DGAP-News: KION GROUP AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Cutting-edge KION plant officially opens in the Czech Republic (news with additional features) 16.02.2016 / 12:54 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Factory near Stříbro deploys digitally connected systems - Capacity to manufacture up to 12,000 trucks per year - Reach trucks in production since the start of January Wiesbaden/Stříbro, 16 February 2016 - The KION Group has held a ceremony to officially open its state-of-the-art plant near the Czech town of Stříbro close to Plzeň. The world's second-largest manufacturer of forklift trucks and warehouse technology has equipped its new production facility with digitally connected systems to create a 'smart factory'. The KION Stříbro plant is initially building reach trucks for the Linde brand. Production got under way at the start of January 2016, little more than a year on from the ground-breaking ceremony in November 2014. The plant has the capacity to manufacture 12,000 trucks per year. Around 150 people are working at the site currently. The KION Group has spent around EUR14 million on fitting out the building, which has an area of approximately 24,000 square metres. "Our new factory represents a major milestone in the implementation of our KION Group Strategy 2020, with which we are making sure our work is even more focused on customers, innovation and quality," said Gordon Riske, Chief Executive Officer of the KION Group, speaking at the opening ceremony, which was attended by guests from the worlds of politics and business. "Stříbro's location is ideal," emphasised Riske. "Firstly, the new factory brings us closer to our customers in eastern and southern Europe and, secondly, it is just a few hundred kilometres from Linde's core plant in Aschaffenburg and other sites." "I am delighted about the start of the forklift truck production at the new facility in Ostrov u Stříbra. I am quite certain that the Stříbro and Plzeň region has found an outstanding partner for the development of high-quality industry and cutting-edge technology. It is a highly regarded employer that will offer good working conditions for the highly skilled local workforce," Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka emphasised in a welcome address to mark the plant's official opening. "We have set up our ideal material flow in the new factory," said Sabine Neuß, Linde Chief Operating Officer. "We are fully focused on our core competences. The processes are completely transparent and are managed, monitored and documented using IT systems." "I am honoured to welcome such a significant international client in Panattoni Park in Ostrov u Stříbra and I am delighted that we were able to finish the project according to schedule," said Pavel Sovička, the General Director of Panattoni Europe in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Panattoni Europe is the development company which built the factory in cooperation with the Czech development company Accolade. The plant in Stříbro is the KION Group's third site in the Czech Republic. Linde Pohony (LiPo) makes steering axles and electric and hydrostatic drive axles for the KION Group in Český Krumlov. JULI is a joint venture of the KION Group near Brno and builds electric motors. The total number of people working at the three sites is around 1,200. Website: kiongroup.com/mediasite Twitter: @kion_group The Company The KION Group - comprising the seven brands of Linde, STILL, Fenwick, OM STILL, Baoli, Voltas and Egemin Automation - is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in western and eastern Europe, the global number two in the industry and the leading non-domestic supplier in China. The Linde and STILL brands serve the premium segment worldwide. Fenwick is the largest supplier of material handling products in France, while OM STILL is a market leader in Italy. The Baoli brand focuses on the economy segment, and Voltas is a leading provider of industrial trucks in India. Egemin Automation is a leading Belgian logistics automation specialist. The KION Group is present in more than 100 countries and, in 2015, employed approximately 23,500 people and generated revenue of around EUR5.1 billion according to preliminary and unaudited figures. KION GROUP AG is listed on Deutsche Börse's Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the MDAX (the German stock index for medium-sized companies) and the STOXX Europe 600 index, which comprises the 600 largest companies in Europe. Disclaimer This document and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and do not constitute a prospectus or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, results of technical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. We do not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release. Further information for the media Michael Hauger Head of Corporate Communications Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 655 [email protected] Frank Brandmaier Head of Corporate Media Relations Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 752 [email protected] Further information for investors Frank Herzog Head of Corporate Finance Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 303 [email protected] Dr Karoline Jung-Senssfelder Head of Investor Relations and M&A Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 450 [email protected] +++++ Additional features: Picture: http://newsfeed2.eqs.com/kion/437621.html Subtitle: Interior of the new KION plant in Stříbro Document: http://n.eqs.com/c/fncls.ssp?u=WFCQOMSBAA Document title: Download press release as PDF --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16.02.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: KION GROUP AG Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 21 65189 Wiesbaden Germany Phone: +49 (0)611 770-0 Fax: +49 (0)611 770-690 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.kiongroup.com ISIN: DE000KGX8881 WKN: KGX888 Indices: MDAX Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart; Terminbörse EUREX End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 437621 16.02.2016