(Marchtrenk, Austria, September 25th, 2024) The starting gun was officially fired on September 25th as part of a ground-breaking ceremony, launching the expansion of the TGW headquarters in Marchtrenk. CEO Henry Puhl celebrated the commencement of construction together with the Governor of Upper Austria Thomas Stelzer and Paul Mahr, mayor of the town of Marchtrenk. In the face of an economically challenging environment, this large-scale investment is a clear affirmation of the Upper Austrian location.
The Evolution Park is the international headquarters of TGW Logistics, and the technology company's second Austrian location after Wels. Of the company's 4,400 employees around the world, 2,500 work in Upper Austria, and the export rate is 97 percent. TGW Logistics is investing in a nearly 270,000 ft² production building and a highly-automated storage system that will be finished by the summer of 2026. Shuttle robots, storage and retrieval machines, unit load conveyors and more will be manufactured in the new spaces and exported worldwide.
The highly automated warehouse will consist of a so-called shuttle warehouse for totes, in which robots will handle the storage and retrieval of components at lightning speed, as well as a high-bay warehouse with 11,000 storage locations for pallets. After retrieval, mobile TGW robots will transport the components to the assembly workstations completely autonomously.
TGW Logistics is counting on local companies, regional value creation, and sustainability for this construction. "Heat pumps will handle heating and cooling the building," emphasizes Henry Puhl, Chief Executive Officer of TGW Logistics. "Given optimal sunshine, the 77,500 ft² photovoltaic system will allow us to cover our electrical energy needs entirely via solar energy."
"TGW Logistics was founded in 1969 as a small metalworking shop in Wels with ten employees. Today we have 24 locations on three continents, serve customers around the world, and rank among the leading warehouse automation specialists," Henry Puhl adds. "And yet we are deeply rooted in Upper Austria. This expansion is therefore an affirmation of this location."
"Despite the challenging economic circumstances, we are very deliberately making this investment now," stresses Henry Puhl. "It is clear to us that warehouse automation is an industry of the future that boasts great potential. With this expansion, we are laying the groundwork for exploiting that potential in the coming years."