Internationale Spedition Schneckenreither - Ansfelden, Austria

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Interview with

Mr. Christian Fazekas
Partner Management

Christian, could you tell our readers a bit about the history of Schneckenreither?

As with so many family-owned businesses, it started with humble beginnings in 1960 with one truck in Ansfelden which is geographically more or less in the middle of Austria. Over the years it expanded and is now run by the 2^nd generation. Schneckenreither currently has 500+ employees, a fleet of 170 of their own trucks, 115 000 sq. meters of covered warehouse space, and 14 locations in Austria. Our owners are still involved, and we have the advantage of a quick decision-making process from the top.

What is your main line of business concerning logistics nowadays? I understand your company is now expanding more into overseas project logistics as well, right?

Yes, the backbone, of course, is trucking and warehousing (also temperature-controlled), and we are now going deeper into Air & Ocean as well as smaller projects. Using our local big footprint makes sense. The connections we built over the years in the trucking business, we utilize in other segments as well. It is, for example, not so easy to get listed with certain clients, but due to the fact that we have been working on the trucking side for many years with them, we also have access to bid on projects and overseas business.

Austria is a landlocked country. Which ports do you mainly use for import/export? Are you also sometimes using the Danube River?

The main port we are using is Hamburg. The Danube river is an alternative but is more for bulk cargo as well as projects.

What is your own background in logistics? I understand that you have been based abroad for quite a few years before moving back to your native Austria?

Yes, I grew up, so to speak, in Logistics, and I am now in my 35^th year in the industry. I have seen a lot, but I guess if I stay another 35 years in Logistics, I still won’t have seen it all. The journey started in Austria and included the Olympic Winter Games 2002 in Salt Lake City Then, the Middle East until 2007 and after that East Africa until 2018. Now, I am finally back to where it all began. It is and was an amazing journey, and I guess once you’ve survived the first couple of years in the Logistics field, you find that you can’t let go of it.

What about the strengths of Schneckenreither? What can you tell us?

The clear strength is that we have short decision-making processes and own assets. So, if we need to make it work, we make it work. This benefits our clients as well as our partners. We don’t promise things we can’t do. At the moment, warehouse space is tight everywhere. Clients changed their strategies after COVID and now the situation in the Ukraine. So, it’s good to have a bit of stock within the country when getting containers and trucks when needed does not always go smoothly.