AUBURN – SPC Transport is planning a future based on technology, not trucks.

That’s the impetus behind a move from the freight company’s facility on Omni Circle to a new operation at 224 West Hardscrabble Road. Studs are going up for interior walls in the 7,000-square-foot office complex on a 9-acre parcel.

“If you don’t evolve, you die,” said Todd Prawer, who moved the company to Auburn from Portland 11 years ago because he liked the area and its work ethic.

SPC Transport had a scare back in 2004 when it lost its long-standing contract with the state to distribute liquor after the state decided to privatize its wholesale liquor business to increase short-term revenue. The contract went to an out-of-state firm, a decision Prawer appealed, but lost.

“I was very concerned when we lost that contract,” said Prawer, who managed to avoid layoffs at the time. “But now I’ve moved the company in a different direction.”

He’s reluctant to offer details, but concedes plenty of challenges are facing trucking companies these days. Escalating fuel prices, pressure from environmental groups over emissions and a shrinking supply of qualified drivers are all bearing down on the transportation industry.

“I’m in the freight business now, that’s how I like to describe it,” he said, adding he still moves a fair amount of trucks. But he’s eyeing opportunities in other systems, such as rail, air and ships.

That means he’s putting a priority on technology, which is why he’s building a new state-of-the-art facility.

“It’s going to be much more efficient,” he said of the new operation.

And he’ll need more staff to run it. He said he plans to add to his staff of 35 once everyone is settled in the new facility, which he expects will happen by early November.

“I’m interested in computer-savvy people who are comfortable with technology and want to stay in Maine,” he said.

The new facility will still have loading and storage facilities for the trucks that move SPC freight, but the big rigs will not be the focus of the company’s growth.

“We have to move in different directions,” he said. “It’s a real challenge.”