Austria: a. hartrodt starts own national company

By opening its own company in Austria, a. hartrodt has decisively expanded its European network. Christine Mair has been Country Manager of a. hartrodt Austria at Vienna International Airport since April 2023. The 40-year-old reports to Sebastian Endt, Regional Director Central and Eastern Europe. Christine Mair has been working at Vienna Airport for 20 years, is very well connected and brings with her extensive industry knowledge from sales agents as well as international freight forwarders. "My initial focus at a. hartrodt Austria is on air freight, and I will gradually build up other important freight forwarding divisions," she announces.

a. hartrodt invests in regional specialists

Previously, a. hartrodt served Austrian customers from Germany, the Czech Republic or Slovakia. "With our own local office, negotiations are easier," says Christine Mair. In the first year, the Austrian from the province of Salzburg plans to hire a sales expert and up to three operational employees. This is in line with a. hartrodt's European sales strategy of investing in own locations and regional specialists.

SMEs with strong export industry

In close cooperation with customers and carriers, Christine Mair wants to develop "competitive solutions" for the Austrian market. The EU country with a population of around 9 million has a strong base of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with strong export industries. Christine Mair cites "food & beverage, hazardous goods/chemical products, as well as machinery and equipment manufacturing" as key sectors for local business. Also important is the internationally strongly connected automotive industry in Austria and neighboring countries such as the Czech Republic or Slovakia. "From there, many shipments are feedered to Vienna Airport and exported worldwide," reports Christine Mair.

Christine Mair is just as enthusiastic about the challenge of setting up the Austrian subsidiary for a. hartrodt as she is about the family business itself: "I'm burning for the freight forwarding business and want to make sure that my future employees are inspired by my enthusiasm for the company. "