![]() Ronny says the laws in Austria are strict, and expectations high, which helps to guarantee healthy and safe working conditions. In the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) audit in 2020, Atomic got 95% out of 100% in the area or “air emissions”. In the printing room, air quality is constantly monitored. I’m so happy to be back again,” says Zurafet with a big smile on her face. “I’ve been with Atomic for ten years, with two breaks due to maternity leave and then covid. We watch Zurafet and her colleagues place badges on each ski. We’re off to see how the skis get their nifty looks with logos, graphics, and unique prints. Renewable local wood chip heating, LED lighting, heat recovery systems, and waste material recovery capability make the factory the standard-bearer for lower-impact ski production. Excess heat goes back to the plant, which gets pumped to local households and a spa as district heating.” Ronny explains: “The plant generates high temperatures-too high for households-for our factory. In addition to delivering heat for ski pressing, the power plant keeps the locals warm. “We’ve been using renewable heat from the power plant since 2005 and bought 100 percent renewable electricity since 2014.” “Everything in the factory runs on renewable energy,” says Ronny. By using renewable local wood chip heating instead of oil, Atomic has reduced its impact by 95% and kept 2,176t of CO2 out of the atmosphere each year. ![]() Ski presses run on exceptionally high heat, sourced from an adjoining power plant. The heat is on - thanks to the next-door power plant Ronald Schwarzenbrunner explains what goes inside a ski. That’s what the ski press is for,” says Herbert “Herbi” Buchsteiner, Business Unit Director for Alpine Ski & Binding at Atomic, as he showcases a raw ski. ![]() “All the different layers from base to wood core, from reinforcements to top sheet, need massive amounts of pressure and heat to bind together. Other typical reinforcement materials include fiberglass and steel. Humidity and grease are detrimental for ground aluminum. The reinforcement of the core is one of the most sensitive parts of the process. We see skilled workers shave and grind the wood and add reinforcement. Before the CNC stations, two wood wedges are glued together and precisely cut into the shape of a ski. Cutting, grinding, and pressingįurther down the pre-production line we witness the seamless collaboration of robots and humans, one of the few automated parts of the process. Appropriate storage is important for high-quality wood, Herbert Buchsteiner knows. Burning sawdust for energy would have an even higher environmental footprint. By recycling sawdust from its skis into chipboard, Atomic saves 18.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year-a reduction of 84% compared with wood composting. “We ran comparisons for sawdust processing and found that recycling makes most sense,” says Ronny. This by-product is then recycled into chipboard, used for furniture making, for example. Two wedges of wood are used for one ski, with 40% of the wood ending up as sawdust. “The wood we use is primarily ash, beech, and poplar, all sourced nearby from Central Europe,” explains Ronald “Ronny” Schwarzenbrunner, Sustainability Manager at Atomic. We begin our tour by stacks of laminated hardwood - strong and long-lasting material that goes in the core of high-performance Atomic skis. We visited the Altenmarkt factory to learn more. But what really goes into a pair? Depending on the model, 30 to 40 different steps-and plenty of craftsmanship. Simply put, one ski consists of a base, steel edges, wood core, reinforcement materials, ski tip, sidewalls, top sheet, and badges. Atomic manufactures Alpine and Nordic skis just meters from where they are designed in Altenmarkt, Austria*, as well as in Chepelare, Bulgaria. The biggest skiing company in the world boasts equipment made in Austria.Ĭradled between the Alps in a town of 4,500 people sits the global headquarters of the biggest skiing company in the world. For many brands, manufacturing happens in someone else’s backyard.
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