At this year's CeMAT, Linde Material Handling (Linde MH) intends to strengthen its image as the industry's technological leader with an extensive selection of innovations and pioneering concepts. With its brand claim 'Engineered for your Performance', the company wants to underline its number one objective, namely to offer its customers maximum cost-effectiveness.

Versatility, robustness, performance, user-friendliness and innovation are the key characteristics of the Linde brand's comprehensive and diverse range of products and services. These brand values will be explained in more detail in the various 'centres of competence' inside the Linde pavilion and will also be showcased through the products on display outside. In order to help visitors find what they are looking for, the stand will be divided into different topic areas, such as the Linde brand area and the company's warehouse technology portfolio. Among the warehouse products on show will be new developments such as the Linde logistics train, various automated (and semi-automated) storage and manufacturing solutions, and the new Linde K man-up trucks with RFID functionality.

Sustainability will be another key focal area of the Linde MH stand. Linde forklifts are already among the most energy-efficient available and are up to 99 percent recyclable. What's more, the development and manufacturing process has been designed to use as few components as possible, to protect the environment and resources and to keep wear down to a minimum by maintaining high quality standards. Linde MH will also be presenting some of its other solutions to save energy and reduce emissions, such as the eco-friendly model of the Linde E20 to E50 electric forklifts and its innovative and fuel-efficient displacement pump for the lifting hydraulic system of diesel forklifts. The optimisation of conventional drive technology has already led to significant improvements in energy-efficiency and the development of alternative drive concepts, such as the ready-to-use fuel cell trucks on show at the trade fair and the electric forklifts and pallet trucks with lithium-ion batteries. Thus, Linde can now offer even more savings potential.

Linde is also committed to offering environmentally-friendly solutions when it comes to servicing. The new Linde E20 to E50 forklifts are a perfect example of this: thanks to optimised service intervals and oil requirements, gear and hydraulic oil consumption for the first 12,000 operating hours amounts to just 77 litres for these trucks. The hydraulic oil does not need to be changed for the first 6,000 operating hours or three years. Comparable competitor trucks require at least four times as much oil and the maintenance intervals are significantly shorter. In addition to helping to protect the environment, Linde customers can therefore also take advantage of cost savings.

Nonetheless, in order to be seen as a premium supplier, a company needs to offer even more. Customers want a supplier that can provide expert solutions, customer-focused products and services, and competent warehousing and logistics consultancy. As Theodor Maurer, CEO of Linde Material Handling, explains: "Ultimately, the brand claim 'Engineered for your Performance' stands for the unique customer-orientated range of materials handling products and services offered by the company." Linde's standard range of products offers the greatest diversity of all the suppliers on the market. Indeed Linde's comprehensive range includes warehouse technology, electric forklifts, IC trucks, heavy lift trucks, container forklifts, system technology trucks and trucks for explosion-proof areas. At this year's CeMAT, the company will also be presenting its new models in this final specialist area, including its pallet lift trucks, pallet trucks, pallet stackers and the new explosion-proof versions of the Linde E20 to E35 electric forklift product line, which will be launched at almost the same time as the equivalent series trucks. Of course this broad product portfolio is also supplemented with customer-orientated services such as leasing, financing and the refurbishment of used trucks, as well as the standard services offered by the Customer Services division. Details of all these services can be found in the new company brochure, which will be available at CeMAT.

"We have first class products and services, and can confidently look forward to growth in the coming years," Maurer tells us. "We also have a clear objective: namely to build on Linde's position as number one in Europe, to remain the most successful global premier supplier of products and services for the industrial trucks industry and to continue to enjoy the complete trust of our customers and employees."