“We are offering an extensive product range and diversified solutions. KION India has huge sales and service network with 100+ customer touch points across the country to make sure our products and services are within customers reach.” says Sunil K Gupta, President, KION India

What is your take on the current market for material handling equipment in India?
As the unlock activities have begun, Indian material handling industry is gaining momentum and built on the pre-Covid levels in the months of August-September 2020. There has been a further expansion in market demand since September. Keeping Covid-19 situation in mind, there has been a focus on contact-free material handling and last-mile delivery. As a result of this, the material handling industry is now moving towards offering safety features and enabling contactless operation. Warehousing segment has witnessed tremendous growth and it is primarily driven by growth in the e-commerce and food and beverages industry. The demand for new equipment will continue in the near future and I am quite optimistic about the market peak in upcoming years. We could also witness the rise in automation and automated material handling equipment to keep workers safe and it creates contact-less operations at warehouses and factories.

What are the latest trends in MHE industry and how does it reflect in Kion’s offerings?
Increasing efficiency, enhancing productivity, maximizing safety and minimizing downtime has been the latest trends witnessed in the MHE. Since Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of warehouse and storage solutions have evolved and the e-commerce market has prospered during this period. And it has resulted in more warehouses, cold storage facilities being set up and it would create an incremental requirement in MHE. The MHE industry has witnessed a double-digit market growth CAGR between 2014 to 2019 and I am quite hopeful to achieve the same results. KION India is a multi-brand organization and represented by OM, Linde, Baoli and Dematic brands. We are a one-stop solution for all the customer segments for their MHE requirements by offering extensive product range and diversified solutions. KION India has huge sales and service network with 100+ customer touch points across the country to make sure our products and services are within customers reach. The company has India’s largest production facility at Pune, which is well prepared to cater to the long term projected market growth. KION India has in-house production of IC forklifts ranging from 1.5T to 16T, E forklifts from 1.5T to 3.5 T, Stackers with mast height up to 6.5 m, Battery operated pallet trucks, tow trucks and reach trucks with mast height up to 11.5m. We also provide complete automation solutions for big warehouses to support automation. KION India’s products are made keeping Indian conditions in mind so that they provide better performance; products are reliable and have a longer life. We have recently launched a feature-loaded PLUS Series of our existing products with enhancing performance, safety and life and have received an encouraging response from our customers. The products have high safety features and include proximity sensors, operator presence system as standard. We put extra emphasis on safety in the work area and it helps us in improving products. The performance feature includes a full-load lifting capacity at maximum lift height. In the life factor, we have improved the painting and have introduced a 2 years/3,000 hours warranty for hassle-free and easy customer service.

Which products have been your top sellers within the segment and any new launches in 2020 which has helped the industry?
We have a vast product portfolio and it ranges from hand pallet trucks, battery operated pallet trucks, Electric stacker, Reach truck, tow truck as well as battery and engine operated counterbalance trucks. Our OM brand India-manufactured products are the most popular and well-received by our customers as ‘value-for-money’ product portfolio. KION India being an industry leader, we always lead from the front to set new benchmarks in the Indian MHE industry. Our latest launch of Plus +++ series is aimed at improving overall customer experience. These products are produced under the initiative ‘Make in India’ at our Pune facility. The Plus Series counterbalance trucks are our popular DVX Plus – Diesel forklift with fluid coupling transmission, KAT Plus – Diesel forklift with automatic transmission and EVX Plus – Electric forklift.

How much are you focusing on R&D and customization in your products?
Our company has always been customer-centric and we take great pride in delivering products for market dynamics and changing customer requirements. The products are designed by an inhouse R&D team and are a result of continuous innovation. The Plus +++ Series forklifts are loaded with features that ensure better productivity and meet a wide range of material handling job requirements in terms of performance, serviceability, strength, safety and life. These products are reliable and robust with faster cycle time and it can be extensively used for material handling applications such as loading, unloading, placing and lifting material at various heights and reaches. 

How are you ensuring quality through your offerings and any specific quality tests or certifications that are required?
KION India’s factory 2.0 located at Pune is equipped with advanced quality and testing facilities to provide the best quality products to customers. Each of our equipment is only dispatched after going through all the quality checks. The company also provides a test certification as per ISO. This is then sent to the customer digitally during the dispatch and as well as with the machine and all our machines are manufactured as per the ISO guidelines. The main objective of our factory 2.0 is to meet “Vocal for Local” demand.