New state-of-the-art handling facility opened in Esslingen / Investment: 6 million euros / Regional focus on the "Silk Road" Lauterach/Esslingen, 27 September 2016. Gebrüder Weiss formally inaugurated its new handling facility at its location in Esslingen near Stuttgart on 23 September. Some 70 guests, including representatives of local companies, attended the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony and received a guided tour of the state-of-the art terminal. "The new infrastructure will enable us to offer even faster lead times in cargo handling and to meet our customers' demands for shorter transport times," says Jochen Gonser, Branch Manager of Gebrüder Weiss Esslingen. Equipped with improved soundproofing, energy-efficient lighting and a state-of-the-art CCTV system, the new warehouse meets the highest standards in terms of technology, security and environmental protection. Approximately 6 million euros has been invested in the expansion project.  Sustainable: commuter traffic reduced "By concentrating our handling activities in Esslingen, we have considerably simplified our transport processes in Baden-Württemberg," says Jochen Gonser about the advantages of the new concept. Until the beginning of this year, the goods to be handled were distributed across several locations in the region. The current solution enables the logistics experts to cut about 30 regional truck runs per day. "By concentrating on a single handling facility, we can continuously load directly from the collection truck to the long-distance truck. This makes the processes much faster and more efficient," says the branch manager. From Esslingen to China – transports from a single source Over the last few years, Gebrüder Weiss has not only expanded its transport services to Eastern Europe but also increasingly toward Central Asia – along the former Silk Road. "Our customers are already profitting from our seamless network of locations between southern Germany and China," says Gonser. The 150 locations of the parent company worldwide include branches in Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China.  Gebrüder Weiss currently employs 240 members of staff at the Esslingen location, around 50 of these in the cargo handling terminal. The facility has good transport connections, since it is located directly on the B10 main road and close to the A8 motorway, so efficient on-carriage is guaranteed. The established range of services includes general cargo transports throughout Europe with approximately 80 direct transports as well as partial and full loads.