First Kion Forklift Arrives at Volvo U.S.

Volvo Car US Operations Inc. hosted an unveiling event for its first forklift delivery from Kion North America.

In January, Kion announced an agreement with the global automotive manufacturer to supply the material handling equipment for the company’s first American factory located in Berkeley County, South Carolina.

A member of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of industrial trucks, Kion North America is located just five miles from the new Volvo Cars factory, which will be the global production home of the all new S60 Sedan.

The fleet includes forklifts, reach trucks and tow tractors, all provided and serviced by Kion.

“Not only is this the fifth Volvo factory that Kion Group is supplying equipment to around the world, but this will be the first complete Lithium-ion fleet in automotive manufacturing in North America,” said Vincent Halma, president and CEO of Kion North America.

An environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional lead-acid batteries, the Lithium-ion technology underpins the partnership and gave Kion the competitive edge.

“It’s the next generation of material handling power solutions,” said Halma.

Kion North America Corporation is a member of the Kion Group, one of the world’s two leading manufacturers of industrial trucks and the largest manufacturer of electric forklifts. Its brand companies, Linde, Baoli, Still and Dematic, serve the specific requirements of the U.S., Canadian and Mexican markets.

Equipped with the most innovative and efficient material handling equipment on the market, the Volvo factory will be capable of producing up to 120,000 cars per year.

In addition to supplying and servicing the equipment, Kion North America is also hosting training at their Summerville facility for all of the Volvo equipment operators throughout the duration of the five-year agreement.