Helmut Schweighofer, CEO of DB Schenker in Austria and South East Europe, and Bernd Labugger, Director of the DB Schenker office in Graz, broke ground for the new facility at the Cargo Center in Graz together with their project partners, Franz Glanz, Managing Director of the site developer CCGL Projekt GmbH; and DI Peter Schaller, Managing Director of the Porr construction company. A total of EUR 25 million is being invested in the new facility, which will have a total area of 70,000 m².
The integrated terminal will consist of a 2,800 m² office building, a 3,500 m² transshipment section, and a logistics section with an area of just under 27,000 m². DB Schenker will thus double its total occupied space in the state of Styria and create capacity for 250 new jobs.
Construction of the new centre will transform the two existing DB Schenker facilities in the Graz region into a modern integrated logistics terminal. “This consolidation will enable us to respond more quickly and flexibly to our customers’ requirements because it will bring together all different transport options under one roof,” says Bernd Labugger.
Along with state-of-the-art IT solutions and the latest safety standards, the new facility will also offer solid environmental benefits. For example, the entire centre, including the transshipment section, will be equipped with LED lighting systems that adapt to ambient lighting conditions. A temperature of between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius will be maintained over an area of 8,000 m² at the facility. This will enable the storage of temperature-sensitive items such as pharmaceutical products and ensure that the extensive warehousing requirements of the Austrian pharmaceutical companies and Schenker customers Genericon and G.L. Pharma can be met.
According to DB Schenker the new facility in Graz will be the most modern freight logistics centre south of the Alps. Transport operations will be quite efficient, as there will be direct connections to the A2 and A9 highways and a link to the rail network via the Graz Süd Intermodal Terminal. Customers can also take advantage of a daily block-train shuttle service between the Adriatic port city of Koper and Werndorf.
