On Jan 20, 2025, Linde and G-power successfully completed a bulk delivery ceremony for hydrogen fuel cells trucks in Puyang, Henan. Chingpong Quek, Member of the Executive Board, CTO of KION Group, and President of KION ITS APAC, along with over a hundred guests including government leaders from Puyang municipalities, counties, and districts, industry experts, and industry chain partners, attended the ceremony to witness the delivery.

At the ceremony, Chingpong Quek, Member of the Executive Board, CTO of KION Group, and President of KION ITS APAC stated, “As an industry pioneer, Linde forklifts continue to leverage our technological advantages and global enterprise platform to accelerate the strategic layout of hydrogen energy, a cutting-edge new energy technology, and provide customers with more suitable, advantageous, and reliable product solutions. In 2020, Linde began its layout in the Chinese market for hydrogen forklifts,strengthening cooperation with China’s local hydrogen energy ecosystem and developing multiple fuel cell prototypes, which have provided important support for the development of the Chinese hydrogen fuel cell forklift market.”

Currently, Linde and G-power have jointly developed 3-5-ton hydrogen forklift products that can be adapted to different application scenarios.

The delivery of 30 forklifts will be fully utilized by customers in the chemical, food, and energy industries in Puyang, expanding the application scenarios of hydrogen energy in Henan Province. This represents a revolutionary breakthrough in the application of fuel cell technology in industrial vehicles and also showcases to the world a Chinese solution for fuel cell industrial vehicles, marking a milestone.

On Jan 9, a handover ceremony for over 50 new Linde shared forklifts, including various models, was successfully held at Nonggu Smart Cold Chain Logistics Park in Jinzhong, Shanxi. Linde provided a zero-threshold, efficient, and economical leasing program. The forklifts can be rented via mobile apps, optimizing resource allocation and enhancing operational efficiency, thus aiding the park in becoming a modern, green, and intelligent logistics base.

On Jan 7th, in Las Vegas, USA, KION GROUP announced a partnership with Accenture to optimize supply chains leveraging NVIDIA’s advanced artificial intelligence and simulation technologies. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas, the three companies demonstrated how clients can define the ideal layout for new warehouses and leverage NVIDIA Omniverse Mega, a large-scale industrial digital twin blueprint, to continuously improve existing facilities. This includes a physics AI-driven digital twin (an AI model embodying the principles and characteristics of the physical world) aimed at enhancing the performance of smart warehouses equipped with autonomous forklifts, intelligent cameras, and the latest automation and robotics solutions.

On July 13, the fifth “Linde Cup” Global Forklift Skills Competition China Finals and the fourth “Forklift Safety Day” event took place at Linde Forklift’s Xiamen factory. Key industry figures, including leaders from the China Construction Machinery Association and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, attended the event.

In his opening speech, Ching Pong Quek, President of KION APAC, highlighted the competition’s history, covering over 230 cities and involving more than 10,000 participants since its inception in 2007. The competition aims to promote safety and efficiency in forklift operations and nurture skilled talents in the logistics industry.

The finals saw intense competition among 29 teams in events like rapid stacking, forklift gymnastics, and a team relay. Changchun FAW International Logistics Co. won the championship and will represent China in the global finals in Germany.

The 2024 Linde Cup, incorporating Olympic spirit and cutting-edge technology like Linde’s new energy forklifts, underscores Linde’s commitment to innovation and safety. The event also featured interactive demonstrations with automation and digital solutions, showcasing the future of intelligent logistics. The competition concluded with a vibrant awards ceremony, celebrating the spirit of excellence and innovation in the logistics sector.

The 5th “Linde Cup” Global Forklift Professional Skills Competition – China station opening ceremony Xiamen Station competition in Linde Xiamen factory was opened on March 9th. “Linde Cup” was founded in 2007, known as the forklift industry’s “Olympic Games”, with many players, wide range, large scale, high difficulty, and it’s extremely challenging and entertaining. The first competition set a Guinness World Record in Shanghai. The Linde Cup, held every four years, has entered 200 cities across the country since its inception and attracted more than 8,000 players from 4,000 companies.

This year we combined the Olympic elements, designed the “Forklift Gymnastics”, “Dunk Master”, “Olympic Five Ring Relay Race” and other projects. The players showed superb skills, and it is tense and interesting.

In January 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the 2023 annual Green Manufacturing List, and Linde China was awarded the honorary title of national “Green Factory”, marking that Linde China has moved to a new level in green low-carbon and sustainable development.

In recent years, Linde China has been committed to sustainable development and environmental protection. Linde products meet all the environmental requirements of the Chinese market, and the emissions of many models have reached the EU Stage 3 standards, far higher than the emission standards of similar models in the market. In May 2023, the solar energy project of Zhangzhou Factory was officially completed and put into use. At the end of 2023, the construction of the solar energy projects in the Xiamen Factory and the Jinan Factory also officially began, and it is expected that the solar energy projects will also be officially put into use in March to April 2024. In addition, the KION Group has officially joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2023, which also marks the Group’s commitment to sustainable development.

China Quality Certification Center organized the first nationwide “Quality Management System Excellent Practice Award” in 2023, and Linde China received “2023 Quality Management System Excellent Practice Award”. At present, only 20 companies in China have been awarded this honor, which is a high recognition of Linde China ‘s consistently excellent quality management, strong manufacturing system and outstanding product quality.

CP Quek, Member of the Executive Board and President & CEO KION ITS Asia Pacific & Americas

Rob Smith, CEO of KION Group

In 1993, Linde China set up a factory in Xiamen. In the past 30 years, Linde China has grown from more than 100 employees to nearly 5,000 people working in China. On August 16, 2023,  “Linde China 30th Anniversary Celebration” was held at KION Jinan Factory. Rob Smith, CEO of KION Group, CP Quek, Member of the Executive Board and President & CEO KION ITS Asia Pacific & Americas, and representatives of many Linde China customers and partners attended in the event. KION Jinan factory Customer Open Day was held at the same time. It has prepared production line tours, intelligent experience centers and product presentations for customers and partners.

On Oct 12th, the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Weichai and KION Group was held in KION Jinan Laiwu plant. Jinan Municipal government, KION Group, Weichai Power, Shandong Heavy Industry and many well-known media witnessed KION and Weichai’s ten-year partnership and fruitful highlight moment together. The Deputy Secretary of the Jinan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor Yu Haitian, Shandong Heavy Industry and Weichai Power Chairman Tan Xuguang, KION Group CEO Rob Smith, Member of KION Executive Board and President & CEO KION ITS Asia Pacific & Americas Chingpong Quek, and other leaders and guests attended the event.

At the event, a wonderful video vividly showed the glorious mark of KION and Weichai cooperation for 10 years. Rob Smith, CEO of KION Group, deeply summarized that “KION is growing up in China”. From the listed in Germany, to the integration of Dematic, to the KION Jinan Intelligent Experience Center, KION Group established global value product technology research and development center in China to provide more and more flexible products and material handling solutions for the Chinese market, also provide a powerful engine for KION’s sustainable development on a global scale.

As an important strategic partner of KION Group, Tan Xuguang, Chairman of Shandong Heavy Industry Group and Weichai Power, said that “the strategic hand in hand between KION and Weichai has created a model of cooperation between Chinese and German enterprises. In the past ten years, the two sides, adhering to the concept of openness and win-win, have given full play to each other’s professional and resource advantages, and made great progress in mutual integration and promotion.”

Yu Haitian, Deputy Secretary of the Jinan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Jinan, said in his speech: “The sincere cooperation between Weichai and KION has not only won extraordinary development performance for both parties, but also established a firm friendship between us, sharing weal and woe, and working side by side, making Jinan a true ‘second hometown’ of KION.”

In Shandong, the focus of the domestic market of KION and Weichai, the KION Jinan intelligent plant that has been put into operation and the KION Jinan Dematic modern plant and technology center that will be launched soon will fully meet the needs of Chinese customers and empower the development of the industry with smart logistics. Chingpong Quek, Member of KION Executive Board and President & CEO KION ITS Asia Pacific & Americas, mentioned in his speech: “As the green wisdom industry city of Shandong Heavy Industry (Jinan Laiwu), an important part of the whole industry chain, KION Jinan develops ‚technology engine‘ with 100 years of German research and development experience. Together with Weichai, we help Jinan replance its old drivers with new ones, jointly promote the domestic and international double circulation to enable the upgrading of China’s logistics.”

During the celebration, KION Group and Weichai Power jointly lit KION China Forklift Landscape Tower, which represents the strength of cooperation between the two parties. This 24-meter-high, 6-floor tower stands in the KION Jinan plant. It fully testifies to the strong strength and determination of both KION Group and Weichai Power to explore the Chinese market, and jointly pushes the construction of modern intelligent logistics in China from blueprint to reality.

The 10th Anniversary Celebration of Weichai and KION Group
On Oct 12th, the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Weichai and KION Group was held in KION Jinan Laiwu plant. Jinan Municipal government, KION Group, Weichai Power, Shandong Heavy Industry and many well-known media witnessed KION and Weichai’s ten-year partnership and fruitful highlight moment together. The Deputy Secretary of the Jinan Municipal Party Committee and Mayor Yu Haitian, Shandong Heavy Industry and Weichai Power Chairman Tan Xuguang, KION Group CEO Rob Smith, Member of KION Executive Board and President & CEO KION ITS Asia Pacific & Americas Chingpong Quek, and other leaders and guests attended the event.

On September 28^th, the launch ceremony for Linde to produce the first batch of over 100 2.5-ton lithium electric counterbalance forklifts for North American customers was successfully held in Xiamen. Mr. Chingpong Quek, Member of the Executive Board and President & CEO KION ITS Asia Pacific & Americas, Mr. Lean Chong Chieng, Vice President of Strategic Market and Product Management of KION APAC, and other leaders and guests were present to witness this exciting moment. This new forklifts delivery is not only an important milestone for KION Group and its North American customers in implementing sustainable development strategies and promoting the transition from oil to electricity, but also demonstrates the strong strength of KION Group’s Linde brand in overseas markets.

CP said at the conference: “I am particularly happy that KION Group has reached a long-term cooperation with a well-known company in the construction industry in North America. As our important partner, we are confident to work with our customers to provide more advanced, more efficient and more green products and logistics handling solutions. We believe this delivery is a new starting point for our cooperation, and we will also create a continuous flow of logistics benefits for users around the world in the future.”