Ropeway Giant Doppelmayr Opens New U.S. Headquarters in Salt Lake City: $150 Million Investment Doubles Footprint to 160,000 Square Feet
Salt Lake City, in Salt Lake County, Utah: Ropeway manufacturer Doppelmayr cut the ribbon on its new U.S. headquarters on October 19, according to an on-site report by Lift Blog. The new building, at 3080 W. 500 South next door to the old site, represents a $150 million investment and makes Salt Lake City one of the Doppelmayr Group's largest facilities worldwide.
The 160,000-square-foot headquarters doubles the company's previous footprint, bringing production, sales, engineering, parts, service, training, back office and construction under one roof, with ample room for growth. Doppelmayr employs about 300 people in the United States. Governor Spencer Cox said at the opening that the facility, along with a new Stadler Rail factory nearby, will provide high-quality jobs for Utahns in the trades, and noted that providing work education and apprenticeships at a younger age is a top priority for the state.
Doppelmayr USA CEO Keith Johns, Chairman of the Board Michael Doppelmayr and Managing Director Gerhard Gassner presided over the ceremony together with Governor Cox, and 27 employees with more than 20 years at the company were invited to join the ribbon cutting. Johns also presented GSBS Architects and R&O Construction with traditional Austrian cow bells for their work on the project. Addressing employees, Michael Doppelmayr said: 'You've done a wonderful job here. Now fill it up and make it a success.'
The Doppelmayr family company has operated in the United States for over half a century. Its first big break came in 1985 with a contract for four detachable quads on Vail Mountain; it originally landed in Golden, Colorado, before merging with Garaventa and inheriting a Utah office in 2002, and in the run-up to the Salt Lake Olympics it partnered with the Holding family to rebuild Snowbasin's lift fleet. The company says its biggest current project worldwide is at Newark Liberty International Airport in the United States, and that non-ski projects now make up about one third of the Group's worldwide sales.
The new plant will build large components such as conical towers, previously manufactured in Wolfurt, Austria, locally in Salt Lake using U.S. steel, shortening supply chains for North American customers; a new welding robot cuts welding time for cylindrical towers by 40 to 60 percent. The headquarters also houses a new U.S. training center for 25 people at a time, with a full Doppelmayr Connect control system and hydraulic equipment for hands-on learning. The headquarters was built with Doppelmayr's own investment, with Governor Cox attending the opening as the presiding guest.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Doppelmayr 位于 Salt Lake City 的美国新总部建筑效果图，非启用当日实景照片。犹他州州长经济发展办公室（GOEO）发布。Photo: Architectural rendering of Doppelmayr's new U.S. headquarters in Salt Lake City (a design rendering, not a photo of the opening day). Released by the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO).
