17.03.2016

Kalmar to consolidate production

Kalmar the fork truck to reach stacker manufacturer has announced plans to consolidate its assembly operations in Europe.

The move will see production of forklift trucks move from Lidhult, Sweden to Kalmar's assembly operations in Stargard Poland. The transfer would take around two years and lead to the closure of the operations in Lidhult.
Approximately 190 employees in Sweden would be affected by the change.

At the same time the company says that it will invest in new, state of the art premises in Sweden and transform the operations in Southern Sweden into a Business, Innovation and Technology Centre in Ljungby, Sweden. The new centre will focus on strengthening Kalmar's expertise in digital business development, research and development, prototype production and testing of mobile equipment.

Kalmar employs approximately 350 people in Lidhult and Ljungby, Sweden, and 320 people in Poland.

Dan Pettersson, senior vice president, mobile equipment said: "We recognise that this is a difficult time for people in Lidhult. However, we must make sure that we continue to sustain our global leadership position also in the future. We are expecting to gain synergies and strengthen Kalmar's competitiveness in the global markets with a more cost competitive production setup. At the same time, we will invest in the future by boosting our technological competences to speed up our digital journey".

"We have a strong heritage in Småland, Sweden. The new Business, Innovation and Technology Centre would create new business and job opportunities especially in the area of digitalisation. In Poland, our plan is to expand the operations at Stargard which would create 200 new jobs in the region".