Online boom drives growth for Gebrüder Weiss

Heavy, meter-high, densely packed shelves are lined up in a single row in the large hall. In the middle, employees drive around with forklifts, lifting heavy packages from great heights seemingly effortlessly and placing them in the appropriate container. The distinctive orange color originated in the 1930s when an urgent customer order required an unpainted truck, which was painted only orange to prevent rust. He was sent to the street. Large household appliances, technology, food, furniture, scooters and much more move through the Gebrüder Weiss logistics station in Maria Saale. Everything has its place and it is clear that the staff is well coordinated.

On Lake Constance with goods transported across the Alps – this is how the history of the Gebrüder Weiss family company began more than 500 years ago. Today, the logistics group has 8,600 employees in 180 locations around the world. The Carinthian branch was launched in 1992 with two employees in the commercial city of Maria Sal. After several expansion and construction phases, it now has 120 employees. Not counting the drivers, because Gebrüder Weiss works with shipping companies. Between 300 and 350 trucks are on the road in Carinthia every day on behalf of the state's large-scale logistics provider. “We supply the whole of Carinthia with goods and we deliver from Carinthia to the whole world,” concludes site manager Markus Ebner.

The range of services ranges from air and sea freight to ground transportation, parcel services, warehousing and goods picking. A number of Carinthian companies that produce seasonal products, such as snow chain producers, use the Gebrüder Weiss warehouse space and no longer have their own for reasons of cost and efficiency. The logistics site needs adequate space. Thanks to online trade, the delivery of oversized goods that cannot be sent by parcel service by two people is also increasing. This primarily includes large household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and televisions, which can be brought into the apartment or basement as the client desires.

The Maria Saler branch is currently being expanded for the fifth time. 2.5 million euros are being invested in a new logistics hall with an area of ​​1,400 square meters and a traffic area of ​​3,000 square metres. Thus, the logistics station will grow to a total area of ​​approximately 33,000 square metres. “We are working to provide more space for our customers and expand warehousing and picking activities for Carinthian customers,” explains Ebner. In addition, the photovoltaic system will be expanded and e-mobility infrastructure will be created with about 20 charging stations. Electric runners are currently used, but in the future the proportion of e-mobility will increase significantly, especially for the “last mile”. The advantages of diesel trucks currently dominate long-distance journeys, especially since the charging infrastructure for alternative forms of driving such as hydrogen, which Gebrüder Weiss is already testing, has not yet been expanded across the board.

The fifth expansion phase of Maria Sal is currently underway

© Thomas Hood

In Maria Sal, this is the final expansion phase, because the property directly bordering the SPAR headquarters no longer offers space for anyone anymore. However, this did not mean the end of Gebrüder Weiss's growth in Carinthia. “The need for logistics is growing, and so are we,” Ebner asserts. The company is already using 4,000 square meters of additional warehouse space in Pogersdorf. In addition, the company has secured a plot of land in Klagenfurt as a precaution.

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Markus Ebner, manager of the Gebrüder Weiss branch in Maria Saal

© Thomas Hood

In Styria

The group currently has 36 locations across Austria. The Styrian branch is located in Kalsdorf near Graz. About 200 employees work at the site, which became operational in 2021. Due to high usage, the site was expanded in 2023 to include a hall with a usable area of ​​10,000 square metres, where an additional 25 workers are working.