19-07-2024

Summer rush for project management: large-scale projects in full swing

Every snowmaking system is unique and individually designed in a detailed planning process. After the customer places an order, the TechnoAlpin project managers are responsible for the operational project development. They take care of execution planning, ordering the necessary materials, construction works, and commissioning the new systems. At the same time, they serve as an interface between the customer, various internal departments, and the commissioned subcontractors.

Now that it’s summer, it’s high season for ski areas: water pipes and air lines as well as power and data cables have to be laid, storage ponds built, shafts positioned and snow guns installed to ensure prompt, seamless snow production to ensure that the winter season gets off to a flying start. An intensive period for more than 40 project managers at TechnoAlpin, too.

Antoine Pauly and Fabian Pichler are responsible for two of the largest orders this week.

Antoine works for the French TechnoAlpin subsidiary in Dardily, where he looks after the four construction sites belonging to the Aramon ski area group in Spain: Formigal, Panticosa, Cerler and Javalambre-Valdelinares. The project involves modernizing the existing snow installations and expanding them onto new slopes. A total of 15 kilometers of slopes will be equipped with high-quality Alpinal pipes, as well as electricity and data cables. Around 70 TT series snow guns and 360 TL series lances will be delivered as well. Plus, three new pump stations will be built and the existing stations will be expanded over this and next year.

“We are currently delivering all of the line materials to the Aramon ski areas. Around 5 fully-loaded trucks arrive at the four different sites each weak. Construction will start soon”, Antoine describes the project status quo, “at the Start of August, snow guns will leave the production site in Bozen and get delivered to Spain.”

While all of this is happening, Fabian Pichler will also be working on a very big project at the Kopaonik ski area in Serbia. A new reservoir lake with a storage capacity of 120,000 m³ and a pump station with an output of 470 l/s are being built there. The existing snowmaking systems will be expanded and the existing system will undergo some small renovations at the same time.

“Excavation of the reservoir lake started in May, the pump stations have been under construction since the start of June. In the meantime, we have been delivering all of the line materials to the ski area,” Fabian says about the schedule, “our goal is to install the hydraulics and then the electrics on the pump station from the start of September so that the snowmaking systems can be put into operation and passed back to the customer from mid November."

Both are excited to talk about their work, and always look forward to large-scale projects. “Our tasks for large-scale projects like this are really exciting and varied, because they involve everything, from planning to building pump stations, reservoir lakes and lots more,” says Fabian Pichler.

At the same time, their work involves a great deal of responsibility. According to Antoine Pauly, everyone involved needs to be very well-coordinated in order to ensure that the project runs seamlessly and according to schedule.

Both are pleased that so far everything is running according to plan and are confident that works will be able to be successfully completed in fall.