Kion adds second production line at forklift battery plant

German logistics provider Kion Group AG is putting its money where its mouth is, backing up forecasts that warehouse automation equipment will increasingly run on electric power with a move to expand its battery manufacturing arm.

Kion began the initiative in 2020 when it opened a joint venture known as Kion Battery Systems (KBS) in cooperation with BMZ Holding GmbH to make lithium-ion batteries for industrial lift trucks.

KBS is now expanding its facility at that site, a plant in Karlstein am Main, Germany, about 25 miles east of Frankfurt. Kion says it has launched a second production line for manufacturing 24-volt batteries, used in mobile warehouse handling equipment.

Kion says it sees rapidly growing demand for lithium-ion battery systems in the intralogistics and warehouse technology industry, claiming its “electric forklift trucks boast a strong performance that enables [them] to effortlessly compete with internal combustion forklift trucks, thus offering a sustainable alternative for tackling challenging areas of application - both indoors and outdoors.”

Until now, the plant has manufactured 48- and 80-volt batteries for counterbalance trucks, but the expansion will add 24-volt batteries for other industrial trucks. By adding a second production line, the KBS plant now has capacity to produce 30,000 batteries every year.

In addition, the site hosts a research and development arm that studies the battery's entire life cycle: from the development of new proprietary battery systems and intelligent load management to reconditioning and ultimately recycling batteries, with the existing possibility to recover up to 95% of the raw materials used, Kion says. For example, by reconditioning lithium-ion batteries, the group hopes to transition each cell into a second or even third life.

KION Battery Systems, a partnership between BMZ Holding GmbH and us, opens its second production line for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries for industrial trucks in Karlstein, Germany, expanding the product offering and production capacities. More: https://t.co/oSTD25M9n7. pic.twitter.com/MTls5z41NJ

— KION Group (@KIONGroup) April 26, 2022