Sabine Neuß appointed to the Management Board of Linde Material Handling

• Responsible for production
• Otmar Hauck to leave the KION Group and Linde Material Handling at his own request

Wiesbaden / Aschaffenburg, 23 November 2012 - The Supervisory Board of Linde Material Handling GmbH has appointed Sabine Neuß (44) to the Management Board of Linde Material Handling for a period of four years with effect from 1 January 2013. In the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) she will be responsible for production. Sabine Neuß will succeed Otmar Hauck (57), who is stepping down from the Executive Board of KION Group GmbH and the Management Board of Linde Material Handling GmbH at his own request with effect from 31 December 2012 in order to pursue new challenges. No new COO will be appointed to the KION Group Executive Board.

Sabine Neuß is a qualified mechanical engineer and is currently managing director of TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH in Aschaffenburg. Between 1998 and 2010 she held various engineering management positions at the automotive supplier Behr. Before that, she held various positions with Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG between 1990 and 1998. She studied production engineering at Coburg University of Applied Sciences.

Theodor Maurer, Chairman of the Management Board of Linde Material Handling, commented: 'Sabine Neuß has the right technical and management background, with wide-ranging experience in the running of production plants and product lines, to take up the position of COO at Linde. I am looking forward to working with Ms Neuß and would like to thank Mr Hauck for his contribution to the optimisation of our global production network.'

Gordon Riske, CEO of the KION Group and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Linde Material Handling, added: 'Sabine Neuß is the perfect addition to the Management Board at Linde. She will build on the successes of Otmar Hauck and play an important role in securing the long-term competitiveness of Linde. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Hauck for his outstanding contribution to our work over the past four years on the introduction of common standards in development, purchasing, production, quality and health & safety across the Group brands.'

The Supervisory Boards of KION Group and Linde Material Handling thank Otmar Hauck for the four extremely successful years he spent working for the company. 'Mr Hauck implemented long-lasting efficiency improvements at KION Group plants. He also carried out the consolidation of our European production plants with determination and clarity of purpose. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr Hauck for his dedication and commitment to the success of the KION Group and its brand companies,' said Dr John Feldmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of KION Group GmbH.

The company
The KION Group - comprising the six brands Linde, STILL, Fenwick, OM STILL, Baoli and Voltas - is Europe's market leader in industrial trucks, the global number two in the industry and the leading international 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 one of the two market leaders in India. The KION Group employed roughly 22,000 people and generated revenue of around EUR4.4 billion in 2011.

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of the KION Group ('KION'), are difficult to predict and may cause future developments to differ significantly from assumed developments as expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release.
Any liability (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) of any member of KION with regard to the information contained in this press release is expressly disclaimed. This press release does not purport to contain all of the information that may be required to evaluate any proposed transaction, and any recipient hereof should seek its own legal, accounting and other relevant professional advice.
No member of KION undertakes any obligation or expects to update or revise this press release, including forward-looking statements or any other information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information please contact
Michael Hauger
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 655
Email: michael.hauger@kiongroup.com