Anniversary celebrations across Eastern Europe
As the Austrian-based transport and info-logistics provider celebrates its 40th anniversary worldwide, numerous country organizations throughout Eastern Europe are also observing “round” anniversaries. For example, the Czech and the Slovakian branches have reached their “thirties” while most recently, cargo-partner celebrated its 20th anniversary in Bulgaria.
On October 5, 2023, cargo-partner Bulgaria hosted a special customer celebration at its iLogistics Center Sofia on the occasion of the country organization’s 20th anniversary. The event was an opportunity to thank cargo-partner’s loyal customers for their support and celebrate the company’s milestones of the past two decades in Bulgaria.
Stefan Krauter, Founder and CEO of cargo-partner, stated in his introductory speech: “After establishing our headquarters at the Vienna airport in 1983, we were among the first Austrian companies to acknowledge the market potential of Eastern Europe, following the fall of the Iron Curtain. Thus began our expansion to other airports in the region, including Bulgaria. Two decades ago, we recognized Bulgaria’s strategic importance, with the Sofia airport playing a key role for our pan-European distribution. As we face today’s challenges of digitalization and globalization, we remain committed to fostering growth, innovation, and collaboration in the vibrant logistics landscape of Eastern Europe.”
Bulgaria: from air freight to all-round logistics solutions
cargo-partner in Bulgaria was founded in October 2003 with a focus on air transport, soon adding specialized services like live animal transport, charter, EMERGENCY and on-board courier solutions. In 2018, the company entered the warehouse business by building its own state-of-the-art iLogistics Center in Sofia with a capacity of 22,000 pallet slots. Today, cargo-partner is the leading air freight provider in Bulgaria (according to airline statistics) and offers a full range of air, sea, land transport and warehousing solutions.
Slovakia: ideally connected to intermodal network
Even ten years older, cargo-partner Slovakia celebrated its 30-year anniversary with customers in Bratislava in June. The Slovakian branch was established with just two employees in 1993. Today, the company has more than 200 employees, four offices and two modern warehouses in Bratislava and Dunajska Streda with a total area of 26,400 m². The latter provides a direct connection to the METRANS rail terminal, enabling fast transshipment. This year, cargo-partner in Slovakia received the AAA Platinum Excellence credit rating from Dun & Bradstreet, after being ranked among the most trustworthy companies in the country for five consecutive years.
Czech Republic: special expertise in temperature-controlled logistics
That same month, the cargo-partner team in the Czech Republic also hosted a customer event to celebrate cargo-partner’s 30th anniversary in the country. Today, the company not only offers expertise in air and sea freight, but can also provide temperature-controlled warehousing at its iLogistics Center in Dobrovíz near Prague with more than 12,500 m² of storage space. The local subsidiary was recently awarded the AAA Gold Excellence certificate, which is reserved for companies that have received the highest credit rating from Dun & Bradstreet for three consecutive years.
In 2023, cargo-partner in Slovakia and the Czech Republic joined the HHLA Program organized by METRANS and the Port of Hamburg, which aims to reduce carbon emissions through the use of the electric locomotives on the routes to and from the ports of Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Koper.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: still growing fast after 15 years
cargo-partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in 2008. This year, the company was awarded by the business magazine “Poslovne Novine” as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. The team in Sarajevo offers a full range of air, sea, land transport and warehousing solutions including customs brokerage, with special expertise in oversized project cargo, live animals, temperature-sensitive goods and dangerous goods.
Türkiye: fifth anniversary and opening of new warehouse
cargo-partner established its first Türkiye branch office in 2018 and now offers its services at eleven locations in the country. In July, the company opened a new 20,000 m² warehouse in Istanbul. Special strengths of cargo-partner in Türkiye include temperature-controlled foodstuffs shipments, EMERGENCY and short sea services.