Aervice » Nieuws

Launch of world’s first “Apple Ropeway”

On November 18th, a milestone for sustainable logistics was achieved in theItalian province of Trento: the world’s first ropeway for transporting applesofficially started operation. The ceremonial opening attracted a great deal ofmedia attention and was attended by high-profile guests, including the PrimeMinister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, Agriculture Minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, aswell as the top management of Melinda, represented by President Ernesto Seppiand Anton Seeber and Martin Leitner from LEITNER.The Melinda consortium, which produces 400,000 tons of apples per year, choseLEITNER to build the world’s first ropeway system for transporting fruit, in Predaia inthe Non Valley. In terms of technology, it is a detachable monocable uni-directionalropeway with 11 towers (six of which are in a tunnel), covering a distance of 1,300meters and an altitude difference of 87 meters. The system can transport 460stackable, 300-kilogram storage bins per hour, at a speed of five meters per second.The route starts at the processing plant in Predaia and travels for roughly a third of thedistance through a tunnel, which was originally built for mining dolomite rock, to thehypogeal cells. These temperature-controlled “natural refrigerators” in the heart of theDolomites, use 30% less electricity than a conventional warehouse and avoid thenecessity to construct new buildings on the surface.The cabins are equipped with electric roller doors that open and close automaticallywhen they reach the station, so the loading and unloading processes are fullyautomated and do not require manual assistance. Overall, the system only requiresone employee to oversee its smooth operation and monitor the facility. A 26-meter-high freight elevator with a load capacity of 1,000 kg is also integrated into the ropewayend station; this elevator connects the two storage levels and has a fully automatedloading and unloading system. The “Apple Ropeway” – partly financed by theEuropean “Next Generation EU” program, which covered 40% of the investment – willsave 5,000 truck trips and significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the valley.During the grand opening ceremony, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described theworld's first apple ropeway as a pioneering project for sustainable transport."We are standing in front of a facility that was built entirely “made in Italy”, is poweredby renewable energy, and is capable of transporting apples in a unique way. Theunderground storage rooms, which were dug into the heart of the Dolomite rock andform a huge ‘natural refrigerator’, make it possible to reduce energy costs, protect theenvironment, and avoid soil sealing. The underground hypogeal cells and the appleropeway are an absolutely innovative production and organizational model."

 Bron https://www.leitner.com
 Reporter: Ram-Brand
Categorie: Lifts under construction and projects
Datum: 22 nov 2025, 8:33:18