Mühlacker (DE)/Weiz (AT), 1 Oktober 2024 – Craiss Generation Logistik Austria GmbH und Co. KG receives a local Managing Director in the form of Christian Walzl. He has extensive experience in logistics and business. Before Walzl took up his duties on 2nd April 2024, this position was held by Michael Craiss, Managing Director of the parent company, who supervised the Austrian business from within Germany. With the new appointment of Walzl, Craiss is focusing on the expansion and further professionalisation of its Austrian business.
"With Christian Walzl, we have gained an expert for the Craiss Group's Austrian business. Having a local contact person is crucial in order to exploit the full potential of a location and optimally understand the local business," says Michael Craiss, Managing Director of Craiss Generation Logistik GmbH & Co. KG. After just a few months in office, the new management is already planning significant changes to expand the Austrian business. This includes a new collaboration with a provider of mobility solutions, and thus the opening of a second logistics warehouse near Vienna.
Logistics expert from Western Styria
Christian Walzl has 35 years of experience in the logistics industry. He already made the acquaintance of Managing Directors Michael Craiss and Matthias Diehm during his previous positions as Managing Director of the German group Axxum GmbH, from 2018 to 2021, and of Spedition Johannes Matzhold GmbH, until the end of 2023. Both companies collaborated with the logistics expert from Mühlacker.
Walzl appreciates the trust being placed in him and looks forward to using his experience to further develop the growth and professionalisation of the Austrian business: "Craiss Austria is a young company with great potential to significantly optimise processes right from the start," says the new Managing Director. His goal is to constantly offer new services in line with customer requirements and thereby win new projects and customers.
New projects for Craiss Austria
The 50-year-old furthermore qualifies for the role due to his expertise with the customers Craiss serves in Austria. The first location in Weiz has already been set up in line with the wishes of a large energy group customer with which Walzl had previously worked. For this location, Craiss Austria primarily performs the standard inbound and outbound logistics, which had previously been covered in a complicated manner by various service providers. This transparent solution, which Craiss handles using the latest technology and clear processes, serves the company as a good reference for generating new partnerships.
The opening of a second location in Ebergassing is now imminent. Craiss Austria only found a suitable logistics area recently, and, as a result, won the tender of a large provider of mobility solutions from Vienna. The aim of the new partnership is to extend logistics services from warehouse management to transport logistics, from the warehouse to the production site.
"And that's far from being the end of the road," emphasises Walzl. The machine fitter and industrial engineer by training envisages further growth for his company. "Our locations in Austria are aligned to customer needs. That's why we can't say where we will set up a branch next, but the more expertise we demonstrate in the Austrian market, the faster we can grow. The two major customers in Weiz and Ebergassing are just the beginning," he continues.
Currently, Walzl is responsible for two locations with around 85 employees. As soon as regular operations begin at the new location, the recruitment of around 40 additional workers is planned.