With the official commissioning of the new "Kion Regional Distribution Center Central Europe" (RDC CE) at the Kahl am Main site, the Kion Group expands its logistical infrastructure in Central Europe with a key project. On a space of around 22,000 square meters, the highly automated spare parts distribution center bundles the latest group technologies and not only serves faster and more reliable spare parts supply, but also acts as a technological showroom for integrated intralogistics solutions.
"The new distribution center not only improves our service quality and delivery performance, but also strengthens the resilience and sustainability of our supply chain," says Andreas Krinninger, President Kion ITS EMEA.
The investment volume of the project amounts to around 90 million euros. The new building was constructed on the existing, industrially used site in Kahl and meets high ecological, social, and economic standards. Thanks to CO₂-free heating, its own photovoltaic system, resource-efficient construction, and comprehensive ecological compensation measures, the center makes an active contribution to the sustainability of the group’s logistics.
Fully automated high-bay warehouse, multishuttle, AMR, and
classic industrial trucks
The RDC CE is equipped with a 30-meter high, fully automated high-bay warehouse with six aisles and a powerful multishuttle system with around 110,000 storage locations. Intelligent material flow is realized through continuous conveyor technology from Dematic and the use of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and classic industrial trucks from Linde Material Handling. The warehouse layout is designed for efficiency and flexibility, supporting the precise and fast processing of customer orders.
Besides the operational logistics function, the distribution center takes on a representative role within the group: It showcases in real operation the entire range of the Kion Group - from automation and digital technologies to safety and energy solutions to fully integrated material flow systems. Thus, the RDC CE becomes a reference facility and demonstration environment for customers, partners, and internal training purposes.
Dematic and Linde Material Handling as integrated solution providers
The project was realized in close cooperation between the Kion brands Dematic and Linde Material Handling, who also present themselves as integrated solution providers in international large-scale projects.
"Through close
collaboration and the bundled expertise from both segments, we were able to realize a solution that meets the highest requirements for efficiency, flexibility, energy savings, safety, and transparency. This offers our customers a noticeable added value through higher availability and faster deliveries of spare parts, while simultaneously creating a future-proof, sustainable infrastructure for our spare parts logistics," says Krinninger.
The Kahl location was chosen because of its central location in Europe, good transport connections, and proximity to the neighboring Kion sites in Aschaffenburg and Heusenstamm. For decades, Kahl has played an operational key role in the group.
The expansion creates additional qualified jobs. Support from the municipality, site management, employee representatives, and the workforce contributed significantly to the successful implementation. Many employees come from the region.
"With our new distribution center, we have not only created a state-of-the-art logistics building but also set a strong signal for the region. The investment of around 90 million euros is a clear commitment to the Kahl location with its highly committed team and very supportive cooperation with the municipality,"
says Markus Kellermann, head of the Kahl site and project manager for the design and implementation.
The Kion Group is a global provider of industrial trucks and integrated supply chain solutions. In 2024, the group generated around 11.5 billion euros with over 42,000 employees. According to company information, more than 1.9 million industrial trucks from Kion are in operation with customers worldwide. In the EMEA region, Kion is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks by the number of units. Measured by revenue in 2023, the Kion Group is the leading foreign producer in China and the third-largest provider when including domestic manufacturers.
Kion Regional Distribution Center Central Europe (RDC CE) – Overview
General:
- Location: Kahl am Main, Bavaria
- Area: approx. 22,000 m²
- Investment volume: around 90 million euros
Function:
- Spare parts distribution center for Germany and adjacent markets
- Technological showroom for group solutions
Technical equipment:
- High-bay warehouse: Fully automated, 30 meters high, 6 aisles
- Multishuttle system: approx. 110,000 storage locations
- Material flow technology: Continuous conveyor technology from Dematic
- AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots)
- Industrial trucks from Linde
