KION ‘making very good progress’ with Dematic integration

"Integrating Dematic as rapidly as possible is our priority for 2017," said the Chief Executive Officer of the KION Group, Gordon Riske, at the Group's Annual General Meeting held in Frankfurt on Thursday. "We are making very good progress with this." The integration of Dematic, he added, has helped the KION Group to adapt even more effectively to the new market requirements, which are primarily focused on the seamless interconnectivity of processes along the supply chain.

In his speech, CEO Riske emphasised the opportunities opened up by the purchase of Dematic. "By acquiring Dematic, KION Group has taken another important step toward the future," he said. "Forklift trucks, warehouse technology, and related services will remain the backbone of our business. But we also know the direction in which our industry is heading. E-commerce is booming. This calls for warehouse solutions that are increasingly automated, use digital technologies, and are tailored to customers' specific requirements.

"We expect that we will build on our successful performance last year," said Riske, commenting on the business prospects for 2017. "We are looking to further increase order intake and revenue. What's more, our adjusted EBIT is expected to grow at a stronger rate than revenue." He reiterated the statement made at the end of April, when the results for the first quarter of 2017 were presented, that the Group was adhering to its forecast for the year.