Fans big and small tell of their love for KION brands and products

After work, you're probably glad to put your equipment away and get your mind off things. At least, that's what you'd think. But for people using products from our KION brands Linde Material Handling, STILL and Dematic – it's a different story. Regardless of worker, customer, or forklift enthusiast, people of all backgrounds seem touched and have developed special connections to the products and tools that guide their everyday routines.

Whether it be songs about forklifts, Lego models, artistic tattoos, or miniature forklift trucks built for children – at KION Group, we have many examples of how people express their undeniable love for our brands. Here are just a few of the most impressive examples:

What a pleasant way to spread the love! Years ago, Tutti, a musician from Braunschweig (Germany), wrote and recorded a song called “Gabelstapler Klaus” (Forklift Klaus) – a character singing about his life as a forklift operator. Since the truck featured in his song happened to be about a model of the KION brand STILL, STILL Germany partnered with Tutti to produce a music video for its YouTube channel. Although Klaus faces everyday challenges in his job, he expresses his gratitude through the lyrics, “I am a forklift driver, and my mood is great! Such a nice job for so much money! Forklift drivers are rocking the world!” Despite obviously using a touch of irony to entertain his audience, Tutti is an excellent example of a fan embracing our brand and products.

Every year, the best forklift drivers in Germany and Europe are put to the test in an exciting competition known as the “StaplerCup”, held by KION brand Linde Material Handling. Despite the pressure of needing high skill levels to face tough challenges and obstacles, people absolutely love participating in the competition. Melanie Holl - last year's winner and this year's close runner-up - has been taking part for several years and finds the StaplerCup "simply spectacular". Sometimes the competition even inspires entire families, as in the case of Thomas Herrmann, who has both small and large forklift fans at home. For those who love forklift driving, it is a great honor to hold their own in the regional championships and to compete in the StaplerCup!

Love can’t get any deeper than this! Marcell, who has been driving a Linde forklift at work for several years, felt so strongly about the “fun” and “great” machine he drives that it inspired him to get a Linde forklift tattooed on his left forearm. Marcell endured some physical pain throughout the process, but he said it was all worth it – especially since he drives it every day anyway. “It's nice to see the finished truck on my arm. It's a wonderful feeling. And he stays forever,” says Marcell. And he’s not alone. Here’s yet another example of someone equally displaying love for our brand by getting a Linde forklift tattoo. The only difference is: This time, it’s not on the person’s arm, but on their leg:

Some people express their love through tattoos. Others show it through their artistic work! And the affection for our products isn’t only defined by customers, but also our employees. Take Zoey Xie Peishan as an example, who works in Dematic China’s marketing department. She is a talented comic book artist who draws compelling Dematic cartoons – some of which are so compelling that they were even used for official Dematic merchandise products, like masks and refrigerator magnets.

A forklift made of wood? That was built by Andrea Tachella, an Italian carpenter who most likely transports his material with a Linde forklift. And he is clearly happy with this piece of equipment. How else could it be explained that Andrea invested 250 hours in his spare time to build a Linde H30 forklift model out of wood? And not only did he invest a lot of time in making his masterpiece, but his skill and attention to detail seems unmatched.

If you didn't love your work tool... you probably wouldn't hand your kids a mini model of it to play with, would you? In fact, several major toy manufacturers have included our products in their toy repertoire. And there are countless children who happily play with them. Whether it’s a wooden forklift from Linde, stylish forklift from STILL, or blue forklift from Baoli, kids have access to several options – allowing them to play and live out their fantasies. And if that’s not enough: there are even remote-control toys of Linde forklifts!

In addition to toy forklifts that you can hold in your hand, there are also mini forklifts for children that they can drive around with - almost like the big forklift fans. They can sit on these forklifts and the forks can even be raised on the lift mast. So even the youngest intralogistics enthusiasts can practice for their future careers on Linde forklifts. Funny enough, there is even a stylish way to transport these toys, as seen in the photo.

Toy forklifts are wonderful. But what about constructing and modeling your own? A fan who goes by the name of “Hans” did precisely that. After gaining inspiration from a Linde E100-180, he built a heavy-duty forklift using hundreds of Lego pieces ( more pictures )! He spent countless hours assembling his project while ensuring no parts were missing, including the side thrust and battery compartment. There is no question that Hans put a lot of love and dedication into his work. And apparently, he knows a lot about which parts go into putting a forklift together.

There are those who model by hand, and then those who model by technology. For example, a youtuber that goes by the name of The1973Adi built a remote control Linde forklift using a 3D printer, rods, and other parts. And Thomas Jacobs should not be forgotten in this listing, because he has a unique talent! As a passionate model maker, he created the 3D model of the SRU 1200 small parts warehouse from 160 individual parts in 500 hours. This small parts warehouse was given to his colleagues as a gift for the 40th anniversary of his service and due to the enthusiasm, further models of Dematic products are now planned.

It’s not just our products that inspire people to exercise their creativity. It’s also the love for our products that drive them to create beautiful work. We highlighted multiple scenarios where people of all hobbies and backgrounds showed us how strongly our company and brands play a role in their lives. And, of course, we will continue to play that role.

Do you know of any other creative projects or work related to our brands? Then share it with us here: communications@kiongroup.com