How Gebrüder Weiss is Modernising its Logistics Facilities
Few on European soil can match Gebrüder Weiss when it comes to transport and logistics expertise and know-how.
Even fewer can match its rich history, which can be traced back to 1487, when ancestors of this family-run organisation were responsible for connecting two major trading hubs of the day: Milan and the German town of Lindau.
Known as Lindau Couriers, they journeyed through the Austrian town of Fussach and the Swiss city of Chur, over the 2,100-metre-high Splügen Pass, down to Lake Como and then onwards to Milan.
Fast forward to 1823 and Gebrüder Weiss was born when the couriers’ descendants officially registered the company and chose to locate its headquarters in Fussach, where the first logistics hub began operating.
Today, Gebrüder Weiss is a full-service logistics provider with around 8,600 employees based in 180 different locations. In 2023, the company generated revenue of US$2.65bn.
Modernising logistics facilities
Gebrüder Weiss’ portfolio encompasses transport and logistics solutions, digital services and supply chain management, with its twin strengths of digital and physical competence enabling it to respond swiftly and flexibly to customers’ needs.
The business has, over the years, implemented a wide variety of environmental, economic and social initiatives, to the extent that it is now considered a pioneer in sustainable business practices.
Gebrüder Weiss is also recognised for its desire to innovate, as demonstrated by its newly-enlarged logistics facility in Dunaharaszti, near Budapest, Hungary, which is set to handle all future home delivery services for the Greater Budapest area.
The complex covers 10,000 square metres and includes office space, a handling facility and a high-bay warehouse. Thanks to an investment of almost US$27m, Gebrüder Weiss is laser-focused on creating additional storage capacity for its customers.
"The expansion in Budapest offers room for further growth in the future,” comments Wolfram Senger-Weiss, CEO at Gebrüder Weiss. “Increasing industrial production, especially in the automotive and electrical sectors, means demand for transport and logistics services is expected to increase in the coming years.
“We opened our first Central and Eastern Europe branch in Hungary in 1989. Since then, the country has become an important hub for transporting goods between our core markets in the Black Sea region, the Balkans, the Adriatic and Western Europe. Today, our countrywide organisation in Hungary is a pioneer in automation and sustainable transport.”
Smart technology for greater efficiency
Gebrüder Weiss’ existing logistics facility was modernised as part of the aforementioned work, with inbound storage, material flow and picking now largely automated using a new AutoStore system.
Goods are stored in plastic containers stacked in a frame system, before robots transport the containers to work stations where the goods are picked for shipping.
“This saves time, space and energy," explains Thomas Schauer, Regional Manager Central and Southeastern Europe at Gebrüder Weiss.
“We achieve an even higher level of efficiency in how trucks and containers are utilised. Cargometer cameras and 3D scanners measure the packaged items while they are still on the forklift truck. By ascertaining the size and weight of these items, we can make optimum use of the available space.”
Meanwhile, the majority of the energy required for buildings and e-vehicles at the upgraded facility is supplied by a photovoltaic system with an output of up to 354 kWp.
E-vans are used to deliver furniture, consumer electronics and household appliances ordered online to end customers in Budapest and other major cities, enabling Gebrüder Weiss to cut CO2 emissions by around 12.5 tonnes per month.”
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