Doppelmayr starts expansion worth more than 200 million euros

Seilbahn manufacturer Doppelmayr has begun expanding its plant in Wolfurt, investing more than 200 million euros in new production halls and a high-bay warehouse. ORF Vorarlberg reported that the project is the largest single investment in the company’s more than 130-year history.

The new production halls will provide 51,000 square metres of floor space. Doppelmayr plans to increase production capacity by 50 percent, provided sales support the higher output, supervisory board chairman Michael Doppelmayr said. He added that the market was developing well, though not as quickly as the company was building.

Construction began in August, and the expansion is scheduled for completion by the end of 2029. The expanded site is planned to accommodate 850 jobs. More than 400 positions will move there from the Kella plant, Doppelmayr’s founding location, while around 450 are being reserved for future growth. Jobs currently spread across several locations in the region are also to be brought together at Hohe Brücke.

The project includes a highly automated warehouse, which will stand 40 metres tall, and is intended to create more capacity for manufacturing cable-car components for international projects. Doppelmayr is carrying out the work with general contractor Goldbeck Rhomberg.

The company announced plans for the expansion in February 2024, when it described production halls covering about 45,000 square metres. It has since increased the stated area to around 50,000 square metres. At the time, Doppelmayr cited strong international demand, particularly from North America, and said the Hohe Brücke plant was operating beyond capacity.