Steirerkraft opens 30 million euro production and logistics plant

Steirerkraft opened a new production and logistics plant in Wollsdorf, near St. Ruprecht an der Raab in the Weiz district, on Wednesday. The company invested 30 million euros in the facility, ORF reports.

The plant will bring together the filling, storage and delivery of Steirerkraft products, including pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil and Käferbohnen, a type of bean. Steirerkraft is part of the Alwera Group. The company says the consolidation will allow it to produce larger volumes while shortening transport routes.

The Wollsdorf site was expanded with land bought for the project, and previously separate production and storage operations were brought together. Filling that had been carried out at a rented location in Dietmannsdorf has moved to Wollsdorf, along with external storage facilities. Deliveries to retailers, restaurants and other major customers will also be coordinated from the plant.

The logistics zone covers about 4,000 square metres and can handle up to 10 lorries at a time. The facility also has 4,000 pallet spaces for packaging materials, including film, cardboard boxes, bottles and cans.

Steirerkraft will use three works at the site: Werk 1 will handle the receipt, processing and storage of pumpkin seeds, as well as deliveries to industrial customers. Werk 2 will produce pumpkin seed oil, while the new Werk 3 will handle filling and centralised dispatch.

Alwera subsidiary Estyria managing director Martina Hubmann said the new layout for goods reception and storage had halved the distances travelled by forklifts. The company has also bought 29 electric forklifts. It says its development plan through 2040 will provide room to expand production and support future growth.

At the opening, Styrian Agriculture Councillor Simone Schmiedtbauer said more than 1,000 farming businesses were connected to the company. She said the link between farming, processing and marketing was important for keeping value creation in the region.