Plant and machinery

Cable cars boost Hti's record year

Revenues over 1.6 billion. 80 plants installed by 2025. President Seeber: 'Orders already in the house for almost a year.

by Luca Orlando

17 April 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

"The workforce? Of course we are hiring, and in parallel we are investing to increase our production capacity in certain areas'. A necessary strategy, that of Anton Seeber, in light of the double-digit growth of the group he heads, the South Tyrolean giant Hti, High Technology Industries.

Which, thanks to a positive year for its main divisions, from ropeways to snowmaking, from snow groomers to vegetation management crawlers, was able to exceed the 1.6 billion revenue mark for the first time, up almost 16 points on the previous year.

'The order book for 2026 is already practically closed,' Seeber adds, 'and thanks to the long-term projects we have acquired, we can look forward with confidence.

Decisive for the results are the numbers of ropeways, with more than 80 installations carried out last year, with almost half of the group's revenues coming from the Alpine arc in geographic terms. However, it is not only the orders related to ski resorts that are progressing, but also the facilities aimed at meeting the needs of urban mobility with projects in several countries, including France and Spain, Mexico (four new projects in the field) and India, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.

"The trend of city ropeways is clearly growing," explains Seeber, "and this also poses different challenges when we are also entrusted with the responsibility of management. This entails 365 days a year for 18 hours a day of operation, with maintenance therefore to be carried out exclusively at night. It is a different world compared to that of traditional cable cars".

Which in any case continue to represent the group's core business (Leitner, Poma, Bartholet and Agudio brands), as confirmed by the new maxi-project Cervino The One, which will connect Cervinia to Plateau Rosa. 'One of the largest orders ever,' he explains, 'with a value of around 150 million euros over several years.

However, for Hti, this development trend is also fuelled by snowmaking systems, which are now less and less optional in light of the changing climate. "The customer needs to be offered certainty, and this is a guarantee for the entire hospitality industry, which is why demand is increasing, even in the United States". An area that has been partly penalised by tariffs (in particular in the export to Washington of Prinoth snowboards made in Canada), and partly relaunched as a result of Trump's anti-immigration policies.

'When, as in this case, there is a shortage of foreign labour to maintain roads and cities,' he explains, 'companies increase their investments in automation, as is happening with our crawlers produced in Minnesota: the trees grow anyway, even if the South American workers are no longer there'.

The 2026 estimates for the group indicate a situation of substantial stability or moderate growth compared to last year's values, taking into account the climate of uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, which have always been an obstacle to investment. Which Iht in any case continues, having put more than EUR 40 million into research and development activities last year.

The group currently employs 5,000 people worldwide, with 1,300 located in Italia, where its headquarters are located. Italia accounts for an average of 10-15% of business, with the bulk of turnover generated on international markets: 43% in the Alps, a quarter in North America, 11% in Asia, with the ropeway sector in general accounting for 60% of revenues.

Luca Orlandoinviato-caporedattore
- @lucaorlando66
Luogo: Milano
Lingue parlate: Inglese
Argomenti: Imprese, meccanica, innovazione, export, macchinari, Industria 4.0, robot
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