Innofreight from Bruck

Record and expansion: rail company defies the crisis

Innofreight's wagons are also on the road with the Styrian heart.

(Bild: Innocube)

The rail logistics company Innofreight has achieved by far its best result to date this year - and is expecting further growth despite the recession. The company remains loyal to its location in Bruck, where a major new project will soon be launched that will shape the entrance to the city.

Fortunately, the economy does not only consist of bad news such as KTM or Kika/Leiner: on this sunny day in Bruck, Peter Wanek-Pusset, the owner of the rail logistics company Innofreight, can present astonishing figures: The entire group of companies moved 50 million tons of goods this year (an increase of 20 percent on 2023), turnover exceeded the 300 million euro mark for the first time - and Wanek-Pusset says: "We expect further growth."

Founded in 2002, the Bruck-based company relies on a flexible, modular system of superstructures, wagons and loading and unloading technologies for the transportation of raw materials. "Our system is becoming the European standard in rail freight transport," says Wanek-Pusset proudly.

We are already one of the major players in Europe and plan to grow further. The expansion of the Southern Railway will give an additional boost to freight and passenger transport.

Peter Wanek-Pusset

Own factory with the world's largest shipping company
Customers include the steel, paper and building materials industries, such as Voestalpine, Mondi and Kronspan (chipboard). A particularly close partnership has been entered into with the world's largest shipping company MSC in the form of a joint venture, and a wagon factory is even being built together in Trieste (Italy).

 "Our goal is to move more and more transports from road to environmentally friendly rail," says Innofreight's owner. The fact that there are fewer and fewer long-distance truck drivers on the one hand and that many state railroads have an outdated fleet on the other plays into the hands of the Upper Styrians.

Peter Hatz, Peter Wanek-Pusset and Erich Weber (from left).

(Bild: Innocube)

Incidentally, they are clearly committed to the Bruck site, where 140 people are currently employed (the entire group with all partners has 2000 employees). "We want to secure jobs in the long term," emphasizes Managing Director Peter Hatz.

Green light for multi-million expansion
An exclamation mark will be set as early as 2025. As the recently built company headquarters at the entrance to the city is already too small, an innovation center will be built on the other side of the large traffic circle. This area used to be part of the "Brucker Spinne", a road junction with many bridges.

The new innovation center is being built on the former Europan site.

(Bild: Innocube)

The aim is to further develop transport logistics here, but also to rent space to other companies. "We are already in contact with international companies," says Innopark Managing Director Erich Weber. The existing range of e-charging stations for trucks will also be expanded. Investment volume: 35 million euros. Start of construction: second quarter of 2025.