German equipment maker KION is maintaining its outlook for modest growth through 2026 as it releases its Q1 financial results, reporting revenue was EUR2.77 billion (USD3.24 billion), a dip of 0.6% year-on-year (y-o-y) with order intake for the period jumping 10.3% y-o-y to be EUR2.99 billion (USD3.49 billion).

Revenue from industrial trucks and services fell 4.9% for the period to EUR2.01 billion (USD2.35 billion).

CEO Rob Smith says: “KION had a positive start in 2026, with order intake and profitability increasing in both operating segments”.

“In an environment of rising geopolitical uncertainties, KION proves resilience: we confirm our outlook for 2026," Smith continues.

“In the first quarter, we drove our ecosystem partnerships forward with Siemens, NVIDIA and Accenture and achieved significant progress in developing innovative, physical AI solutions for our customers,” Smith continues.

KION Group has forecast 2026 revenue of EUR11.4-12.3 billion (USD13.32-14.4 billion), from 2025 revenue of EUR11.3 billion (USD13.2 billion).

“The current geopolitical situation as a result of the war in Iran may take its toll on the global economy, causing energy, transportation, and material costs to rise across global supply chains,” KION states. 

“KION therefore carried out commercial and operational measures in the reporting period to limit associated cost impact.

“The Executive Board of KION GROUP AG confirms the outlook for 2026 that was published in February. This assessment of the anticipated performance of the Group and its operating segments is contingent on the current geopolitical situation not giving rise to additional material adverse impacts.”

When releasing its financial results, KION also announced a strategic equity investment in Chinese-based ZIKOO Robotics, a provider of pallet storage robotics, with the acquisition of a 35% stake.

“The investment marks a significant step in KION’s strategy to build an ecosystem of automation technology partners,” the company states. 

“With their expanded portfolio of automated warehouse solutions, both companies will deliver warehouse offerings that provide higher efficiency, better space utilization and greater flexibility for their customers.”