new center will, among other things, serve as the headquarters and sole production base for the subsidiary Skytrac, which specializes in the manufacture of fixed-grip cable cars.
Additionally, the site will house part of the production of cable car components that is currently conducted at Leitner Poma of America’s headquarters in Colorado.
Furthermore, the Tooele facility will also serve as a sales and service center for Prinoth (snow groomers and tracked utility vehicles) and for snowmaking system manufacturer Demaclenko. Prinoth already has a strong presence in North America with its production facilities in Granby, Canada, where snow groomers and tracked utility vehicles are manufactured.
The HTI Group’s North American production network also includes the headquarters of Jarraff – a company specializing in the production of telescopic machines for the maintenance of trees and plants along roads and railways – in Minnesota.
Daren Cole
President and CEO of Leitner Poma of America.
“We are proud to celebrate the opening of our largest production facility in the United States after almost a year of construction. With the birth of this new location and thanks to the rapid construction speed, we now have a state-of-the-art production facility in the USA and can respond professionally, quickly, and reliably to the rapid growth of the tourism industry and the great interest of cities in exploring new alternative forms of sustainable transportation.
With the support of the Economic Development Agency, the expansion in Utah was efficiently implemented, thereby also meeting the increasing trend towards local production due to changing political frameworks. The new production hall and office building also represents a significant investment for the North American market, our industry, and our skilled team.”
Modern campus structure with expansion possibility
The new campus in Tooele, just over 50 kilometers from Utah’s capital Salt Lake City, is now LPOA’s largest location in the United States and also offers the possibility of further capacity expansion. This site is also favored by its close proximity to the University of Utah and Tooele Technical College – two institutions with which initial important collaborations have already been initiated.
100 percent green energy from wind power
The production hall was designed and built with a strong emphasis on ecological sustainability. In addition to the upcoming installation of solar panels, a high-performance wind turbine from HTI’s company Leitwind with a total capacity of 250 kilowatts will soon be erected next to the building.
The wind turbine will contribute to reducing the CO2 footprint and enable climate-friendly energy production – in the future, the 50-meter-high facility will cover up to 100 percent of the energy needs of the new production site.
The relatively small dimensions and the quiet DirectDrive generator make the Leitwind facility an ideal solution for companies and communities aiming to achieve energy independence in a clean and cost-effective manner. The Tooele wind turbine could also become a symbol for the future prospects of the new production site: If market demand for wind turbines in North America continues as expected, turbine production could soon begin at the Utah plant.
HTI’s development in the United States is also progressing steadily beyond these potentials: LPOA is considering expanding the historic 9,000 square meter site in Grand Junction, Colorado, where two hectares of land next to the production unit were recently acquired.
