History

In 1898, the Toggenburg farmer Johann Scherrer decided to set up his own farm in Bazenheid. He bought a piece of meadowland on Bahnhofstrasse and built a house with a stable and barn on it. With the energetic help of the whole family, he started to organise contract haulage and excursions with horse-drawn carts. This laid the foundations for today’s transport and logistics company.

Johann Scherrer buys the first lorry. Depending on the goods to be transported, the body can be changed flexibly and transforms into a furniture lorry, a normal loading bridge or a coach.

Sons Anton and Johann take over the farming and transport business and continue to run it. The A. + J. Scherrer company now has ten lorries and two tippers. Pigs are mainly transported from the region to the abattoirs. Feed products for mills and pig fattening farms in eastern Switzerland are loaded daily as return cargo in the Rhine harbour in Basel.

After the Second World War, the Swiss economy begins to boom. Investments in the vehicle fleet are necessary to meet the growing needs of customers. In addition, the barn in Bazenheid is converted into a garage.

Anton Scherrer dies unexpectedly in a tragic accident at the age of 68. At the age of 28, Kurt Holenstein takes over the management and continues to run the company as his uncle’s heir.

Over time, Kurt Holenstein reorganises the transport business because pig transport is no longer profitable. He quickly wins customers in the general cargo and wagonload sectors. At the beginning of the 1970s, Kurt Holenstein increased his focus on the general cargo and wagonload sector, so that from 1975 onwards he no longer transported pigs. Kurt Holenstein is full of zest for action and expands the company internationally. He begins to organise regular transports to Germany. The company name is changed to Holenstein Transporte, Bazenheid.

In the run-up to the federal vote on the European Economic Area (EEA), Kurt Holenstein decides to set up his own company in DE-Konstanz together with Roman Röhr and Berthold Martin. Holenstein GmbH handles customs clearance at the border and quickly gains an excellent reputation.

The sole proprietorship Kurt Holenstein is transformed into Holenstein AG. Space conditions in Bazenheid become increasingly precarious and further expansion is no longer possible. This jeopardises the growth of the successful company. Fortunate circumstances provide the opportunity to take over Wiler Transport AG, Wil.

On 1 January 1994, the trucks and dispatching are moved to Wil (Stelz). Wiler Transport AG is integrated into Holenstein AG. The company now has a total of 40 lorries and can offer customers daily transport services throughout Switzerland.

The 4th generation joins the steadily growing company (sons Roman, Reto and Peter and daughter Yvonne). Son Kurt Jr. runs his own carpentry business in Bazenheid.

The acquisition of a warehouse from Albiplast AG, Schwarzenbach, lays the foundation for the Schwarzenbach logistics centre. More and more production and trading companies outsource their products to logistics service providers. Further growth begins with the takeover of tyre logistics for Yokohama.

With the takeover of Heberlein Transport AG, Wattwil, Holenstein AG is strengthening its market presence in Toggenburg.

The logistics centre in Schwarzenbach is expanded with a high-bay warehouse for 8,000 pallet spaces. Around 20,000 pallets are now stored for various customers. Around 15 employees pick tyres, plastic parts, sunshades, packaging material, plastic cups, lubricants, etc. every day.

Kurt Holenstein retires and hands over Familien AG to his five children.

• Roman takes over the management of transport, personnel and IT
• Kurt Jr. takes over the management of technology and buildings
• Reto takes over the management of workshop and vehicles
• Peter takes over the management of logistics
• Yvonne takes over the management of finances

Due to succession planning, Kurt Widmer and Edy Hug sell their transport company with 10 lorries to the Holenstein family. All international transport operations are reorganised. In particular, transport to the overseas ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremen and Hamburg is greatly expanded.

With the takeover of the Degen & Trenkle forwarding company in Constance, the customs clearance, transport and logistics services in Constance are significantly expanded. The Constance branch now has ten lorries and 30 employees.

Two years after the purchase of the site, work on the extension to the Schwarzenbach logistics centre will begin at the end of 2011. The new logistics complex has a capacity of 20,000 pallet spaces, ten ramp spaces and a five-storey office building. The investment volume amounts to 13 million Swiss francs

Following the purchase of the DHL site on Max-Stromeyer-Strasse and the construction of a new transport and logistics centre for around six million euros, Holenstein now has an ideal location close to the main customs office in Kreuzlingen/Constance. The new building now offers the 45 employees a handling area of 1,000 m², a storage area of 4,000 m², ten ramp spaces and a five-storey office wing.

One of the largest photovoltaic systems in Switzerland (2,750 kilowatt peak) is put into operation on the roofs of the Schwarzenbach logistics centre. The photovoltaic system comprises 11,500 solar modules with a total surface area of 17,000 m², produces electricity for around 700 households and also covers the company’s internal electricity requirements with this output.

With the takeover of Hans Peter Brütsch AG, Schaffhausen, with a total of 16 employees, ten vehicles and four contract drivers, Holenstein is further expanding its presence in north-east Switzerland. The new location in Schaffhausen strengthens Holenstein’s transport and logistics expertise, particularly in cross-border transport.

Due to the constant demand for storage facilities, the Constance logistics centre is being expanded by a further 2,400 m², divided into 1,200 m² of block storage and a rack storage facility with 1,640 storage spaces

The Schwarzenbach logistics centre is being further expanded with the construction of two large logistics halls (Halls 4/5) and a four-storey office complex. The expansion includes an additional 22,000 pallet spaces with automated conveyor systems.
In addition, the 5,500 m² roof area will be equipped with 2,000 solar modules, which will cover the site’s entire electricity requirements.

The 125th anniversary is celebrated with an open day at the Schwarzenbach logistics centre together with customers and business partners. 420 employees with around 130 vehicles provide efficient and reliable logistics, transport and customs clearance services. The locations in Wil, Schwarzenbach, Schaffhausen, Bürglen and Constance now offer space for over 135,000 pallets on around 110,000 m² of storage space.

After the first all-electric VOLVO FH Aero Electric was purchased as a test vehicle in July 2024, three more trucks of this type have been added to the vehicle fleet since mid-2025. The Volvo FH Aero Electric has a payload of 23.8 tonnes and a range of up to 400 km, depending on the type of operation. This investment is an important milestone on the road to more sustainable freight transport.

With the purchase of the approximately 24,000 m² site in Ermatingen, we are strengthening our logistics in the region and securing long-term capacities. The space enables efficient processes and offers optimal conditions for our services. With this step, we are creating the basis for the sustainable further development of our site in Ermatingen.

With the purchase of the site in Bürglen, we have secured long-term logistics capacities in Eastern Switzerland. The generous 40,000 square metres of space will enable us to respond flexibly to our customers’ increasing requirements and further expand our services.