The Kion Group, one of the two largest suppliers of forklift trucks, warehouse equipment and related services, announced on June 21 that it has acquired Dematic, a automation provider and specialist in supply chain optimization, for $2.1 billion.
The purchase of Dematic, according to Kion ,will establish it as aglobal leader in Intralogistics 4.0. “The Kion Group will thus enhance its position as one-stop-supplier for intelligent supply chain and automation solutions and is now perfectly positioned for attractive and profitable growth driven by megatrends like Industry 4.0, digitalization and e-commerce,” a company statement said.
Citing Dematic’s growth of more than 12% per year since 2013, Kion said that Dematic’s product portfolio which includes Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), will help it expand globally.
"With the acquisition of Dematic we are substantially changing and enhancing what Kion Group is and does – for further profitable growth in a quickly changing industry and digitalized world," said Kion Group's CEO Gordon Riske.The Kion Group has already acquired Egemin Automation and Retrotech.
Demantic’s CEO Ulf Henriksson feels the “transaction will be transformational to our industry.” Together the companies will jointly “define a new era in material handling solutions.”
The Kion Group, composed of seven brands --Linde, STILL, Fenwick, OM STILL, Baoli, Voltas and Egemin Automation – is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in western and eastern Europe, the global number two in the industry and the leading non-domestic supplier in China. The group is present in more than 100 countries and, in 2015, employed around 23,500 .
Dematic, a leading supplier of integrated automated technology, software and services to optimize the supply chain, employs almost 6,000 skilled logistics at engineering centers and manufacturing facilities located across the globe.
