GW invests 7 million in Maria Saal

Modernisation and expansion at Maria Saal signifies a new course setting in Carinthia.

Following months of planning, a major building project has now been approved by the Gebrüder Weiss Supervisory Board. The huge expansion plans for the Maria Saal location will begin in April 2008. The basis for this has been the dynamic growth and positive developments in business which have taken place in Carinthia over the previous years. Turnover in Maria Saal has more than tripled over the past 5 years with the number of consignments increasing to over 120,000. The building project is expected to be completed by March 2009 and involves an investment of 7 million Euros.

Top provider of logistics solutions
"By creating this additional capacity we clearly want to position ourselves as Carinthia’s top logistics provider. The entire team is highly motivated and excited about being involved in the expansion of our network," said Branch Manager Peter Schafleitner. "But we're not just investing in the facilities at Maria Saal. We're also investing in the vocational and further training of our personnel. We are proud of the fact that apprentices make up more than 15% of our team," continued Schafleitner. A total of 7 trainees are currently employed at Maria Saal in the areas of freight forwarding, logistics and office administration. These changes at Maria Saal clearly signify a development towards becoming a total solutions provider to customers with logistics requirements. "A new, modern GW terminal will be built, which will have capacity for future expansion to a logistics and cargo handling area of more than 9,000 sqm. Carinthia is not only known as a tourist region, but also as an attractive business location with international significance," explained Markus Ebner, Operations Manager at Maria Saal.

Expansion means new jobs
The investment will provide a total cargo handling area of more than 3,500 sqm. Two additional warehouses, with a total area of 2,300 sqm, will provide space for 2,700 pallets. This represents an increased storage capacity of around 1,900 pallets. A rail connection is also planned which is intended to aid in the road to rail transfer process.
Existing office space will increase to 1,200 sqm and will bring with it new jobs.

Rapid progress
"Following the 2006 expansion of the Maria Saal location, I am really pleased that we can again increase our capacity in 2008. This is not only evidence of the successful work carried out by my team but it is, above all, a reflection of the trust of our customers," explained Schafleitner.

The Gebrüder Weiss Corporation
With its headquarters in Lauterach (Vorarlberg, Austria), Gebrüder Weiss employs over 4,500 employees at 129 locations worldwide. GW is represented in Central and Eastern Europe in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine. For the 2006 financial year, the logistics enterprise generated a turnover of 870 million euros.

Picture 1: Peter Schafleitner, Branch Manager
Picture 2: Markus Ebner, Operation Manager

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