Jungheinrich operates a central refurbishment factory for used forklifts near Dresden.

Jungheinrich will open a new factory in Leipzig in 2009 as part of its strategy to increase its global manufacturing capacity to over 100,000 units a year.

The new factory will produce low-level warehouse equipment and follows the announcement that Jungheinrich is doubling capacity at its used forklift factory in Klipphausen, near Dresden.

Jungheinrich's Klipphausen facility has been refurbishing Jungheinrich forklifts for the European market since 2006. The facility was established because Jungheinrich wanted to "avoid placing refurbishment orders with outside companies" and to lessen the burden on its dealers' workshops, explains Ronald Ohlrogge, head of rental, used trucks and workshops. About a third of all Jungheinrich forklifts are rented or leased.

Jungheinrich's refurbishment arm, Gebrauchtgeräte-Zentrum Dresden GmbH & Co. KG, had 25 employees refurbishing 600 trucks in single-shift operation by the end of 2006. The number of employees spiked to 75 in 2007 and about 2,800 trucks were refurbished, partly in a two-shift operation.

"We expect approximately 4,500 trucks during the current year", says Ohlrogge.

The forklift is painted in "motorcar quality".

The second expansion stage was put into operation on 1January 2008. The production and storage area was expanded from 5,000 m² to 11,500 m².

Hans-Herbert Schultz, managing director of Jungheinrich UK, says: "The significant investment we are making in our new factory at Leipzig and in the development of the used truck centre at Dresden reflect our determination to continue to develop the Jungheinrich brand still further and will ensure that this company is extremely well placed to meet the growing international demand for its products."

Last year, Jungheinrich completed a EUR40 million (USD62.5 million) upgrade of its warehouse trucks production factory at Norderstedt, just outside Hamburg (Forkliftaction.com News #331). It claims the Norderstedt plant is the largest single sit-on reach truck factory in the world.