History

The Pioneer: A Go-getter with a Sense for the Here and Now

PRINOTH, a subsidiary of the HTI Group (High Technology Industries) with its headquarters in Sterzing, Italy, can look back on a long and successful history. A tradition with pioneering spirit. In 1951, the race driver and design engineer Ernst Prinoth opened the parent firm of today’s company, an automotive garage. Soon the native of Val Gardena found a way to translate his passion for powerful vehicles into something practical: snow groomers, which were ideal for the wintry conditions of his South Tyrolean home.

PRINOTH then and now

Everything began when racing driver Ernst Prinoth opened his automotive garage in Gröden in 1951. Fascinated by snow vehicles, he began developing slope vehicles and, in 1962, produced his first P 60 prototype. Two years later, the first production vehicle rolled off the assembly line. Developments continued over the years. LEITNER acquired PRINOTH at the turn of the millennium and continued the range as an independent company under the PRINOTH name. PRINOTH thereby became the world's most complete provider of snow cats. The further acquisition of the groomer range of Canadian manufacturer Camoplast (previously Bombardier) in 2005 and the acquisition of Camoplast's tracked utility vehicle range in 2009 gave PRINOTH a wider area of activity beyond snow groomers. With additional equipment of all types, thanks to their tracks, the robust vehicles are able to reach the most remote locations without sinking into mud or soft soil, unlike wheeled vehicles. Thanks to the acquisition of the German forestry machinery manufacturer, AHWI, PRINOTH expanded its activities to a third area of activity in 2011. In addition to snow grooming and the tracked utility vehicle range, PRINOTH is now also active in Vegetation Management and, in addition to the cost-effective processing of forestry and agricultural land, is also seeking solutions in the global development of biomass.

PRINOTH THEN AND NOW