Setting the course for the future

Hödlmayr is now getting ready for the changeover

The fleet of vehicle transporters was increased by 30 to 600 last year.(Bild: Hödlmayr International)

Johannes Alexander Hödlmayr (32) will be the third generation to take the helm at the vehicle logistics company of the same name this summer, which will soon be moving towards e-trucks and also pushing ahead with rail transport. With the latter, the company from Schwertberg is killing two birds with one stone.

"We know where we are strong. Our focus is on automotive, that's our core business. And that will remain the case," says Johannes Alexander Hödlmayr, who will take over the helm at Hödlmayr International in a few weeks as the representative of the third generation.

Tried and tested: Adaptability
The 32-year-old has been with the company since 2019 and also drove the development of the vision, in which the Schwertberg-based company looked ahead to 2050 - knowing full well that the world of mobility alone is highly dynamic. Hödlmayr is not worried about this: "We have always been good at one thing, and that was adaptability."

Johannes Alexander Hödlmayr (center) will lead Hödlmayr International from the summer. At his side: Andreas Sundl (l.) and Robert Horvath.(Bild: Harald Dostal)

The previous year gave the family business a tailwind: turnover broke the €400 million mark for the first time, more vehicles were transported than ever before at 1.9 million, 100 employees were hired and the number of vehicle transporters increased to 600.

Fixed: the Graz site is now receiving its first electric truck. "With a maximum range of 300 kilometers, we can only use electric trucks within a very narrow radius," says CFO Robert Horvath.

Goal: shifting more from road to rail
The aim of shifting more transportation to rail kills two birds with one stone. Rail transportation saves CO2 emissions and also helps to escape the tense situation on the truck driver market, as confirmed by Andreas Sundl, Managing Director Operations.