Customers

Even after the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic has subsided and despite the progress made with vaccination programs in many countries, travel and contact restrictions remain in force in many places. This necessitates the greater use of digital formats for customer service and sales. The KION Group has therefore enhanced its virtual formats and focused on using them to strengthen its customer relationships.

During Supply Chain Day, the KION Group teamed up with the German Logistics Association (BVL) and its brand companies Linde Material Handling, STILL GmbH, and Dematic to provide virtual insights into warehouse logistics processes.

Dematic continued the series of virtual events for customers by hosting the first Europe-wide AutoStore^® showcase. Participants were taken on a virtual tour of a reference installation that demonstrated how the compact piece picking system works and highlighted its benefits. Dematic also offers web chat as a way of providing rapid support free of charge.

KION North America has completely revamped its internet presence, launching a new online portal that customers can use for tasks such as checking inventories, placing rush orders, and tracking order status.

The KION brand companies won further accolades for their product quality and innovation in the first six months of the year.

Linde Material Handling was recognized in two categories of the Products of the Year 2021 awards of trade journal Materialfluss: The Linde R-MATIC reach truck secured first place in the industrial truck category, while Linde Safety Guard: Door Control – an access authorization system – took the top spot in the identification technology category.

Dematic’s micro-fulfillment solution for urban settings won the German Innovation Award 2021 in the machines and engineering section of the excellence in business to business category. The development of Blue Hub, an innovative and cutting-edge distribution center, also secured Dematic a Technology Excellence Award from Singapore Business Review. Blue Hub was singled out for the high degree of automation using the Internet of Things (IoT) along with the consideration of sustainability aspects in its architecture and energy management system.