The international transport specialist is opening a new distribution centre for the Balkans and Central Asia near Sofia and investing over 10 million euros in the site. Elin Pelin/Lauterach - The international transport and logistics company Gebrüder Weiss will be holding a ceremony to mark the opening of its new Bulgarian branch in Musachevo/Elin Pelin, near Sofia, at the end of May. "The new terminal in Elin Pelin is intended to serve as a central distribution centre for the Balkan region and for transports toward Central Asia. In addition to being ideally situated with regard to transport connections, above all it will offer more space for the logistics business and help to drive forward the current expansion in these regions," says Thomas Moser, Regional Manager South East/CIS at Gebrüder Weiss. More than 10 million euros have been invested in the new building, which replaces the previous site in Sofia. The new logistics centre fulfils the highest technical standards and comprises several logistics facilities (6,000 m²), handling areas (1,880 m²) and office premises (1,300 m²). The facility is designed to provide scope for further growth in the coming years. "At the Elin Pelin site we are offering the entire Gebrüder Weiss service portfolio. This ranges from overland transports via air and sea freight to individual logistics solutions. Here, too, all services will be provided according to the familiar high quality standards of Gebrüder Weiss," reports Marieta Grigorova, Country Manager at Gebrüder Weiss Bulgaria. The new building allowed staff numbers to increase from 60 to around 90 employees on site. More than 20 years of success in Bulgaria In view of the moderate economic growth in Bulgaria, the company is satisfied with its business operations at this location. "The Bulgarian market has proved to be a stable factor in earlier periods of economic difficulty," says Thomas Moser. "We are investing in the long term and assume that Bulgaria will be able to adapt quickly to each new situation." Thanks to regional logistics expertise and Gebrüder Weiss' established Eastern European network, orders have shown a positive development over the last few years. In the last year alone, the number of consignments increased by 35 per cent. International and domestic customers from the mechanical engineering and IT sectors in particular use the Bulgarian site as a regional distribution centre. Gebrüder Weiss has been operating in Bulgaria since 1993. Right from the very early years, the logistics company made a name for itself in the area of groupage freight transport. The previous facility in Sofia was built in 2003. Today, Gebrüder Weiss Bulgaria makes 70 per cent of its turnover from domestic and international overland transports. In addition, the last three to four years have seen warehouse logistics and air and sea freight gain in importance. Even before the new terminal in Elin Pelin was completed, the location in Sofia operated as a groupage freight hub for transports to Turkmenistan. The company is currently planning direct services to its sites in Turkey and Georgia and is developing transport solutions for further countries in Central Asia.