KION CEO Gordon Riske

The KION Group received slightly more orders in 2013 - about 142,800 trucks, compared to 141,700 the previous year.

The total value of the order intake was EUR4.489 billion (USD6.177 billion), compared to EUR4.590 billion (USD6.316 billion) in 2012. According to KION, currency effects of over EUR70 million (USD96 million) had a negative impact on 2013 orders.

More trucks were ordered from emerging markets in 2013, thanks to strong new business in Eastern Europe, South America and China. Truck orders from those markets contributed to 35% of the total.

KION reports that demand for industrial trucks globally increased by 7% to 1.01 million trucks in 2013, driven mainly by China and the US. Western Europe, a key market for the group, grew by 0.3% over the year to reach around 259,400 trucks; but in the fourth quarter, generated year-on-year growth of 10.1%.

CEO Gordon Riske says: "We have demonstrated that our business model is robust by achieving similarly high results to 2012 and further improving our EBIT margin, despite weakness in the western European market."

Riske adds that the group wants to exploit the economic recovery in Western Europe, "expand in emerging markets, further strengthen sales and service and increase profitability".

The KION Group owns the six forklift brands of Linde, STILL, Fenwick, OM STILL, Baoli and Voltas. It is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in Western and Eastern Europe; and according to dhf-intralogistik's world ranking list, the global number two in the industry (Forkliftaction.com News #654).