STA, 17 December 2018 - Swiss group Kuehne + Nagel inaugurated on Monday one of its largest pharmaceutical logistics centres near Ljubljana's international airport. The 88,000 square-metre complex, which was launched earlier in the autumn, has almost 38,000 square metres of warehouse space.
Kuehne + Nagel did not reveal which company it is servicing, but it is known this is Swiss multinational Novartis, for which this is the largest warehouse in Europe and one of the largest in the world.
The centre is designed for storing and distributing end products and materials for the pharmaceutical industry around the world. Drugs from it travel to 120 countries around the world, mostly by sea and land, but some also by air.
The centre is currently operating at some 70% of its capacity, but should be in full swing by the end of March.
As the Swiss logistics group expects further growth in Slovenia, it has already started building a new high-tech distribution centre nearby.
The centre will be built in three stages, with the first one encompassing some 4,500 square metres of warehouse areas.
Since it does not require controlled temperature and humidity, it is seen as less demanding than the pharmaceutical complex.
Borut Vrviščar, the CEO of Kuehne + Nagel Slovenija, did not want to disclose the value of the investments as he addressed reporters today.
But he did say the group's Slovenian subsidiary planned two-digit growth as well as growth in the number of employees.
There are currently 180 employees working in Brnik, but the figure is expected to rise to around 250 by the end of 2019.
Well-trained and motivated staff part of the appeal of Slovenia
Hansjoerg Rodi, regional manager at Kuehne + Nagel Europe, said that well-trained and motivated staff made Slovenia a good market for investments.
He explained Kuehne + Nagel had decided to invest in the Brnik facility because of a certain deal, but the group now saw new opportunities for growth in the pharmaceutical industry and in other areas, so it kept investing.
Meanwhile, Vrviščar said a new logistics centre Austria's Cargo-partner is building near Kuehne + Nagel's complex was no direct competition as the Austrians were involved in a different segment of the logistics industry.
However, he said they would all benefit from the Slovenian government building a rail link to Ljubljana's Jože Pučnik Airport.
Kuehne + Nagel's new facilities are built by Austria's developer Invest4See and then rented by the Swiss logistics group.
