[43] Segment report

The Executive Board, as the chief operating decision-maker (CODM), manages the KION Group on the basis of the two operating segments: Industrial Trucks & Services and Supply Chain Solutions. The segments have been defined in accordance with the KION Group’s organizational and strategic focus.

Description of the segments

Industrial Trucks & Services

So that it can fully cater to the needs of material handling customers worldwide, the business model of the Industrial Trucks & Services segment covers key steps of the value chain: product development, manufacturing, sales and service, truck rental and used trucks, fleet management, and financial services that support the core industrial truck business. The segment operates a multi-brand strategy involving the three international brands Linde, STILL, and Baoli plus the two regional brands Fenwick and OM.

Supply Chain Solutions

The Supply Chain Solutions segment, featuring its KION SCS Operating Unit, is a strategic partner to customers in a variety of industries, supplying them with integrated technology and software solutions with which to optimize their supply chains. Manual and automated solutions are provided for all functions along customers’ supply chains, from goods inward and Multishuttle warehouse systems to picking, automated palletizing, and automated guided vehicle systems. Featuring the Dematic brand, this segment is primarily involved in customer-specific project business. With global resources, eleven production facilities worldwide, and regional teams of experts, Dematic is able to plan and deliver logistics solutions with varying degrees of complexity anywhere in the world.

Corporate Services

Corporate Services comprises holding companies and service companies that provide services such as IT and general administration across all segments. The bulk of the total revenue is generated by internal IT services.

Segment management

The KPIs used to manage the segments are revenue and adjusted EBIT. Segment reporting therefore includes a reconciliation of externally reported consolidated earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) – including effects from purchase price allocations and non-recurring items – to the adjusted EBIT for the segments (‘adjusted EBIT’). Intragroup transactions are generally conducted on an arm’s-length basis. Segment reports are prepared in accordance with the same accounting policies as the consolidated financial statements, as described in note [6].

The following tables show information on the KION Group’s operating segments for 2023 and 2022:

External revenue is allocated to the different regions on the basis of the customer’s location. The breakdown of external revenue by region is presented in the > tables ‘Disaggregation of revenue with third parties’. In 2023, revenue in the most significant countries was as follows: €2,036.1 million in Germany (2022: €1,770.6 million), €2,083.1 million in the US (2022: €2,343.7 million), and €1,219.6 million in France (2022: €1,041.6 million).

In 2023, revenue of €525.9 million (2022: €1,366.2 million) was generated from one single external customer and predominantly in the Supply Chain Solutions segment.

Net financial income and expenses, including all interest income and interest expense, are described in
notes [12] and [13].

The non-recurring items recorded in the reporting year across the Group amounted to a total of €37.2 million. In the Supply Chain Solutions segment, an amount of €24.8 million related to staffing capacity adjustments to reflect the prevailing order situation. These adjustments were initiated as a short-term countermeasure as market demand is currently muted in the long-term project business.

In 2022, the non-recurring items had amounted to a total of €31.5 million. In the Industrial Trucks & Services segment, an amount of €32.4 million had essentially related to impairment losses on assets of the Russian subsidiaries. The negative non-recurring items in the Industrial Trucks & Services segment had been partly offset by a boost to earnings of €12.3 million from plan adjustments that affected defined benefit obligations. In the Supply Chain Solutions segment, non-recurring items had resulted from impairment losses on assets in connection with business in Russia. In addition, the intragroup allocation of costs of KION GROUP AG to subsidiaries had resulted in negative non-recurring items amounting to an expense of €17.5 million in the ITS and SCS segments.

The effects from purchase price allocations comprised net write-downs and other expenses in relation to the step-ups and charges identified as part of the acquisition processes.

The regional breakdown of non-current assets, excluding financial instruments, deferred tax assets, and assets relating to defined benefit pension plans, is as follows:

As at December 31, 2023, non-current assets attributable to Germany amounted to €3,545.4 million (December 31, 2022: €3,446.4 million) and to the US €2,227.6 million (December 31, 2022: €2,314.0 million).