Sustainable investment by Gebrüder Weiss

A more detailed look at the turnover: The largest share of 30 per cent came, as previously, from international surface traffic. Logistics played an increasingly significant role at 28 per cent. Niessner stressed: ”Logistics solutions are an important pillar of our business. We have the right size and the right organisation, and we have the highly qualified personnel that are needed to develop and provide individual solutions for our customers.”

A further pillar to the company, alongside freight forwarding and logistics, is its parcel services.  Gebrüder Weiss parcel services provide DPD services in the majority of the Austrian states. ”In the past year our parcel services turnover has increased to the very high level of 124.4 million Euros,” said Peter Kloiber, who heads GW parcel services. The management board member went on to say, ”Supply chain software solutions from Inet-Logistics, and the logistics consulting services provided by x|vise, have developed well during 2007. Inet-Logistics managed to acquire twenty new customers over the past year.”

Sustainable course of investment
Gebrüder Weiss remains on its course of investment. Finance director Wolfram Senger-Weiss went on to say: ”We invested over 40 million Euros in 2007. Despite this massive investment, our equity ratio remains stable at around 50 per cent.” In 2007 GW invested in land and logistics depots in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

Expansion takes place according to ecological principles. For example, one of the biggest photovoltaic systems in Allgäu went into service last year on the roof of a newly-built GW warehouse. Shiny new solar panels cover an area of 1,016 m2 and produce 134,000 kilowatt hours of environmentally friendly power per year. ”We are aware of our responsibilities as a company. When investing, we are always careful to bring about economically sound and ecologically sustainable solutions,” said Senger-Weiss on the additional 700,000 Euros of investment funds.

Strong Eastern Europe logistics network
The investment programme of over 100 million Euros in Central and Eastern Europe continues to be a focal point. In an initial phase, GW has completed new land purchases in Romania and Slovakia as well as an extension to its Hungarian site. To strengthen the GW network, further investments are planned in 2008 for securing the locations in Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and the Czech Republic. The construction of modern freight forwarding terminals in Romania and Slovakia are also on the agenda. ”Planned investments will exceed 50 million Euros in 2008. With this investment we want to provide our customers with a range of solutions from within an integrated organisation. In the foreground is a technically efficient logistics network which is based on a common corporate culture,” stated Wolfgang Niessner. Alongside the building plans for Eastern Europe are investment plans for new logistics depots in Austria and Switzerland.

Global growth
Air & Sea board member Heinz Senger-Weiss is very pleased with developments in his area of responsibility: ”With our joint-venture partner Röhlig, we have been able to achieve a combined turnover of 270 million Euros. Consolidated turnover for Gebrüder Weiss Air & Sea amounted in 2007 to around 188 million Euros. Every part of our global network is developing satisfactorily.” The network has been continually expanded. New offices have been opened at overseas locations (Taiwan, Canada and China) as well as within Europe (Romania and the Ukraine). ”We have significantly expanded our structure within the past year. There are now 450 personnel working overseas. This means a growth of over 30 per cent compared to last year,” said Senger-Weiss on the current situation.

Climate protection by rail
”Even when it’s about CO2 reductions, it’s results that count for us. In theory, climate protection is easy – actually doing it requires having the courage to travel new roads,” said Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Niessner. ”The interplay between economically sound and ecologically sustainable targets creates a basis. We have put ourselves on the road to refining this interplay,” continued Niessner.

GW is on a course for a resource-saving future. Since January of this year, the Orange Combi Cargo (OCC) makes daily journeys between Vienna and Vorarlberg with a stop at Hall/Tirol. This can save 15,000 HGV journeys per year. This means 2.5 million fewer litres of diesel and an annual reduction of CO2 emissions by 9,000 metric tons. GW provides, as the first freight forwarder from the private sector, a cost effective and financially viable alternative for existing transport requirements between east and west Austria, while maintaining constant transport capacity – and at a plus for the eco-balance sheet.

In 2007 the company reduced its energy and paper consumption by an average of 5 per cent for each employee. The target for 2008 is a further 5 per cent reduction. A sustainability report will outline environmental targets for each branch and their achievement will be measured against key figures. The commitment to maintaining these targets is high. The management board will rate environmental achievements in the same way as financial performance when assessing a branch office.

The Gebrüder Weiss Corporation
The Gebrüder Weiss Corporation with headquarters in Lauterach (Vorarlberg, Austria) has a total of more than 4,700 employees at 132 locations worldwide. GW is represented in Central and Eastern Europe in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine. For the 2007 financial year, the logistics enterprise generated a turnover of 950 million euros.