Mühlacker (DE)/Jászkisér (HU), 6 June 2024 – Expansion of foreign routes: the CRAISS Group is integrating a fixed connection from its Hungarian site, via Germany, to Portugal into its timetable. Thanks to cooperation with a German customer, the transport and logistics expert now runs weekly journeys with a total of three drivers. As part of its internationalisation strategy, the logistics service provider is also planning another site in western Hungary.
"Hungary and Portugal are important markets for us and for many of our German customers as well. We have been recording growing flows of goods for years. We have now created a transport service between Eastern and Western Europe for a German manufacturer," says Mark Mitterhuber, Managing Director of the Hungarian company CRAISS Generation Logistik Kft. The forwarding and logistics company already has more than 25 years of experience in Eastern Europe.
Until now, CRAISS's Hungarian business has mainly handled the flow of goods between Eastern European suppliers and the German automotive industry. The new connection to Portugal is an important milestone that should serve as a model for further stages of internationalisation.
The Swabian logistics company's new truck transport route covers over 6,000 kilometres and connects several locations. It is one of the longest routes in the timetable. The trucks set off every Friday from Hungary. The first driver transports the freight within Hungary to the western border. There, two main drivers take over the vehicle and bring it to Portugal via Germany. The entire round-trip journey lasts from the Friday to the Saturday of the following week, i.e., eight days. Optional stops are available.
"Thanks to the special model with three drivers and the division of the route, we guarantee compliance with driving and rest times while, at the same time, ensuring that the goods are transported as quickly as possible," explains Mitterhuber. With a fixed departure day and access to existing structures at its own site in Jászkisér, CRAISS aims to offer its customers the necessary security in planning at all times.
In addition, the Hungarian CRAISS team, which has grown from 20 to 41 employees in recent years, is constantly expanding its range of services with tailor-made transport solutions. Investment in innovative vehicle configurations is part of the family-run company's commitment to more efficient route planning. One example is the double-decker megatrailer with closure rails, which transports non-stackable goods efficiently and, at the same time, enables maximum capacity utilisation.
CRAISS Hungary Managing Director, Mitterhuber, is satisfied with the latest developments in the international business: "The consistently positive situation in Jászkisér and our successful cooperation with representatives of the automotive and steel industries are prompting us to push ahead with the planning of a further site in western Hungary and further internationalisation measures."