In South America, cableways have long since become a means of transport for everyday use. The cabins for these are built by the Swiss company CWA in Olten. Bystronic's efficient systems allow it to keep pace with the growing volume of orders.
The urban cableway network of the Bolivian capital La Paz is 33 kilometers long and has 36 stations on ten lines. This makes Mi Teleférico the longest cable car network in the world. It is impossible to imagine the daily lives of the inhabitants of La Paz and the neighboring city of El Alto without it: it is used for commuting to work, for shopping or for meeting friends. The cable car transports around 300,000 passengers every day.
Urban ropeways are the latest trend
The 1396 gondolas in use in La Paz were made in Switzerland by CWA in Olten.
Urban cableways are the future. They open up new possibilities for the population.
He sees numerous advantages in this means of transport: cableways are quiet, climate-friendly and can handle any incline. This means that the population can get from the densely populated working-class suburbs to the city center much faster.
“This opens up new possibilities for them,” explains Marinelli.
For example, a job in a neighborhood that would previously have been too far away is suddenly within reach.
The Swiss company has already built around 70 urban cableways in 38 countries. It has also delivered gondolas to Mexico City. A cableway route almost ten kilometers long has been relieving traffic congestion there since summer 2021.
Top seller OMEGA
CWA produces around 2,000 cabins every year. The company's top seller is the OMEGA cabin: more than 50,000 cabins have been delivered from Olten to destinations all over the world since 1984. The cabin is designed on a modular basis: size, glazing, seats and many other details can be flexibly combined.
The metal sheets for the outer cladding are cut to size on a BySprint Fiber 3015. A few meters further on, a press brake is used to bend mounting tabs for the interior.
“We mainly use aluminum. It is easy to work with and is also ideal in terms of weight, strength, corrosion and price. It is also recyclable”,
explains Gian Marinelli.
Automated processes, autonomous gondolas
Recently, a robotic system has been helping to build the cabins even more efficiently.
“The robot assembles pre-assembled components and even the windows are mounted automatically,”
explains Marinelli.
CWA's solution, in operation in Zermatt since the end of 2020, is also fully automated. The AURO (Autonomous Ropeway Operation) cable car from Doppelmayr/Garaventa runs completely autonomously – with only one cable car operator to oversee operations.
“CWA has always been a driver of innovation – from the first automatic door to the rotating cabin,”
says Marinelli.
However, the future lies less in sensational designs, he adds, and more in solutions for the world's metropolises that are suitable for everyday use.
Company profile
CWA, a member of the Doppelmayr Group
Founded: 1939
Customer since: 1999
Business model: Development and production of cable car cabins and funicular railways, including on-site service
