The convergence of materials handling and logistics has taken a further step with KION's formal integration of its automation units last week.
Recent purchases Dematic, Egemin and NDC have been rolled into a single entity, and KION has also announced the creation of a Mobile Automation Center of Excellence (COE).
This development comes hot on the heels of Toyota Industries Corporation's creation in February of a new business division to manage North American logistics solutions activities - Toyota Advanced Logistics Solutions (TALS).
Those major forklift companies which are not yet involved in logistics must be scrambling for acquisition targets or potential partnerships to allow them to vie for the new generation of integrated solution requests.