HKD Snowmakers Acquires The Controls Division Of Sno.Matic Controls And Engineering

HKD Snowmakers, North America’s leading supplier of energy-efficient snowmaking solutions, announces the acquisition of the Controls, Monitoring and Automation business of Sno.matic based in Lyme, NH.

HKD Snowmakers, founded in 1991 by Charles Santry and Herman K. Dupre, is known for its variety of low energy snowmaking solutions and equipment including the Impulse R5 Tower, the Diablo fan gun, and KLiK automation.

Sno.matic Controls and Engineering was founded by Scott Barthold in 1994. Since its inception, Sno.matic has grown to become the industry “go to” resource for resorts to monitor snowmaking and automatically control pump stations and air plants using its proprietary iSno platform. The Engineering division of Sno.matic will remain under the ownership and direction of Scott Barthold and will continue to operate independently as Sno.matic.

Operating under the name iSno Controls and Automation, this new division of HKD Snowmakers will leverage the inherent strengths of both companies. The combination of Scott and his team at Snomatic, and the resources and field support of HKD Snowmakers will allow iSno Controls and Automation to better serve the ski industry worldwide.

iSno Controls and Automation will retain its focus on providing cutting edge products and solutions that are not specific to any one snowgun or machinery vendor. A fundamental principle and unique characteristic of iSno software has been its ability to integrate all types of devices: plant machinery, snowguns of any brand, and existing control networks.

“The control and automation portion of our business has grown steadily since our inception, and our iSno software platform has arguably become the snowmaking industry standard,” says Scott Barthold, President of Sno.matic. “HKD has assembled a nationwide team of professionals who will help service and support our current and future customer base. HKD also operates a top-shelf manufacturing & design facility for the production of control panels and automation products.”

Globally, snowmaking continues to play an enormous role in the success of all ski resorts. Energy costs, water management, warmer winters, and labor challenges make it more important than ever for resorts to leverage technology to gain control of their snowmaking system data and resources.

“This is a natural fit,” says Charles Santry, President of HKD Snowmakers. “I have known Scott for 24 years and our companies have worked closely together in the development of our KLiK automation and the Tracker product line. I am excited to work with Scott, and his Controls team of Lance Anderson and Erik Larson. By combining their expertise in controls, with our outstanding team in the field, we are well-positioned to assist our customers going forward on all technical fronts.”

The newly formed iSno Controls and Automation division of HKD Snowmakers will remain in Lyme, New Hampshire. Scott Barthold will continue his involvement in operating and co-managing iSno Controls and Automation over the next 2 years, and then gradually transition to a decreased role.