The world materials handling equipment market grew by 4% in the first half of 2013, consisting of 507,800 forklifts compared to 489,200 units in the same period last year.

World Industrial Truck statistics recorded demand in Europe declined by 2% - Western Europe experienced a 3% slump while Eastern Europe's market volume expanded by 5%. The Asian market swelled by 4%; China contributed an 8% growth rate. The North American market experienced a marked increase, growing by 10%.

German forklift manufacturer Jungheinrich Group posted that, in the first half of this year, its incoming orders were slightly higher year-on-year, totalling EUR1.169 billion/USD1.553 billion (2012: EUR1.140 billion/USD1.515 billion). In the second quarter of 2013, the group's incoming orders grew 4% from EUR560 million (USD740 million) to EUR582 million (USD773 million).