Feb. 3, 2014

PistenBully is one of the pioneers in the Russian market. The first PistenBully were delivered to the Soviet Union as early as 1977. Kässbohrer is known as the "Mercedes of snow groomers", "Made in Germany" with the best quality and outstanding service.

Alongside China, Russia is one of the few growth markets in the ski industry worldwide. The number of ski resorts is growing continually. Russia is investing huge amounts in diverse modernisation schemes. Existing ski resorts have been upgraded to perfection over the last few years, and completely new resorts have been built. The biggest ski regions are the Urals and especially the Caucasus. There is scarcely another region in the world with such snow security.

Technology from Germany - leading in Russia.
In Russia there are two fundamentally different target groups who build and run the ski resorts. On the one hand are the private individuals and, on the other, large concerns like Gazprom who are investing in ski resorts. These two target groups require a completely different approach and support.
Decades of experience are a big help in the complex Russian market, in which relationships play a significant role. It is important to know the rules of the game for successful initiation of contact with Russian business partners.
Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG's representative in Russia and Belarus - Skado Techno - is an independent firm with head office in Novokujbyshevsk, which grew from the firm of Zao Skado Seilbahnen Samara. Skado Techno was founded in 2009 and focuses exclusively on selling and servicing PistenBully. The firm currently employs a total of 23 staff, of whom 9 work in the Service department. Because of the often enormous distances between the ski centres in the west and east of the country, the firm has secured regional partners to ensure better and faster support for customers.
In partnership with Skado Techno, Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG has expanded its market leadership in Russia over the last few years and was able to sell more than 40 PistenBully across Russia in the last season alone. Swabian technology went to Sachalinsk, to resorts in Central Siberia, to the Urals, to Russia's north-west and also to the Caucasus. PistenBully have now been sold to the ski resorts of Gornaya Karusel, Gazprom Laura and Fischt.
Used vehicles are very popular in the Russian market. That's why Skado Techno and Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG - in collaboration with Ski Expo Moscow - hosted their own used vehicle show at Skado Techno's site in Novokujbyshevsk near Samara. It was such a success that the event will definitely be repeated in 2014. In addition, Skado Techno hosts presentations every year that enable potential customers to experience and be inspired by our products.

PistenBully also without official partnership at the Olympics.
In Sochi the temperatures rarely fall below zero degrees Celsius. Accordingly, the skiing competitions are being held 50 kilometres away at Krasnaya Polyana. An Olympic village, ski jumping facilities and slopes have been constructed in the heart of the Caucasus, 1,100 metres above sea level at the newly built Rose Farm resort. The cross-country skiers and biathletes are going another 350 metres higher. The challenging tracks of the Nordic "Laura" cross-country course are 1,500 metres above the sea.
5 new PistenBully were sold to Gazprom Laura this season. That makes 14 PistenBully that are now hard at work preparing the cross-country and biathlon tracks for the Olympics.
There are also another 6 PistenBully permanently employed at Rosa Khutor - and they'll continue during the Olympics too. The resort managers are very pleased with the machines and especially like the comparatively low fuel consumption and the reliability of the PistenBully. Skado Techno has a mechanic on site - just as it did last winter - to ensure the extremely high availability of the machines.

Quality, model variety and optimum service are the cornerstones of success. For many years now and also in the future. That's what counts....

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