KION Group commences production of forklift trucks at new Polish plant

The new plant in Poland adds to the KION Group’s existing European-wide production sites and will focus on products for customers in the EMEA region with less demanding applications. “The new site in the heart of Europe will allow us to make further inroads into this fast-moving, high-potential market segment,” says Gordon Riske, Chief Executive Officer of KION GROUP AG. “The location near the German-Polish border has the additional benefit of easy access to an excellent network of suppliers.”

Through its three strong brand companies, Linde Material Handling, STILL, and Baoli, the KION Group is looking to do even more to support its customers with the growth of the intralogistics market in the EMEA region. It has invested a total of around €80 million in the new plant to achieve this goal. KION, the world’s leading supplier of material handling and logistics equipment, plans to create up to 400 jobs at the Polish site by the end of 2023. “The new employees will benefit from an attractive, state-of-the-art working environment, and the site also comes with engineering capabilities that will pave the way for further growth perspectives,” says works manager Tomasz Maleszka.

The approx. 18 hectare site incorporates a cutting-edge production facility designed along sustainable principles and an administrative center, which together provide nearly 44,000 square meters of space – equivalent to around six soccer pitches. KION has also made provision for future growth, with the new site incorporating an expansion option for another (production) building of around 20,000 square meters.

KION’s brand companies have had a successful presence in the Polish market for many decades, and have made the KION Group one of the country’s leading providers of industrial trucks and warehouse technology. More than 25,000 new trucks were ordered in Poland last year, of which around 30 per cent were purchased from KION Group brand companies.

The Linde Material Handling Polska Sp. z o.o. and STILL Polska Sp. z o.o. sales outlets focus on providing an all-around service and comprehensive logistics solutions, and are in high demand as business partners for customers looking for innovative industrial trucks. The product offering is designed for companies – from multinationals through to smaller family businesses – that value innovative, high-quality, and powerful products equipped with market-leading technology. STILL also has its reconditioning center for used trucks in Rokietnica, near Poznań. Every year, around 2,000 industrial trucks are reconditioned at the 2,500 square meter facility. The KION subsidiary Dematic, a global material handling specialist offering intelligent software and automation solutions for optimizing supply chains, has a presence through its Dematic Poland Sp. z o.o. branch in Poznań. The KION Group also operates a center of excellence for finance & accounting services, IT, and procurement in Krakow, called KION Business Services, and currently employs more than 1,200 people in Poland.