Technology

To offer greater satisfaction to skiers, tourists, urban populations and operators all over the world, POMA pioneers numerous innovations, always focusing on comfort and safety.
POMA's range of solutions meets all the needs of operators:

• A broad choice of ropeway transport systems and configurations.
• Projects that are in harmony with the natural environment, as well as innovative panoramic carriers for passenger transport that are accessible to all.
• A very high level of availability and safety, both in new installations and in adaptations of existing installations.
• Long-term support.
• Consideration of the economic and social stakes.
• Environmentally friendly solutions with appropriate products and processes.

At POMA, we are always focused on the quality of our products and processes. All POMA products all over the world comply with EU standards and regulations. Our different certifications provide formal recognition of this.

The POMA group works with an inspection and certification body that constantly carries out checks on internal production processes, including product development, technical assistance, sales, on-site installation, operation and maintenance.
POMA has the following certifications:

• Quality: ISO9001, since 1989
• Environment: ISO14001, since 2009
• Occupational Health and Safety: ISO45001 (replacing the OHSAS18001 certification obtained in 2014). With this certification, POMA goes beyond simply meeting the legal requirements for protection and health at work. OHSAS18001 since 2014, then ISO45001 since February 2020.

All our products are tested in the workshop and on site, in real operating conditions

Design

Aware even in its early days that its installations needed to be not only functionally but also aesthetically excellent, POMA worked with industrial designers to provide an image that suited the customer's wishes and the project.

This drive for perfection in terms of form and brand identity led to the creation of the famous “eggs” designed by François Tauzin in 1966. Over the years, the POMA group has benefited from the talents of internationally renowned designers when developing its products. The latest POMA cabins (the Diamond EVO and Symphony cabins) are the fruit of a collaboration with Italian design studio Pininfarina.

Ergonomics

For POMA, ergonomics is synonymous with passenger comfort. This quest leads to permanent innovation in POMA's products: increasingly spacious cabins, with panoramic windows, glazed floors and digital technologies… to offer an exceptional journey in a carrier that is easy to maintain and will be available to serve for many years.

Configuration

Configuration is the capacity to offer unique installations made from industrial components, with perfect mastery of the technology. To meet the needs of operators, the engineers compose installations using tried and tested, pre-existing modules: rope grips, carriers, stations, roller batteries, motors, etc.

A computer-aided implantation tool integrates the company's professional standards and accumulated expertise into the regulatory contexts of the different countries.

POMA's system engineers therefore have a library of standardised components that can be put together to offer ropeway transport solutions, creating future installations that combine creativity with consistency. This allows POMA to construct the most sophisticated systems. One such example is the Planpraz gondola lift in Chamonix, the steepest in the world with a 107% slope at the angle of attack of the roller batteries, made out of standard, industrially manufactured modules.

Measuring operational data allows us to optimise ropeway fleet management and anticipate maintenance operations. Direct measurement of usage, wear on parts and energy consumption provides the information required for intelligent operation and energy savings.

Automation – remote diagnostics – reliability

All POMA systems use the latest advances in automation and checking. They can be fully or partially automated to lighten the load on personnel and allow 24-hour operation. Most operating anomalies can be detected remotely by our technical support service, thanks to a remote diagnostics system. This means that the systems offer the very best reliability and safety for transporting passengers or goods

Upilot or virtual training

UPILOT® offers a totally immersive training space that imitates operating conditions in real time, to teach the different operating and security procedures for the system before, during and after its construction, without disrupting operation

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Technical documentation (digitisation and updating)

COPILOT is a smart, web- and iPad-compatible application for operation and management, which allows the user to find the right information at the right time, so that they can safely operate and maintain the systems and ensure a high level of availability.

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SmartBoard (multiple access to control and information in secure mode)

The SmartBOARD control panel is a centralised control tool. It is ergonomic and intuitive, with two touchscreens for controlling the ropeway and assistance functions for operation and maintenance. This human-machine interface allows usage of the advanced functions of the COPILOT software with a high level of IT security.

Hyperview (transmitting data for better management)

Hyperview is an application that gives access to all the operational data for your ropeways, to help you make appropriate decisions and anticipate maintenance operations. In particular, for all ropeway transport installations, Hyperview collects the following information:

• the speed and rope tension force, the motor speed
• the wind speed, weather data
• computerised maintenance management system (CMMS), digital logbook, quality indicators
• operating data: distance travelled, operating time
• system faults/anomalies, transmitted in real time

Skadii

(an interface for your operating indicators) Skadii is a management platform for skiing areas: different parameters can be checked in real time using the software applications (ropeway fleet management, snow cover on ski runs, etc.). Skadii collects, organises and presents all the relevant operational data for your skiing area on a user interface and also on mobile devices, to make important operational decisions even easier.

Semi-automatic operation mode:

This is an additional operating mode: an alternative to the traditional mode monitored by station and platform agents.

It allows the installation to work with a single operator in the semi-automatic control station, which means no station or platform agents.

This mode is very useful for allowing a service over extended hours during which traffic is low. It helps to better manage operating costs while offering a transport service.

At POMA, we think it is essential to propose and design solutions with a reduced environmental impact over the whole value chain, from design to operation.

Eco-sustainable technologies,
Energy consumption and excellent reliability

POMA's DirectDrive® technology, used all over the world, offers several advantages in terms of environmental responsibility and complete availability:

• Greatly reduced energy consumption (-8%)
• No oil consumption
• Greatly reduced noise pollution (-15 decibels)
• Its DirectDrive® calorie recovery system allows a space near to the drive station to be heated (e.g. the Ariondaz-Courchevel picnic room)
• One DirectDrive® is the equivalent of 4.6 or 8 independent motors; it can continue operating if 1 motor stops, according to the capacity conditions defined in the design phase.

Solar technology

POMA is also constantly working to improve the energy consumption of its systems, for example by integrating solar panels on station roofs, to provide additional power, in the spirit of positive energy buildings. This offsets the lighting and heating of the station.

Green work sites, pre-assembly and assembly on the ground
to reduce the environmental impact and increase finish quality

The green work site programme uses a set of methods to limit the environmental impact of interventions in natural environments, while keeping deadline management efficient, maintaining quality and keeping personnel safe

• Pre-assembly limits transportation and significantly reduces on-site activities.
• In the “shell” assembly system, a ropeway station is assembled in two phases. On the ground, the station is assembled, with cables, in 2 parts: the lower mechanical structure and the roof.

Highly recyclable technology

Whether performing a retrofit or moving an installation, POMA makes sure the reinstallation of old systems and the reuse of elements for the new installation do not stifle performance improvement.

When the ropeway is not reused, the recyclability rate for POMA ropeway transport systems is 86%, taking into account the recycling of stations, the line and the carriers (mainly made of steel). This makes it one of the most sustainable transport technologies.