London, 22 July 2008 – Linde Material Handling has again scooped one of the most coveted product design awards in the world. Linde's H80/1100 diesel truck, with an immense load capacity of eight tonnes, picked up the "red dot design award." In conjunction with this award, Linde is granted use of the "Product Design" title of 2008.

The award-winning truck from Linde Material Handling won over the panel with its range of technical innovations that allow the driver to enjoy even more comfortable and ergonomical working conditions. The external design of the truck visually combines the defining attributes of agility, dynamics and efficiency, while the overall design boasts extreme comfort, precision operation and low operational noise, noted the judges.

A panel made up of international experts judges the projects submitted for the red dot design award. They examine and test the products, judging them on criteria such as degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, service life, environmental compatibility and how self-explaining they are.

"Winning an award in a prestigious international design competition is a major indication whether a product has the potential to survive on the international market", said Professor Dr Peter Zec, founder of the "red dot design award".

The "red dot design award", which started back in 1955, is now one of the biggest and most prestigious design competitions in the world. In the last few years, Linde Material Handling has won a "red dot design award" five times: in 2005 for the T20 electric lift truck SP – T24 SP (best of the best); in 2006 for the H100 – H180 diesel and LPG truck; in 2007 for the E12 – E20 electric lift truck and the K combination truck; and this year for the H50 to H80/1100 diesel and LPG truck family.

A high-ranking panel of judges confirmed the excellent design quality achieved by the two designers responsible for the truck, Stefan Stark and Michael Mauer from Porsche AG, and praised the particularly high level of creativity, innovation and quality demonstrated by the product.

This year saw a total of 3203 products from 51 countries judged by the expert panel, with 676 products awarded prizes in 16 categories.

About Linde: With technologically leading products and a comprehensive range of services, Linde Material Handling is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and warehouse vehicles. Linde is also one of the most important producers of hydrostatic and electric drives. Linde Material Handling's head office in the UK is located in Basingstoke . Linde Material Handling is part of the KION Group, which is the European market leader in industrial trucks; in the global market, it holds second place. Linde Material Handling employs approximately 12,500 people worldwide and in 2006 recorded annual sales of almost EUR 2.6 billion. V is it Linde online at: www.linde-mh.co.uk