Service in the ski area Nendaz-Veysonnaz

The call reached Alfred Imhof AG on 4 March 2019 at 17.59 hrs. The responsible persons of Nendaz-Veysonnaz Remontées mécaniques SA (NVRM) noticed unusual running noises at the ski lift "Greppon Blanc 1" as well as an increased temperature at the gearbox and informed the company Baco AG from Steffisburg, which is responsible for the service of the ski lifts. Since they did not want to risk the safety of the skiers or a prolonged interruption of operations, Alfred Im-hof AG was asked for a quick analysis and diagnosis.

The next morning, specialists from Alfred Imhof AG met for a meeting. It quickly became clear that a vibration measurement, an oil analysis, a thermography and an endoscopy were necessary on site in order to make a meaningful diagnosis. In the next step, Alfred Imhof AG prepared an offer for the on-site investigations.

After the customer had approved the offer, Rainer Trumpp and Markus Reinger drove to Nendaz on the same day. From there, the two technicians drove on to the valley station of the ski resort in Siviez with an all-wheel-drive vehicle, special work clothes for use in the cold and eight suitcases with special tools. After the ride with the gondola to the intermediate station, they traversed by snowmobile to the valley station of the "Combatseline" ski lift. The two experienced employees of Alfred Imhof AG carried out a detailed problem analysis. The result was that several teeth were broken on the bevel pinion and several teeth were defective on the second gear stage. For safety reasons, the ski lift was initially only allowed to operate at a reduced rate.

For logistical and organisational reasons, the defective parts could not be removed from the ski area and replaced by the new ones. This was only possible at the headquarters of Alfred Imhof AG in Münchenstein. After professional disposal of the 99 litre transmission oil, the customer removed the 1.3 tonne transmission together with the service partner of the cable car manufacturer on Tuesday, 12 March 2019 and flew it by helicopter to the valley station in Siviez. From there, the complete transmission was immediately transported by jeep and trailer to Münchenstein. The repair was carried out on Wednesday and Thursday by experts from Alfred Imhof AG before the gearbox was repainted to protect it from corrosion. After the functional tests, the repaired gearbox was picked up by the customer on Thursday at 3 p.m. and transported back to its destination.