Gebrüder Weiss continues on its positive course
During the fiscal year year 2012, GW continued to experience positive growth in all company divisions / the number of employees rose by 13% to 5,250
In 2012, Gebrüder Weiss continued on its course of positive growth. Turnover was up approx. 8% on the previous fiscal year, with the company recording provisional net sales of 1.15 billion euros. Despite the general sense of crisis and Europe-wide sales difficulties, particularly in the fourth quarter, the company was still able to continue on its successful expansion course that began a few years ago. Chairman Wolfgang Niessner is pleased with the growth: “Even though the overall dynamics are not quite on a par with 2011, some individual branches and regions have once again shown outstanding performance over the last fiscal year.”
Huge investments to strengthen our position in strategically important markets took priority in 2012. As well as bolstering our physical presence, says Niessner, large investments were also made in technology and expertise and more consistent work was carried out on the journey towards Service Excellence. “This should help us to continue to be prepared for the tough competition and difficult economic conditions that we face.”
New: “Important platform in the Caucasus“
The high equity ratio (which is the same as last year at 58%) meant that we could also make investments in 2012 by and large independently of credit institutions. Once again, in 2012, investments were considerably higher than in the previous year: Gebrüder Weiss spent almost 50 million euros on further developing its global network. In Tbilisi, Georgia, work began to construct a 10,000 square metre logistics facility, which will be brought on line in the very near future. “By penetrating the Georgian market, Gebrüder Weiss is developing an important platform in the Caucasus which will be extremely beneficial for lots of existing customers,” says CFO Wolfram Senger-Weiss. “By taking over the haulage firms Diehl and Sprenger, we have also strengthened our network in South Germany.” The new terminal in Jeneč in the Prague region also started operations in autumn. Extensive new building and renovation work at the company headquarters in Lauterach, Vorarlberg, also started in November 2012. As part of an overarching building project, focus is being placed here on modernising and extending the loading and unloading plant and the logistics facility so that the company can ensure that the site continues to be competitive in the long term.
Land Transport registers more than 10% growth in turnover
The Land Transport business area made a major contribution to growth in 2012. Gebrüder Weiss managed to increase consolidated turnover by more than 10% from 707 to 780 million euros. Key to the positive development of this division were, above all, the stable partner network and the successful establishment of Europe-wide regular services under the “GW pro.line” label.
The Logistics Solutions division has also been making good progress. Once again, Gebrüder Weiss has positioned itself, with a wealth of outstanding projects, as a powerful full-service logistics provider. In recognition of its high level of service quality in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the Commonwealth of Independent States, the customer Hewlett-Packard named Gebrüder Weiss as its Regional Logistics Supplier of the Year. “We are very proud and pleased to have received this award,” says Wolfgang Niessner, who sees it as recognition of strong customer service and performance.
Air & Sea division concentrates on the Far East
In 2012 the Air & Sea division registered turnover of 243 million euros, an increase of nearly 3%. The company once again focussed its efforts mainly on East Asia. “By taking over the Japanese air and sea freight company JHB Express, which is based in Osaka, we were able to considerably strengthen our transportation sector within Asia,” says Board Member Heinz Senger-Weiss. Gebrüder Weiss also strengthened its position in Taiwan and China. During the summer it celebrated its 20th anniversary of successful operations in China. Board Member Heinz Senger-Weiss said that a key factor in the success had been personal continuity, which made it possible to embed specific GW values and processes even far away from traditional markets. Gebrüder Weiss now has 342 employees at 17 locations in the People’s Republic of China. “Our sound basis in the Far East has also enabled us to further develop the transpacific route. Both sides have worked extremely hard to further develop this important trade lane over the last few years,” says Heinz Senger-Weiss.
Gebrüder Weiss’s Parcel Service, which offers DPD services in the majority of Austria's federal states, was able to increase its consolidated turnover by approx. 2% to 125 million euros and defend its position as the market leader in the B2B parcel sector. “Our subsidiary company inet-logistics, the European market leader in transport management software solutions (TMS), also enjoyed positive growth with an increase in turnover of 12%,” says Board Member and head of department Peter Kloiber. x|vise innovative logistics has added webshop and e-business solutions to its solutions portfolio and is experiencing constant growth and provides excellent operational logistics consultancy.
In 2012 it was once again proven that Gebrüder Weiss is one of the most attractive employers in the market: as part of the Austrian “Great Place to Work” competition, the company received the coveted seal of approval. Gebrüder Weiss also won the renowned special prize for “Best Employer for Apprentices”. “We focus heavily on our employees and trainees by supporting them in their specific field of work by offering targeted qualification and development measures,” says Peter Kloiber. In line with development of the orange network, the average total workforce has also increased by approx. 13% to 5,250.