cargo-partner Celebrates Opening of iLogistics Center near Ljubljana Airport
On Thursday, September 12, cargo-partner celebrated the official opening of its iLogistics Center Ljubljana with more than 300 guests. The iLogistics Center in immediate vicinity of Ljubljana Airport had taken up operations in August. After one month of successful operations, the opening celebration was hosted as an opportunity to thank the responsible project team as well as key customers and partners in the region and celebrate the success together.
The evening was kicked off with brief opening speeches by cargo-partner’s CEO Stefan Krauter and the company’s Managing Director in Slovenia, Viktor Kastelic, as well as Sigrid Berka, the Austrian Ambassador to Slovenia, and Alenka Bratušek, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure of Slovenia. After this, Mr. Kastelic invited the iLogistics Center project team to the stage to honor them for the successful construction and implementation. The following gala dinner was accompanied by an extravagant light show, live music performed by the a cappella jazz band “Perpetuum Jazzile” as well as an unusual dance show with parcels, led by renowned Slovenian choreographer Miha Krušič.
Viktor Kastelic, Managing Director of cargo-partner in Slovenia, explained his motivations behind the 28 million euro investment as follows: “Our goal was to make use of this important, strategic hub in the heart of Europe with a state-of-the-art logistics complex and to bring our headquarters as well as our other offices in Ljubljana together under one roof. We put a lot of love into this project as we want to offer the best working conditions, be a great employer for our staff and the best partner for our customers!”
Stefan Krauter, CEO of cargo-partner, expressed his delight about the timely completion of the project and the company’s growing presence in Slovenia: “With its favorable geostrategic position, Slovenia is a natural connection between Central and Southeast Europe. In addition, the ports of Koper and Trieste provide an important connecting point to Asia and the Mediterranean. This major investment will further solidify our strong network and long-standing expertise in Central and Eastern Europe and provide the ideal basis for our continuing growth.”
Sigrid Berka, Austrian Ambassador to Slovenia, emphasized the importance of the investment for the development of the region and commended cargo-partner for recognizing the significance of Slovenia as a thriving European logistics hub as well as for the creation of modern and attractive workplaces.
The construction project was designed in cooperation with the architects of Protim Ržišnik Perc and, despite the complexity and size of the building, was completed within eleven months. Over the course of August 2019, all cargo-partner offices and warehouses in Ljubljana, including the company’s Slovenian head office, moved to the new premises, while cargo-partner’s Koper office remains in Sermin.
About the warehouse facility
With a total area of 25,000 m², the iLogistics Center Ljubljana is one of the largest warehouse complexes in the country. The warehouse has 44 truck loading docks and offers more than 20,000 pallet slots. In addition, the facility contains a 6,000 m² small parts store and handling area as well as 5,000 m² of cross-dock and block storage space. An additional storage building with 8,000 m² can be added next to the current warehouse at a later stage.
The center enables storage under temperature-controlled conditions and meets the requirements for storing and handling the most demanding goods, such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, automotive and high-tech goods. The high-rack aisles contain a combination of induction-guided narrow-aisle racking and standard wide-aisle racking systems. The warehouse complies with the TAPA standard and is strictly access-controlled.
Based on many years of experience and state-of-the-art equipment, the company provides a range of contract logistics services at the new facility, including short and long-term storage, picking and packing, labeling, cross-docking, consolidation, multi-channel distribution, and comprehensive eFulfillment for online stores.
About the office building
The office building provides 4,000 m² of office space on four floors in an energy-efficient construction with integrated smart technology. The third and fourth floors house cargo-partner’s own offices, while the second floor is available to external tenants who wish to take advantage of the beneficial location and modern facility. The ground floor contains the reception desk, common meeting rooms, office spaces for tenants as well as a recreation area for cargo-partner’s employees.
Viktor Kastelic, Managing Director of cargo-partner in Slovenia, on the staff’s reaction to the new facility: “With its open and modern design, our office environment offers various informal break-out areas where colleagues can get together for spontaneous collaboration. In addition, a cafeteria, terrace and balconies provide further spaces for relaxation and creative communication. Our staff has greeted the new working environment with great enthusiasm, which I am especially pleased with.”
Just like the warehouse, the business facilities are designed to follow the latest trends. In addition to attractive offices, large glass surfaces and terraces offer stunning view of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps on one side and the airport at the other. The green wall in the lobby is another special feature. In addition to many dynamic corners for relaxation and socializing, as well as a large modern kitchen with a dining area for 50 people, there is also a fitness room for cargo-partner’s staff. The building is equipped with automated lighting control, smart air conditioning controls as well as controlled access to indoor spaces. There are electric car charging stations in front of the office building.
Strategic expansion of worldwide logistics capacities
cargo-partner has been present in Slovenia since 1996 and currently has over 100 employees in the country. With its iLogistics Center Ljubljana, the company is creating 30 new jobs in the first stage and makes a significant contribution to the economic development of the region. In 2018, SPIRIT Slovenia honored this contribution with the Invest Slovenia FDI Award in the category “Logistics Center/Hub”.
In recent years, the cargo-partner group has been heavily investing into the expansion of its worldwide contract logistics capacities. Beside the project near Ljubljana Airport, the most recent investments include new iLogistics Centers in Sofia, Vienna and Prague as well as the ongoing expansion of the iLogistics Center in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia.