November 5 (SeeNews) - The Slovenian unit of international integrated logistics services provider Schenker plans to raise its net profit by more than 20% to 2.5 million euro ($3.6 million) in the current year, and finish the construction of two warehouses by 2010, the unit’s managing director said.
“Turnover will be approximately 35 million euro and the net profit will be 2.5 million euro,” Rok Svetek told SeeNews on the sidelines of the Investment Conference held by The Slovenia Times newspaper in Ljubljana in October. “It is more than 20% rise in net profit and 25% growth of turnover,” he said.
Schenker has one warehouse in Slovenia. It is located in Ljubljana and has an area of 27,000 square metres.
Schenker plans to build a second warehouse in Ljubljana, worth 40 million euro, by 2010. The company is looking for a land plot for the warehouse, which will have an area of some 40,000 square metres, Svetek said.
“Schenker has decided to develop a network of warehouses in Slovenia,” Svetek said, adding that the company has invested 20 million euro for the purpose so far.
Schenker is now building a warehouse in Slovenia’s second largest city of Maribor. It will be finished in February and will be worth 6.0 million euro, excluding the cost of the land.
Schenker entered the Slovenian market in 2002 through the acquisition of local company Intertrans. In 2006 the company was renamed to Schenker d.d.
Svetek said that now it is easier for a foreign logistics company to enter Slovenia because the country already is a member of the European Union. Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 and the eurozone on January 1, 2007. "There are less and less obstacles [...] Condistions are the same as in Europe," Svetek said.
In Slovenia, a country of two million people, Schenker competes mainly with local rivals Intereuropa and Viator&Vektor. “Our competitors are few [in Slovenia] but now we compete in Europe,” Svetek said.
“Every time when we negotiate with customers, they have Hungary, and now Romania and Bulgaria in their sleeves,” he said. Hungary also joined the EU in 2004, while the two Black Sea neighbours Bulgaria and Romania, entered the bloc on January 1, 2007.
Slovenia's logistics market is considered to have potential for growth as the country lies on two of the EU-defined transport corridors. Corridor X links Austria with Greece via former Yugoslavia, and Corridor V links Italy with Ukraine. The Adriatic country also has a seaport, Koper, three international airports and 12 smaller airports.
“The potential may be very high if we know how to adjust to the needs of our customers,” Svetek said. “If we can’t adjust, customers will go to other places,” he added.
($ = 0.69 euro)