Gebrüder Weiss is expanding its network in Australia with the opening of a new Air & Sea office in Brisbane. This is now the third location operated by the international logistics company in Australia, following on from Sydney and Melbourne. The most important transhipment hub in Brisbane is the container port, which plays an important role in international trade with a record throughput of 1.56 million standard containers (2022).
“Opening a location in Brisbane represents another key step in our efforts to increase our presence in Australia. The services offered here are tailored particularly to customers from the engineering, agriculture and medical equipment sectors,” says Andrew Antonopoulos, Managing Director Australia and New Zealand at Gebrüder Weiss. “The services include air & sea transports, customs clearance and a customized logistics mix for project orders.” Most recently, Gebrüder Weiss organized the transport of an innovative solar car from Switzerland to Australia and back for the ETH Zurich’s aCentauri Solar Racing Team. The Swiss team managed to cover a distance of 3,000 km across the Australian outback using nothing but solar power.
World’s largest free trade zone driving growth
Australia’s most important partners for its import-oriented economy are China, the USA and other Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan, where Gebrüder Weiss also operates its own locations. “We offer efficient end-to-end logistics solutions for connections with the rapidly growing amount of intra-Asian traffic,” says Michael Zankel, Regional Manager East Asia/Oceania at Gebrüder Weiss. Australia’s most important trading partner in Europe is Germany, with bilateral trade rising to a record high of around 17.9 billion euros in 2022, according to Germany Trade & Invest. Negotiations between the EU and Australia on a free trade agreement are at an advanced stage.
Gebrüder Weiss has plans to open additional locations in the north and west of Australia so as to provide blanket coverage for the whole continent. The logistics provider also has a foothold in New Zealand with two locations in Auckland and Christchurch, complementing its presence in Australia.