German forklift manufacturer sees China as key to becoming world's biggest

FRANKFURT, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Germany's KION Group has identified the Chinese market as essential to its goal of becoming the world's biggest forklift manufacturer.

"China's ongoing industrialization process will directly lift the demand for industrial forklifts, with great potential," CEO Gordon Riske said in an interview with Xinhua.

KION, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the Chinese market, is currently No. 2 in the world and has set itself the goal of taking the top spot by 2020.

KION's Linde Material Handling Company set up a factory in southeast China's Xiamen city in 1993, making it one of the first German companies to come to China. Linde is now the largest international forklift manufacturer in China. In 2009, KION Group formed a joint venture in Jiangsu province in east China to produce economical forklifts.

"We now have more than 3,200 employees in China ... We have strongly benefited from the development of China over the past 20 years," Riske said.

"In the future, China will need more eco-friendly, high-quality forklifts, and that is for us the opportunity," he said.

Riske said the importance of China was not limited to its broad market prospects, but, more importantly, to more extensive cooperation in the international market.

Taking the joint venture Baoli as an example, Riske said, "Baoli is not only for the Chinese market, it can play a central role in strengthening our position in emerging markets as well, such as for Central Europe, Central and South America and other growth markets."

"We will promote the development of key technologies and services in China and will strengthen our cooperation and achieve a win-win situation in the international market," he said.

KION Group markets six forklift brands. In 2012, the group had more than 21,000 employees and annual sales of about 4.7 billion euros (6.4 billion U.S. dollars) worldwide.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2013-12/04/c_132941577.htm