Sectoral conditions
Industrial Trucks & Services
According to the KION Group, order numbers in the global market for industrial trucks were up noticeably year on year in 2025.
Based on official figures (World Industrial Trucks Statistics, January 2026), the EMEA region recorded a slight increase in order numbers in the period January to September 2025. The APAC region saw significant growth, while the Americas region achieved a strong rise.
Order numbers in the electric forklift truck market rose sharply year on year, while order numbers for IC trucks grew marginally. New orders for warehouse trucks registered strong growth, mainly due to exceptional demand for entry-level models. Overall, order numbers in the worldwide market were thus significantly higher in the first nine months of 2025 than in the prior-year period. Because the average price of warehouse trucks is significantly lower than that of counterbalance trucks, the sharp rise in global order numbers is not reflected in the change in the value of the market (World Industrial Truck Statistics, January 2026). According to the KION Group, the growth in value of the overall market for industrial trucks (as measured by order intake) was therefore below the growth in order numbers during the reporting year.
Based on market data published by the relevant trade association on new industrial truck orders, the share of the global market attributable to electric forklift trucks and warehouse trucks increased to 78 percent in the first nine months of 2025 (Q1–Q3 2024: 76 percent). Conversely, the share attributable to IC counterbalance trucks declined to 22 percent (World Industrial Truck Statistics, January 2026).
Official figures for the growth trend in the overall market for industrial trucks in 2025 as a whole were not available at the time this report was published.
Supply Chain Solutions
According to the KION Group, and backed up by data from research institute Interact Analysis, the global market for warehouse automation solutions (measured by order intake) expanded markedly in 2025 (Interact Analysis, December 2025). In the Americas region, the overall market saw strong growth. The EMEA region recorded a noticeable increase, while the APAC region remained at the prior‑year level owing to the slower recovery of the Chinese market for automation solutions (Interact Analysis, December 2025).
The market for warehouse automation solutions performed particularly well in the customer segments general merchandise and food and beverages, whereas demand in the customer segments durable goods, parcel delivery services, and grocery retail was up only slightly year on year (Interact Analysis, December 2025).
Procurement markets
The commodity markets presented a mixed picture in the reporting year. Steel prices experienced volatility throughout the reporting year and finished above the level recorded at the start of the year. Having risen to more than US$ 70 per barrel at the start of 2025, the price of crude oil fell to around US$ 60 over the course of the year, albeit with some fluctuation. The price of copper rose during the year, whereas the price of nickel (as measured in US dollars per tonne) went down.