KION Group is planning a multi-million Euro expansion of its Reutlingen production facility. “By expanding the production by some 60%, we are sending an important message about the future. We expect to see sustainable market growth in the field of narrow-aisle trucks and vertical order pickers and have planned accordingly,” says Rob Smith, CEO of KION Group AG. “Expanding the site will help to further strengthen our excellent position as a global intralogistics provider.”

The KION Warehouse Systems (KWS) subsidiary is the Group’s competence centre for the development and production of system technology vehicles for the KION brands. 

KWS plans to expand the existing production halls, update machinery and modernise the processes on site. Once the relevant bodies have issued their approval, construction is planned to start in autumn 2023, with the expanded production facilities in operation from 2025.

The increase in production capacity will also have an impact on employment at the site - the workforce has already grown from 250 employees in 2010 to over 400 today. Around 130 of these KWS employees currently come from the city of Reutlingen and 280 from the district of Reutlingen. The planned expansion will safeguard the 400 existing jobs and enable the creation of new ones.

“Reutlingen is the biggest and most important site for our global narrow-aisle trucks business,” says Volker Bonk, managing director of KWS. “Our heart is here in the city. This expansion will give us even more flexibility and ensure that KWS can maintain an optimal position in the dynamic intralogistics market for years to come.”