Research & development

The KION Group spent €29.4 million on research and development (R&D) in the first quarter of 2014, up by 4.7 per cent compared with the first three months of the previous year. Expressed as a proportion of revenue, this R&D expenditure increased to 2.7 per cent. The total amount included capitalised development costs of €9.8 million.

The number of full-time jobs in R&D stood at 958 as at 31 March 2014 (31 December 2013: 944).

The main R&D projects in 2013 continued into the first quarter of this year. They are described in detail in the 2013 group management report. The focus was on developing platform concepts for China and other growth markets that are crucial to the KION Group’s global expansion. To this end, the KION Group’s R&D centre in Xiamen was enlarged again (243 employees as at 31 March 2014). Two new counterbalance truck models, both developed in Xiamen, are to be launched on the market this year.

Linde Material Handling brought out various new products in the first three months of 2014, including two compact double stackers that complete its portfolio of warehouse technology products at the lower end of the load capacity range. The successful EVO counterbalance truck series, whose features include a high level of performance, low emissions and low energy consumption, was extended to include new electric forklift trucks in the 1.2-2 tonne load capacity category. In February, STILL began offering the RX 60 electric forklift truck, which has an increased load capacity of up to 8 tonnes. >> TABLE 17

Total R&D spending

>>TABLE 17

in € million

Q1 2014

Q1 2013

Change

 

 

 

 

Research and development costs (P&L)

29.5

29.4

0.1%

Amortisation expense

–9.9

–11.3

12.5%

Capitalised development costs

9.8

9.9

–1.3%

Total R&D spending

29.4

28.0

4.7%

R&D spending as percentage of revenue

2.7%

2.6%

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