Colin Flint was named to the new global position of head of marketing for the heavy truck division of Linde Material Handling GmbH within the KION Group. Francesco Chinaglia, division managing director, announced the appointment, effective 17 January.

Based at the division's Merthyr Tydfil facility, Flint brings a wealth of heavy equipment industry marketing and communications experience to Linde from previous employment including positions with high-value high-technology operations of Caterpillar Inc, Deere & Co and Komatsu Ltd. The heavy truck division has another manufacturing site in Xiamen, China.

"We are happy to have Colin on board to do the next communications and marketing steps in the reorganization" of Linde Heavy Truck Division Ltd, says Detlef Sieverdingbeck, head of corporate communications with the parent Linde firm in Aschaffenburg, Germany.

"I believe technology in forklift trucks will go beyond good engineering" in the future to add value for the consumer, Flint notes. "I believe the 'black box' will arrive" in the market for industrial forklifts and seaport-related containerisation equipment."

The heavy truck division is working toward Linde Material Handling-North America Corp in Summerville, South Carolina absorbing responsibilities for sales and distribution of the division's products in North America (Forkliftaction.com News #491).

"We are close to being able to make an announcement" about the North American reorganisation, Flint says. Linde aims to improve its North American market presence in the heavy truck business and take advantage of attributes in its recently launched series 1401 and 1402 products, complementing the existing Linde line.

Flint is an alumni of the international marketing programme at the University of Birmingham business school and was the British press officer in Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.