KION Group GmbH has taken  full management control in the joint venture company KION Baoli (Jiangsu) Forklift  Co., Ltd. ("KION  Baoli"), which was  established in January 2009 with Jiangsu  Shangqi Group  Co., Ltd  (formerly Jiangsu  Baoli Group  Co., Ltd.) and Jingjiang  Baoli Forklift Co. Ltd.. KION Baoli will be fully integrated into the global operations of KION Group with immediate effect.

Gordon  Riske, CEO of KION Group, said:  "With the additional investment in KION Baoli  we  further  strengthen  our  position  as  the  number one international supplier  of material  handling equipment  in China,  one of the fastest growing markets  for our  industry. In  addition KION  Baoli with its highly competitive
product  portfolio  is  an  important  pillar  of  our  strategy  to  expand our activities in the emerging markets."

As  the KION Group's  fourth brand, Baoli  is positioned in  the economy segment worldwide.  The product range of KION Baoli includes diesel/LPG, electric trucks and  warehouse trucks with load  capacities of 1 to 10 tonnes.  KION Baoli has a comprehensive  sales and service network, with  presence in all provinces across China  and  80 countries  globally,  and  employs  around 500 people, to provide competitive products and services to domestic and overseas customers.

Chingpong  Quek, Chairman and  General Manager of  KION Baoli, stated that "With the market recovery, especially in China, we have decided to further invest into KION  Baoli.  We have a comprehensive integration  plan focusing in the areas of sales,   service,  product  development,  and  production  system  to  meet  the expectations of our customers. We are confident in the future of KION Baoli."

The  KION Group has had a  wholly-owned subsidiary, Linde (China) Forklift Truck Corp.  Ltd. in Xiamen,  since 1993. With more  than 1,700 people in 80 locations all  around  China,  Linde  (China)  is  the  Asian  R&D,  production, sales and servicing  base of  Linde Material  Handling. The  Linde brand in China operates mainly  in the higher-end forklift truck segment but has also developed vehiclesespecially for the Chinese market.