Hi RobbyN

It's OK i don't have a Confidentiality docs as i don't work for any of these companies. From what i know Linde have been told by KION to stop loses in the business at all cost and not to do any sales deals were loses will be involved. This is in preparation for the sale of KION later this year. In doing this Linde wants to concentrate on materials handling equipment up to 16,000kg manufacturing and to offer bigger equipment to customers who they already supply.


It all comes down to numbers and profit and loss the business is now run by financial people who see how they can best get back there investment.KION now see that by having most of there manufacturing in Germany for Europe they can cut a lot of cost's and be seen as more efficient in there manufacturing.

They want only three main manufacturing bases Germany China and Brazil with some type of assembly work in North America and India.

It is because of this even though Merthyr in my opinion could work that i think they will shut this later this year or early next
year , the only way they will keep this open is to bring in a lower priced truck like baoli to assemble at merthyr and hope they can get the numbers up But as France take around 20%- 25% of KION Busines they would put the plant there.


They might ask Kone to take over Merthyr but the numbers just wont add up and i think it will close some time in the next 18 month this is my opinion and not one of these two companies.


So the big question is how do i know all this, well over the last year we have studied KION quite intensity and under stand there business we have done this with NACCO Kone TEREX and Carcotec as well i needed to do this from my own business and these are my conclusions about KION and Linde HTD



In companies like KION decisions are taken months in advance this is why i know the deal was done some time ago Kone was the most obvious choice as they have made large trucks fro Linde before and could do with a new ECH truck and 18,000kg - 32,000kg truck so Kone would want the deal. You might even see a joining of some sale and services with Linde and Kone