Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Kion opens battery factory to drive its forklift brands

German facility shows firm’s bet on lithium ion technology in push for energy efficiency.

kion battery factory

German logistics provider Kion Group AG is getting into the battery building business, announcing today that it has launched a joint venture with partner company BMZ Holding GmbH to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for industrial lift trucks.

The joint venture, known as Kion Battery Systems (KBS), is expected to employ some 150 workers by 2023, operating at a 43,000 square foot plant in Karlstein am Main, Germany, about 25 miles east of Frankfurt.


First announced in 2019, the strategic partnership’s objective is to extend the lithium-ion product range of the Kion Group's brand companies and to expand production capacity in order to meet the rapidly growing demand for lithium-ion battery systems in the intralogistics market, especially in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.

With the factory’s production lines capable of manufacturing more than 12,000 batteries a year, the initiative will mainly serve heavy-duty and high-performance forklifts and other industrial trucks made by the Kion Group brand companies, the company said. "The new production facilities at KBS will allow us to meet the increasing demand for modern lithium-ion batteries and offer customers a highly reliable supply of products," Christian Hasenstab, joint managing director of the new venture, said in a release.

Kion is turning its attention to battery production in accordance with its “Kion 2027” strategy, which prioritizes innovation, automation, and energy efficiency as values that will support the increasing digitization of global logistics, the company said.

The reach that goal, Kion says its global research and development activities focus on drive technologies of the future, seeking to get top performance from the range of options in its current product catalog, including internal combustion engines, lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries, and fuel cells. Among those power sources, Kion says lithium-ion batteries offer a particular advantage for use in electric vehicles in contrast to traditional lead-acid batteries. Thanks to “huge advances” in lithium-ion technological development, those batteries do not require swapping since they support rapid charging and top-up charging, and they are suitable even for heavy-duty trucks that carry substantial loads.

Other material handling equipment providers have also seen that trend in the improved performance in lithium-ion batteries in recent years. In a recent interview on this magazine’s “Logistics Matters” podcast, Ron Dutt, the CEO of lithium-ion manufacturer Flux power, attributed that change to factors such as the technology’s decreasing “cost per kilowatt-hour,” due to the rising production of batteries for electric vehicles such as Tesla cars.

The Latest

More Stories

DHL graphic on online shopping marketplaces

DHL report shows seven factors about American online shoppers

Online merchants should consider seven key factors about American consumers in order to optimize their sales and operations this holiday season, according to a report from DHL eCommerce.

First, many of the most powerful sales platforms are marketplaces. With nearly universal appeal, 99% of U.S. shoppers buy from marketplaces, ranked in popularity from Amazon (92%) to Walmart (68%), eBay (47%), Temu (32%), Etsy (28%), and Shein (21%).

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

schneider app screenshot for owner operators

Schneider seeks more business with owner-operators

Transportation and logistics service provider Schneider National Inc. is reaching out to owner-operators, encouraging them to do more business with the Wisconsin company using an updated digital platform.

Schneider says its FreightPower platform now offers owner-operators significantly more access to Schneider’s range of freight options. That can help drivers to generate revenue and strengthen their business through: increased access to freight, high drop and hook rates of over 95% of loads, and a trip planning feature that calculates road miles.

Keep ReadingShow less
Logistics economy grew in October

Logistics Managers' Index

Logistics economy grew in October

Economic activity in the logistics industry continued its expansion streak in October, growing for the 11th straight month and reaching its highest level in two years, according to the most recent Logistics Managers’ Index report (LMI), released this week.

The LMI registered 58.9, up from 58.6 in September, and continued a run of moderate growth that began late in 2023. The LMI is a monthly measure of business activity across warehousing and transportation markets. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, and a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

Keep ReadingShow less
port of vancouver

West coast dockworker strike could dent Canadian economy

The port worker strike that began yesterday on Canada’s west coast could cost that country $765 million a day in lost trade, according to the ALPS Marine analysis by Russell Group, a British data and analytics company.

Specifically, the labor strike at the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Fraser-Surrey will hurt the commodities of furniture, metal products, meat products, aluminum, and clothing. But since the strike action is focused on stopping containers and general cargo, it will not slow operations in grain vessels or cruise ships, the firm said.

Keep ReadingShow less
trucks used by jillamy 3PL

Texas 3PL Mode Global acquires Jillamy’s freight brokerage arm

The Texas third-party logistics firm (3PL) Mode Global has acquired the freight brokerage business of supply chain service provider Jillamy, saying on Monday that the deal advances its strategy of expanding its national footprint.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Mode Global said it will now assume Jillamy's comprehensive logistics and freight management solutions, while Jillamy's warehousing, packaging and fulfillment services remain unchanged. Under the agreement, Mode Global will gain more than 200 employees and add facilities in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, Maryland, and Ontario to its existing national footprint.

Keep ReadingShow less