This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject , potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.(October 2019) |
Industry | Cable-driven lift systems |
---|---|
Founded | 1936 |
Founder | Jean Pomagalski |
Revenue | €343 million (2016) |
Number of employees | 1100 |
Parent | HTI Group |
Subsidiaries | Leitner-Poma |
Website | poma |
Poma, incorporated as Pomagalski S.A., and sometimes referred to as the Poma Group, is a French company which manufactures cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people movers, and surface lifts. Poma has installed about 7800 devices for 750 customers worldwide. [1]
Poma's only major competitor is the Doppelmayr Garaventa Group which is based in Austria and Switzerland. Italy's Leitner Ropeways was historically another competitor until 2000 when Poma became part of Seeber Group (now HTI). [2] Poma and Leitner remain independent, but formed a strategic partnership which includes the combined purchase of raw materials and the formation of Leitner-Poma as a joint venture in North America.
The majority of Poma's lifts are used in ski areas in Europe, Asia, and North America (as Leitner-Poma), they have also installed installations in amusement parks, scenic locations, and industrial transportation applications.
In some areas Poma lift is used as a generic term for a platter lift, as this was the company's first and most popular product.
In 1936, Jean Pomagalski (born 1905, Kraków) installed his first ski lift on the Eclose Trail in l'Alpe d'Huez in France. In 1947, he founded Pomagalski S.A. in Fontaine, France. [3] The first Poma single-seater chairlift was built in 1955 in Chamonix, France, using parts from drag lifts, and the first 2-seater chairlifts were built in 1958 in France and the United States. 1966-67 brought the first detachable gondolas built by Poma. The prototype gondola by Poma was the La Daille gondola at Val D'Isere and installed in 1966 but demolished and replaced in 2018. The corporate headquarters and the production shops are still in Fontaine, but since 1988 most of their management, design engineering, sales and service offices are in Voreppe, France. Poma currently employs approximately 750 people worldwide.
Early Poma chairlifts were installed at Squaw Valley, California for the 1960 Winter Olympics. Poma also supplied lifts for the Olympic Winter Games at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia in 1984, at Albertville, France in 1992, at Lillehammer, Norway in 1994 and has worked on the lifts for the 2014 Games at Sochi, Russia.
Poma's fixed grip chairlifts have proven popular throughout the world. Poma's first two-seater fixed grip chairlift was constructed in 1958. Following this, the three-seater chairlift was introduced in 1973. This was followed by four-seater, and more recently six seater fixed grip chairlifts.
The Alpha chairlift terminal was introduced in 1982 and continues to be popular today, however now they are currently only manufactured in North America. Prior to the Alpha terminal, Delta terminals were used. This type of terminal was such a great success that even presently a majority can still be seen operating worldwide. Both the Delta and Alpha chairlift terminals have the capability of being converted into detachable lifts later on, thus increasing the chairlift's capacity without constructing an entirely new installation.
Poma introduced detachable chairlifts in 1972 in Pralognan-la-Vanoise (Dou de l'Ecu) and Saint-Lary (Soum de Matte). [4] In 1982, Poma built a detachable chairlifts with an operating speed of 5 m/s - which, at the time, was the fastest in the world. In 1991, Poma unveiled their Omega detachable terminal(first Omega lift was the Loyes chairlift in Val D'Isere) which was more compact than previous terminals. The company built its first six-passenger detachable chairlift in 1993(Le Tour, Avoriaz) and its first eight-passenger lift was constructed in Méribel, France in the year 2000. Also in 2000, the company replaced the Omega line of detachable terminals with the new Phoenix model. In addition, In 2005, Poma also have now introduced the Multix terminals in their detachable chairlifts(which are actually Leitner designs, with the only difference being the station's facade and, before the 2020s, the main bull/pulleywheels), while new North American lifts continue to feature the Omega terminal.
Poma built its first detachable gondolas in Val d'Isere and Queenstown (New Zealand) in 1966, and then, its first automatic gondolas in Chalmazel, Les Menuires (France) in 1967. [4] It built the world's first six-passenger monocable gondola in 1973(the Madrid gondola lift and the former Grande Rochette gondola lift in La Plagne were built earlier, but were bicable lifts), also in France in Villard-de-Lans. The world's first ten-passenger gondola was built by the company in 1984(La Patinoire in La Clusaz), followed by the world's first 16-passenger version in 1998 in Les Angles(Les Pelerins), in the French Pyrenees.
The company has built three funitels to date: the Funitel du Grand Fond, a detachable funitel built in 2001, the Funitel du Bouquetin, a fixed grip jig-back funitel built in 2003 (both located at Val Thorens in France) and the more recent Funitel de la Perdrix in Super-Besse, France, which was built in 2008 and is the first Funitel to feature the shared mechanics of Leitner and Poma.
Telemix is Poma's brand name for a detachable lift that is equipped with both gondola cabins and chairs. The terminal stations are the same as the company's detachable gondolas and chairlifts. These are common in the French resort of Alpe d'Huez.
Poma's first model was the Pomalift, a surface lift with a disk that skiers straddle. It has the ability to travel at high speeds because the platters are detachable from the haul rope, and because the perch is telescopic and has a pneumatic system which allows for a smooth and progressive departure. They are still sold today along with T-Bars and fixed grip platters.
Poma has built a number of large aerial tramways. In 2003, Poma built the world's largest reversible ropeway to connect the French resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne, the Vanoise Express. The double decker tramway can hold up to 200 people at a time in each cabin. In 2010, Poma worked on the replacement of the Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York, using a design based mechanically on the Vanoise Express.
Poma has built numerous funiculars which are cable driven railways that can climb steep pitches. Poma also had a partnership with Otis Elevator, known as "Poma-Otis Transportation Systems", to build Automated People Movers.
There is also a network of overseas subsidiaries such as Leitner Poma Japan and Poma Beijing Ropeways. [22]
In 1975 a License Agreement for production of ropeway systems designed for the passenger transport took place between Pomagalski s. a. and TPMP Kežmarok (then Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia). Based on the License Agreement production of skilifts named "Tatrapoma" has commenced. The agreement ended in 1991, but TPMP Kežmarok continued to manufacture ski lifts ever since (now as Tatralift). [23]
An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations. In comparison to gondola lifts, aerial tramways generally provide lower line capacities and longer wait times.
Yan Lift, incorporated as Lift Engineering & Mfg. Co., was a major ski lift manufacturer in North America. Founded in 1965 and based in Carson City, Nevada, the company built at least 200 fixed-grip chairlifts, as well as 31 high-speed quads. The company's lifts have been involved in the deaths of five people and the injury of at least 70, the worst record of any ski-lift maker operating in North America.
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 supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is typically connected to an engine or electric motor. It is often considered a continuous system since it features a haul rope which continuously moves and circulates around two terminal stations. In contrast, an aerial tramway operates solely with fixed grips and simply shuttles back and forth between two end terminals.
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They are the primary on-hill transport at most ski areas, but are also found at amusement parks and various tourist attractions.
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 that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. In contrast to the fixed-grip version, the chairs of a detachable chair lift detach from the haul rope for loading and unloading.
A funitel is a type of cableway, generally used to transport skiers, although at least one is used to transport finished cars between different areas of a factory. It differs from a standard gondola lift through the use of two arms attached to two parallel overhead cables, providing more stability in high winds. The name funitel is a portmanteau of the French words funiculaire and telepherique.
Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group is an international manufacturer of ropeways and people movers for ski areas, urban transport, amusement parks, 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 merged with Garaventa AG of Switzerland to form the world's largest ropeway manufacturer.
Gimar Montaz Mautino (GMM) is a French manufacturer that was created by the merger of Gimar and Montaz-Mautino. They make aerial lifts and surface ski lifts. They are headquartered in Échirolles France, near Grenoble. Originally known as Montaz-Mautino, they were one of the most successful ski lift companies in the 1970s and 1980s, primarily constructing two and three-seat chairlifts.
An aerial lift, also known as a cable car or ropeway, is a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. Aerial lift systems are frequently employed in a mountainous territory where roads are relatively difficult to build and use, and have seen extensive use in mining. Aerial lift systems are relatively easy to move and have been used to cross rivers and ravines. In more recent times, the cost-effectiveness and flexibility of aerial lifts have seen an increase of gondola lift being integrated into urban public transport systems.
Doppelmayr USA, Inc is an aerial lift manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a subsidiary of the worldwide Doppelmayr Garaventa Group. The United States company was formed in 2002 after the merger of Garaventa of Goldau, Switzerland, and Doppelmayr of Wolfurt, Austria. Between 2002 and 2010, the company was named Doppelmayr CTEC. From 2011 the company has operated using the Doppelmayr brand name, in common with most other Doppelmayr Garaventa Group subsidiaries.
Banff Sunshine Village is a ski resort in western Canada, located on the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies within Banff National Park in Alberta and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park in British Columbia. It is one of three major ski resorts located in the Banff National Park. Because of its location straddling the Continental Divide, Sunshine receives more snow than the neighbouring ski resorts. The Sunshine base area is located 15 km (9 mi) southwest of the town of Banff. By car, it is about a ninety-minute drive from the city of Calgary; the Sunshine exit on the Trans Canada Highway is 8 km (5 mi) west of the town of Banff.
The tricable gondola lift, also known as the 3S gondola lift, is a cable car system that was developed by the Swiss company Von Roll transport systems in Thun to unite the benefits of a gondola lift with those of a reversible cable car system. '3S' is an abbreviation of the German word dreiseil, meaning 'tricable'.
Leitner-Poma of America, known simply as Leitner-Poma, is a United States aerial lift manufacturer based in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is the American subsidiary of French-based Poma, which is owned by the Italian company HTI Group. The North American company was formed in 2000 when the Seeber Group, owner of Leitner, bought Poma and merged both companies' North American subsidiaries. Leitner-Poma of America operates a Canadian subsidiary based in Barrie, Ontario called Leitner-Poma Canada Inc.
Snow King Mountain is a summer and winter resort in the western United States, in Jackson, Wyoming. The mountain is Jackson's original 1936 ski hill, located on the southeast edge of the city, and was the first ski area in Wyoming. Locals sometimes refer to Snow King as "The Town Hill," and it offers skiing, hiking, an alpine slide, and many other attractions. The ski season runs from December to late March, and has a summer season that runs from June to October. Skiing is offered after the closure of lifts, until the snow is gone thanks to a boot pack trail on the west side of the resorts Runs. Hiking trails are offered all over the mountain.
A hybrid lift is a type of ski lift that combines the elements of a chairlift and a gondola lift. First introduced by Poma, who refers to them as Telemix, they have since been built by most lift manufacturers who refer to them by a variety of names; Doppelmayr refers to them as a combined lift, Bartholet refers to them with the French name, téléporté mixte, while the more generic terms chondola and telecombi are common in North America.
Gulmarg Gondola in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir,is the second longest and second highest cable car in the world. Higher lines include the Mi Teleférico in Bolivia and at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
The Eyüp Gondola, a.k.a. Eyüp–Piyerloti Aerial Cable Car, is a two-station gondola-type line of aerial lift passenger transport system located in Eyüp district of Istanbul, Turkey. Opened on November 30, 2005, the 420 m (1,380 ft) long line serves the Piyerloti Hill from Eyüp at the coast of Golden Horn. It is operated under the line number TF2 by Metro Istanbul. The fare is paid by the contactless smart card Istanbulkart, which is valid for all public transport in Istanbul.
Leitner Ropeways is a business that manufactures and distributes products and equipment for ropeways, snow groomers, urban transportation systems, and wind energy in Italy and internationally. The company was founded in 1888 and was recognized in 2003 to be owned by the Leitner Group, later the HTI Group. The company also provides spare parts, repairs and testing.
Carlevaro & Savio was a manufacturer of aerial ropeways originally based in Turin, Italy. The company was well known for their early gondola lifts, having built the world's first detachable gondola lift in Alagna Valsesia, in 1949.
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