What you should know about Gebrüder Weiss

On the move since 1474
Gebrüder Weiss is the world’s oldest logistics company. It evolved directly from the Milanese Courier messenger service, which operated between Lindau in Germany and Milan in northern Italy, and can be traced back at least as far as 1474.

Rooted in Vorarlberg
The free imperial city of Lindau was once a major trading hub on Lake Constance. On the opposite shore is the small town of Fussach, where numerous messengers and transport operators serviced the route to its northern neighbor. At the end of the 18th century, the messenger Johann Kasimir Weiss purchased a trading post in ­Fussach where items could be stored and distributed. This was a watershed moment, marking the messenger service’s evolution into a freight forwarding provider. Later, the company’s headquarters was relocated to Bregenz – and much later, namely in 1985, to Lauterach.

Why Gebrüder Weiss?
In 1823, the trading post passed into the possession of Josef Weiss who, together with his half-brothers Leonhard and Johann Alois Karl Weiss, ran it under a new name: Spedition Gebrüder Weiss. “Gebrüder” means “brothers” in German, and the company name translates as Weiss Brothers’ Freight Forwarders. Three years later, the service to Milan was nationalized.

Why is Gebrüder Weiss orange?
In the 1930s, when a customer required an urgent delivery, the then company manager Ferdinand Weiss dispatched a truck that was still unpainted. However, it had already been rust-proofed, so it was orange. Everybody was agog at the unusual color which proved an advertising sensation. And over the years the company has decided to embrace it.

Worldwide family
The organization employs more than 7,400 people at over 170 locations in 35 countries.

The group’s operational focuses
Gebrüder Weiss has its origins in land transport, but over time it has built up a global network of air and sea freight hubs as well. It also offers logistics solutions at most of its locations. These range from handling and warehousing inbound goods through to order picking and e-commerce solutions. Over and beyond this, Gebrüder Weiss also provides parcel delivery services.

Values
Gebrüder Weiss has defined four core operational principles: Service Excellence, Independence, Commitment and Sustainability. Once a year, management honors individuals whose outstanding projects exemplify one of these qualities.