• Emphasis on innovation, digitalization, automation, efficient energy use, and performance
• Strategy 2020, launched in 2014, is rolled forward after the acquisition of Dematic and the changes to the Group structure
• CEO Gordon Riske: "Our objective with KION 2027 is to build on our leading position and do even better at unlocking our potential."

Frankfurt, 1 March 2018 - By rolling forward its Strategy 2020, which was launched four years ago, the KION Group has set the course for further profitable growth in the age of digitalization, automation, and Industry 4.0. The strategy KION 2027 takes account of the fundamental changes that the Group has undergone in recent years, including in particular the acquisition of Dematic, the specialist for automation and supply chain optimization, at the end of 2016 but also the reconfiguration of the Group into regional Operating Units.

The strategy puts the emphasis on innovation, digitalization, automation, efficient energy use, and on achieving better performance with regard to KION products and company processes. The Group's objectives remain similar to those under Strategy 2020: to grow above the market, to remain the most profitable player in the industry, to generate a profit across the business cycle, and to always offer shareholders an attractive return on capital employed.

"KION 2027 builds on the success of Strategy 2020, under which we have achieved profitable growth, efficient use of capital, and a high level of resilience to economic downturns," said the Chief Executive Officer of the KION Group, Gordon Riske, at the launch of the strategy during the presentation of the 2017 financial year results. "Our objective with KION 2027 is to build on our leading position and continue to unlock the potential within our Group. The aim is to focus much more on a joint customer-centric strategy for innovation, sales, and branding," he added.

The action areas in detail

- Innovation: The KION Group is driving innovation in the material handling market with an effective innovation ecosystem and cutting-edge, rapid development processes. To this end, it enters into strategic partnerships with research institutes, universities, and innovative companies so that it can go to market quickly with new products and solutions.

- Digital: The Company is aligning its business to an increasingly digital world. The digitalization of customer solutions, which will even include fully automated warehouses incorporating robotics solutions, will be accompanied by the digitalization of internal processes.

- Automation: The KION Group's solutions will enable customers to use automated technologies effectively and will help them to achieve a 'lights-out' warehouse, i.e. one in which light is no longer necessary because the operation is completely automated.

- Energy: The KION Group wants to lead the way in terms of efficient energy use through its products and solutions. A focus of the strategy will be to develop and commercialize new energy sources for industrial trucks, and related services, such as the provision of advice on energy matters.

- Performance: The Group is continually improving both its own internal efficiency and the performance of its customers' operations. It is continuing to fully leverage its synergies as a strategic management holding company.

Website: kiongroup.com/mediasite

Twitter: @kion_group

The Company

The KION Group is a global leader in industrial trucks, related services and supply chain solutions. Across more than 100 countries worldwide, the KION Group designs, builds and supports logistics solutions that optimize material and information flow within factories, warehouses and distribution centers. The Group is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in Europe, the second-largest producer of forklifts globally and a leading provider of warehouse automation.

The KION Group's world-renowned brands are clear industry leaders. Dematic, the newest addition to the KION Group, is a global leader in automated material handling, providing a comprehensive range of intelligent supply chain and automation solutions. The Linde and STILL brands serve the premium industrial truck segment. Baoli focuses on industrial trucks in the economy segment. Among KION's regional industrial truck brand companies, Fenwick is the largest supplier of material handling products in France, while OM STILL is a market leader in Italy, and OM Voltas is a leading provider of industrial trucks in India.

With an installed base of more than 1.3 million industrial trucks and over 6,000 installed systems, the KION Group's customer base includes companies in all industries and of all sizes on six continents. The Group has more than 31,000 employees and generated revenue of around EUR7.7 billion in 2017.

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
Senior Vice President Corporate Communications
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 655
Mobile: +49 (0)151 1686 5550
michael.hauger@kiongroup.com

Frank Brandmaier
Senior Director Corporate Media Relations
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 752
frank.brandmaier@kiongroup.com

Further information for investors

Dr Karoline Jung-Senssfelder
Vice President, Head of Investor Relations and M&A
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 450
karoline.jung-senssfelder@kiongroup.com