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A World Record in 69 Seconds – and 7 More Astounding Facts About KION

Do you know how many metric tons all of the forklift trucks produced in Aschaffenburg each year could collectively handle? Or how many times our STILL brand has already won the prestigious IFOY Award? Here we give you the low-down on some of the most amazing achievements of the KION Group.

2024-08-21

Johanna Wachner

Every day the KION Group and its brands make great achievements – and sometimes they even go above and beyond. Our colleagues have even broken world records by going that extra mile! Here are some examples of KION’s incredible achievements.

At the KION Group, we are justifiably proud of our products and the competitive advantages that our solutions bring to our customers. But while this is almost a matter of course and “business as usual”, there are some special achievements that stand out: When we go the extra mile to break a record or receive a special award, for instance.

Here are a few examples of the tremendous commitment of our employees and brands:

69 seconds: That’s how long it takes to change the tire of a forklift truck – at least for the nine trainees from Linde Material Handling, who set new standards in the 2018 StaplerCup. With this impressive time, they secured an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Our STILL brand has already won the industry’s prestigious IFOY Award 12 times – most recently in 2024 with the automated EXV iGo high lift pallet truck. The truck in combination with its simple commissioning software, iGo easy, makes it simple for companies to get started with automation.

Our STILL brand has already won the industry’s prestigious IFOY Award 12 times.

140 patents – this is the number of patents our Dematic supply chain solutions brand is now registering per year (average 2021–2023). The very first patent, by the way, was registered more than a century ago. Behind every single new registration lies one employee’s bright idea… and an innovation for the KION Group.

The impressive total payload of all Linde Material Handling forklift trucks produced annually in Aschaffenburg, Germany is 131,000 metric tons. This is roughly the same weight as the “Queen Mary 2” luxury liner. In total, more than one million forklifts have already been produced at the site – an impressive team performance!

40,000 bees live on our site in Kahl, Germany – meaning that the bees far outnumber their human colleagues. The hard-working bees produced between 15 and 20 kilograms of honey in early summer 2024 alone.

40,000 bees live on our site in Kahl, Germany.

With the K combination truck from Linde MH, goods can be removed from and stored in a high rack warehouse at a height of 18 meters. Electrically monitored side barriers ensure the safety of the operators. As the truck accelerates and lifts at the same time, it is also possible to work quickly and safely at dizzying heights.

The newest and largest KION plant in China took 16 months to build. On December 16, 2021 the first forklift truck rolled off the production line in Jinan Laiwu. This construction time is even more astounding when you look at the size of the site, which measures 223,000 square meters – equivalent to about 31 soccer fields!

50,000 trucks have been produced in the first ten years since the establishment of KION South America in Indaiatuba, Brazil. As the headquarters for KION in South America, the site combines sales, service, and production of forklift trucks, warehouse technology, and automation solutions. Since 2013, trucks from the KION subsidiaries Linde Material Handling and STILL have been produced there for the Brazilian and South American market.

These examples demonstrate that it’s not only the speed at which our trainees can change a tire that’s record-breaking – but also the commitment, motivation, and passion of our employees worldwide. The KION Group is an incredibly strong team!