HAMBURG, GERMANY - Jungheinrich AG, one of the world's largest material handling equipment and logistics solutions suppliers, is expanding its production capacity as a complement to its phenomenal corporate growth and increased worldwide demand. The Hamburg-based company will construct a new plant for the manufacture of electric walkie trucks in Landsberg, near Halle in Saxony-Anhalt, a German state in the east-central part of the country. Production startup is scheduled for the middle of 2009.
Jungheinrich expects the market to continue growing in the years to come and is rapidly adapting its production capacity to suit this situation. Landsberg will be home to an independent center of excellence for electric walkie trucks. This means that, in addition to manufacturing, product development and product management for these forklifts will be located there
as well. The construction of the plant is estimated to create over 100 new jobs in Landsberg. The project has a budget of approximately 30 million euros (44 million US dollars).
By taking this first step, Jungheinrich will have an annual production capacity that covers some 15,000 square meters and totals 30,000 trucks. As is already the case at the present Norderstedt site, the forklifts are to be assembled on a production line run on a 'takt' time system, which assigns preset, required assembly times to individual workstations. This means more planning accuracy when scheduling and building trucks. A production area for steel-work and an environmentally-friendly powder coating facility will be set up in addition to the assembly unit.
Landsberg has a very good transport infrastructure, including highway access, train connections and Leipzig Airport, which is located in the vicinity. "Another factor that made it easier for us to choose this site was the great commitment made by both state and local policymakers," stated project director, Dr. Marc Ehrmann.
At present, Jungheinrich is building electric walkie trucks in Norderstedt, which is close to Hamburg. This is also where electric stacker trucks, reach trucks, and components such as controls and masts are built for the Group; moreover, the central spare parts logistics center for Central and Northern Europe is situated in Norderstedt. The Norderstedt plant was modernized extensively between 2005 and 2007. Shifting electric walkie truck production to Landsberg will free up room in Norderstedt to increase production output for the products remaining at that site. Jungheinrich employees working in
Norderstedt will continue to work on these production lines.
About Jungheinrich
Jungheinrich is the world leader in warehouse logistics technology. Founded over fifty years ago, the company has grown from its beginnings as a European manufacturer of materials handling equipment to an international supplier of industrial trucks, warehousing technology and materials-flow products. Today, it is a major supplier of forklift trucks around the globe, and offers a complete range of materials handling equipment, rack systems and services related to manufacturing logistics.
Jungheinrich's growth has been due in large part to the high value it has always placed on leading-edge design and technological innovation. This is seen, for example, in the company's proprietary 3-phase AC motor and controller technology, and in a host of productivity and ergonomic enhancements. Jungheinrich has more than 120 strategically-located service support centers and store operations in the U.S., and sales and service companies in countries around the industrialized world. For information and additional contacts regarding the project, please visit www.jungheinrich.com and select "About us" > "Addresses" > "Production Plants."
