TechnoAlpin: A passion for snow making

Who we are and what we do

Snow holds a special fascination for people of all ages and backgrounds. It is often seen as a welcome distraction from the hectic pace of everyday life and has an energizing, invigorating effect at the same time. Snow forms the basis for all kinds of winter sports and therefore drives the economy of many regions. Our job is to turn the hope of snow into a reality by making snow a worldwide experience.

TechnoAlpin guarantees top-quality snow for unique snow experiences around the world.

Facts and figures

Head office: Bolzano, Italy

Subsidiaries: 15 subsidiaries in 13 countries and 19 retail partners worldwide

Customers: approximately 2,400 customers in over 50 countries

TechnoAlpin Group:

Employees: a workforce of approximately 750 worldwide

2018/2019 revenue: approximately €250 million (as of 4/30/2019)

R & D investments: around €6 million

Number of snowmaking systems produced: since 2008, around 63,000; since 1976, around 115,000

Number of snowmaking systems produced in 2019: approx. 4,900, including 2,400 fan guns

How it all began

The Southern Alps were plagued by a number of successive winters with very little snowfall in the early 1980s. So, in 1983, Walter Rieder and Georg Eisath, managers of the Obereggen Ski Resort in the South Tyrol Dolomites region, built a snow machine prototype to operate in the climatic conditions of the Southern Alps. The other ski resorts in the area were becoming more and more interested in this novel product, which led to the founding of the company WI.TE. in the mid-1980s. With Erich Gummerer on board, this business laid the foundations for the creation of TechnoAlpin in 1990.

Right from the start, TechnoAlpin was looking to operate in an international market. The first subsidiaries were set up in Austria, Switzerland and Germany in the mid 1990s. Today, TechnoAlpin has approximately 750 employees at 16 locations in 13 countries and a network of around 20 retail partners worldwide.

Our milestones

1983	Walter Rieder and Georg Eisath develop the first low-pressure snow gun prototype.
1985	Creation of WI.TE. OHG (Winter Technology) by Walter Rieder and Georg Eisath.
1990	Creation of TechnoAlpin GmbH with the aim of becoming a global supplier.
1991	First sales partners for Norway, Poland-Slovakia-Czech Republic and Switzerland
1992	Head Office relocates to Bolzano.
1995	Market launch of ATASS 1.0 (Automatic TechnoAlpin Snowmaking System), the data control and planning software.
1995	Construction of the first fully automated low-pressure snowmaking system
1996	Creation of the TechnoAlpin Austria, TechnoAlpin Switzerland and TechnoAlpin Germany subsidiaries.
1996	Market launch of the first CES snow lance.
1997	TechnoAlpin has a workforce of 10
1998	Market launch of the oil-free compressor.
2000	Market launch of the first lift.
2002	Creation of TechnoAlpin USA and TechnoAlpin France.
2003	First time annual sales exceed 1,000 snowmaking systems (1,461 units).
2003	Creation of TechnoAlpin East Europe.
2005	Research and Development investments exceed €1 million for the first time.
2005	TechnoAlpin has a world-wide workforce of over 100.
2006	Some of the races in the Turin Winter Olympic Games take place on TechnoAlpin snow.
2007	Market launch of the T60, the first gun with a specific product design, and the A30 snow lance.
2008	Record revenue of approximately €100 million (for the financial year ending 4/30/2009).
2010	The new headquarters are completed in South Bolzano.
2011	TechnoAlpin pro air solutions becomes a separate company known as EmiControls and focuses on solutions for fighting dust, fire and odors.
	TechnoAlpin takes over the indoor snow-making specialist, Innovag.
	TechnoAlpin employs around 300 people worldwide, including 180 based on the Bolzano site.
2012	TechnoAlpin purchases competitor Johnson Controls Neige, and sets up the MYNEIGE company.
2012	Market launch of the automated TF10 fan gun.
2013	Creation of TechnoAlpin China.
2014	TechnoAlpin, MYNEIGE and Innovag join forces under the umbrella of TechnoAlpin. Three centers of excellence are created: Fan guns in Bolzano, snow lances in France and an indoor division.
	Market launch of the Snowfactory, a snowmaking system for extreme temperatures.
	Some of the races in the Sochi Winter Olympic Games take place on TechnoAlpin snow.
2015	Creation of 3 new subsidiaries: TechnoAlpin Nordic, TechnoAlpin Russia and TechnoAlpin Turkey.
2016	The workforce increases to 500 worldwide. 37 subsidiaries and retail partners make up the sales network.
	TechnoAlpin becomes an FIS product partner
	Opening of the new headquarters of TechnoAlpin Austria in Volders All parts are immediately managed from here
2017	Market launch of the TR8 fan gun - Revolution Inside.
	TechnoAlpin becomes an International Paralympic Committee partner
	First time for over 3,000 snow guns to be produced in one year Overall, around 7,000 snowmaking systems (guns & lances) are produced.
	TechnoAlpin Holding revenue exceeds €200 million for the first time.
2018	engo GmbH, the technology leader for ice resurfacing machines, becomes part of the TechnoAlpin Group.
2018	Many of the snow sport competitions in the 2018 Korea Winter Olympic Games take place on TechnoAlpin snow.
2019	Market launch of the TR10 fan gun and the SNOWMASTER App for ski resort managers.
	Opening of the new production site in South Bolzano.
	TechnoAlpin becomes an IBU Partner.
	100% of the orders for the Olympic Games are given to one company for the first time: TechnoAlpin
	TechnoAlpin Holding has a 750-strong workforce worldwide and generates approximately €250 million in revenue.

What makes us stand out from the crowd

01SNOW COMPETENT - TechnoAlpin is the expert when it comes to snow production: with more experience as a supplier of turnkey systems than any other company and the ability to provide the optimum solution for every snowmaking requirement and therefore guarantee the perfect snow quality.
02TECHNOPHILE - TechnoAlpin adopts a joint approach when faced with new challenges, with discussions and working practices geared towards engineering the perfect solutions and bringing the best products to market. These products and solutions have placed TechnoAlpin at the cutting edge of technology in the industry.
03CUSTOMER-COMMITTED - TechnoAlpin's customers have brought the company to where it is today and are therefore the focal point. TechnoAlpin knows its customers' requirements and challenges and gives priority to finding the ideal solution for everyone, always willing to go the extra mile.
04METICULOUS - TechnoAlpin lives by its commitment to meticulous attention to detail in all areas, demanding the highest quality and perfection from every single component of the snowmaking system right through to the overall presentation of the company.
05HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS - TechnoAlpin has always claimed to be better than all the rest. All our employees are ambitious, seeking to achieve the best solution at all times, and are not content to rest on their laurels.
06CURIOUS - The joy of thinking outside the box, exploring new ideas and leaving absolutely no stone unturned in the attempt to improve snowmaking systems—this is what TechnoAlpin is all about.

Constant optimization to ensure resource-friendly use of snowmaking technology

From the start, TechnoAlpin has focused on optimizing existing snowmaking systems and developing new solutions for snow production. Every year, a budget of around €6 million is invested in the research and development of new technologies. Two centers of excellence guarantee an optimum focus on research into the development of fan guns and snow lances. By working in close collaboration with universities, research institutes and specialist partner companies, TechnoAlpin will also be able to continue offering improved snow solutions in future. Our snow guns and other components, such as pumping stations and software, benefit from this ongoing research.

Very few sports are as closely related to nature as winter sports. This is why TechnoAlpin cares so much about environmental protection and the environmentally friendly use of available resources. Our top priority at all times is to increase the efficiency of all components of the snow-making systems. Energy efficiency has improved significantly in recent years thanks to the intelligent snowmaking systems developed by TechnoAlpin.