Photo gallery  Email
Fontsize  
> Italiano > English
HOME
LA.T.I.F. LABORATORIO TECONOLOGICO IMPIANTI A FUNE

The idea of a specialized service of the Autonomous Province of Trento having the necessary competence and expertise on matters related to the transportation by rope, with other words, the idea of setting up the technological laboratory - LA.T.I.F. Laboratorio Tecnologico Impianti a Fune, has been first launched more than 45 years ago, but has been brought into being only in the year 1971 by the Region of Trento and South Tyrol, which at the time was the only legally competent institution having a recognized competence in matters related to the safety of public ropeway installations.
However, in 1976, the decision was taken to entrust responsibility for safety issues of public ropeway systems to two technical supervisory authorities, the supervisory authority in Bolzano for South Tyrol and the supervisory authority in Trento for the province of Trento. After this subdivision LA.T.I.F. became answerable to the authority in Trento.
The institution was to meet the following objectives :
availability of a perfectly reliable expert staff having the necessary expertise and objectiveness of judgment to check components of ropeway systems on behalf of the services of the public administration
a laboratory close to the region with the highest density of ropeway installations and anytime ready and perfectly equipped to take the necessary action and keep a permanent dialogue alive with involved technicians
offer services that are likely to represent a contribution to a substantial improvement of the ropeway technique, a permanent updating of the technology and improvement of the competitiveness of the products of the national ropeway industry.
Create a highly specialized centre of a profession of its own which plays a very important role and is an important factor of the economies of Trento and South Tyrol , a centre, which for this very reason, is regarded as an institution of prestige and its creation an important step leading to higher safety of ropeway systems.
LA.T.I.F. is a service of the provincial department for Transportation by Rope and is as such an integral part of the structure of the Provincial Administration. Its legal competence covers the whole territory of the Autonomous Province of Trento and includes the right to grant concessions, to examine projects, carry out approval, periodical tests and inspections, as well as the responsibility for the qualification of the operator's staff.
Having been entrusted all these responsibilities the laboratory is practically the experimental service of the Department for Transportation by Rope. The laboratory carries out tests commissioned by the provincial administration and tests commissioned by third parties who have to pay service fees in accordance with a tariff laid down by the provincial Council.
At present LA.T.I.F. is the only national laboratory capable of carrying out all tests which are currently made to assess the quality and inspect ropeway components and as such it plays an active role by supporting and complementing the work done by the competent department of the Ministry for Transports.
The technical staff are organized in a number of working groups which were given the remit to draft national and European standards for the safety of ropeway systems and standards for methods of testing and inspection. This is where the experience made by experts who are directly involved in testing is really precious.
The laboratory
Available area : approx. 3200m2 half of which is taken by the covered testing shed and office surface
Workshop fitted with the equipment needed for the construction of testing rigs and appliances and preparation of test specimens.
The staff : 3 engineers, 4 test assistants and 1 administrative staff
test certificates delivered in a year: approximately 300

Inside view of the Laboratory
LA.T.I.F. - Laboratorio Tecnologico Impianti a Fune - Via Provina, 24 - 38123 - Ravina di Trento - Italy
Tel. +39 0461 495129 - Fax +39 0461 493882 - E-mail: labor.latif@provincia.tn.it - PEC: labor.latif@pec.provincia.tn.it