Greater Zurich Area is an oasis of winter sports technology expertise

Kässbohrer, a globally active family company from Germany, recently decided to establish its Swiss headquarters in Altdorf in the canton of Uri in the Greater Zurich Area. On a 6,000 square metre industrial plot in “Werkmatt Uri”, some 30 jobs will be created beginning in summer 2019 in the areas of administration, sales, service, training, end assembly and production of special vehicles – mainly snow groomers like its famous Pistenbullys (see picture).

“It’s the ideal location for us. Over half of our customers can be reached from Altdorf in less than 2.5 hours,” said Remo Bulgheroni, director of Kässbohrer Switzerland. The plot is located exactly between the future cantonal railway station Altdorf and the A2 motorway, directly on the European north-south axis. In addition to proximity to customers, proximity to related companies also played an important role.

Traditional companies and international relocations

Kässbohrer is just the latest member of an entire group of winter sports technology companies that operate from here. Bulgheroni sees the Central Switzerland region in the south of the Greater Zurich Area becoming an oasis of expertise for infrastructure of winter sports areas. His observation is shared by Stefan Büeler from the Economic Directorate of the canton of Uri. “You find here companies that can equip ski areas with almost all their technical needs.”

Thanks to this concentration of expertise in the field of winter sports, a proper centre of expertise is emerging for the development, construction and maintenance of passenger transport systems, from cableway control units and ropeway drives to snowmaking systems and other infrastructure for winter sports areas.

Many have traditionally had their headquarters in the region, including cable car experts Doppelmayr-Garaventa Group in the canton of Schwyz or Frey AG in the canton of Nidwalden. In Uri, Sisag AG provides cableway controls and avalanche monitors, while Remec AG offers software solutions for cable cars. Anyone looking for assistance with helicopters can find it in Alpinlift Helikopter AG in Nidwalden. International companies have also deliberately chosen Uri for their Swiss headquarters, including the South Tyrolean snowmaking company TechnoAlpin or the German firm Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeuge AG.

Companies training experts

There is a clear advantage to bringing together all this expertise in one spot: companies train and their employees qualify even further, which means you do not have to look long or far to find specialized experts. For Bulgheroni one thing is clear: “There are many opportunities to exploit synergies – through customer events, lectures or even simply exchanging ideas among ourselves.” This is something that benefits companies and customers alike.