Materials handling solutions specialist Jungheinrich has announced plans to significantly expand its global production capacity with the opening of two new factories.

Construction is scheduled to start this year on a new plant close to the company's existing production facility in Moosburg, Bavaria, which will be dedicated to manufacturing Jungheinrich's extensive range of warehouse trucks and systems equipment. The plant is expected to be complete and operational by the end of 2009.

In addition, the company is opening a further facility in Landsberg, Saxony, from where battery-powered pallet trucks and stackers for the European market will be produced. This unit is also scheduled to come on stream by the end of 2009.

In all Jungheinrich is investing some 70 million euro on the development of the new sites in Bavaria and Saxony.

Craig Johnson, marketing manager of Jungheinrch (UK) Ltd, commented: "We expect the market to continue growing in the years to come and we are adapting our production to address this situation in good time."

Last year Jungheinrich completed a 40 million euro upgrade of its factories at Norderstedt (just outside Hamburg) and Moosburg. The Norderstedt plant is now the largest sit-on reach truck factory anywhere in the world.