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Austria - The only way is up - a cable car for Bogotá, made in Austria

Exports help world-leading manufacturer of rope-based transport systems gain traction in new markets South America.

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Having started out as a small workshop, Doppelmayr, from Wolfurt in Vorarlberg, Austria, has become a world-leading manufacturer of rope-based transport systems such as cable cars. Today, 14 700 Doppelmayr installations transport people in 89 countries.

In 2015, Doppelmayr fitted 103 transport systems for 85 customers, bringing annual turnover to nearly €800 million. Around 70% comes from tourism-related projects and 15-20% from urban transport.

Colombia is the fastest growing economy in Latin America and the EU is the country's second largest trading partner. The 2013 EU-Colombia trade deal made it easier for EU firms to do business there. This has helped Doppelmayr to expand in South America, where it has worked on projects in several countries and generated 17% of its turnover in 2015.

As a cheap, safe, reliable and environmentally friendly means of transport able to cut journey times, cable cars are set to play an important role in Latin American urban transit.

Thanks to the EU-Colombia deal, another project is being built at the moment: a Doppelmayr cable car which can carry 2,600 people an hour will be added to Bogotá's public transport system in 2017.

Doppelmayr's success also benefits local Austrian suppliers; contracts with companies based around Wolfurt are worth over €50 million. Doppelmayr's contribution to Vorarlberg's economy stands at €158 million a year, while annual orders from Austrian businesses are worth €325 million.

The firm employs 2 500 people, of which 1 300 are in Austria, and is training 90 apprentices. A new administration building is under construction and should be finished in late 2016.

Find out more about the EU's trade relations with Colombia and Peru