KION GROUP AG opens its new counterbalance truck plant in the Chinese city of Jinan (Shandong province) - at which the guests were also presented the first forklift truck from the new plant - but, adjacent to this, it also laid the foundation stone for an additional plant for supply chain solutions in the immediate vicinity that will house a technology centre and manufacturing lines. These new facilities will help the company to forge ahead with its growth strategy in China and expand its product portfolio in both operating segments in one of the world's most important and fastest-growing markets for material handling equipment. The targeted development of business in Asia, and in China in particular, plays a key role in the KION Group's growth strategy. And with the new plant for counterbalance trucks, the Group aims to significantly expand its product portfolio in order to tap into growth opportunities in the value segment worldwide and benefit even more from the increasing electrification of industrial trucks in China. On a site covering almost 223,000 square meters - equivalent to more than 31 soccer fields - the Group has built a research and development center, a training center, and offices next to a high-tech plant for producing industrial trucks on behalf of the KION brand companies Linde Material Handling and Baoli.