Swedish forklift trucks manufacturer moves production to Poland

As a result of the negotiations, Kalmar has decided to transfer the production of forklift trucks from Sweden to Poland, invest in new premises in Sweden and transform the operations in Southern Sweden into a Business, Innovation and Technology Centre. The change will lead to a permanent reduction of 160 employees and gradual closing of the operations in Lidhult. The measures aim to improve Kalmar's operational efficiency and ensure long term competitiveness in the global markets. The production of forklift trucks will be transferred to Kalmar's assembly operations in Stargard, Poland, starting from the fourth quarter of 2016. The transfer is expected to be finalised by the end of 2017. "The decisions are of course sad for the people in Lidhult. However, these actions are needed to sustain our global leadership position on the global markets. Through the change, we will gain synergies and make our production setup more cost competitive, enabling us to focus on our technological competence development in digital business," says Dan Pettersson, Senior Vice President, Mobile Equipment, Kalmar. "Kalmar's new Business, Innovation and Technology Centre in Ljungby will create new business and job opportunities in Southern Sweden. According to our estimates, we will have around 200 people employed at the new site in the future. In Stargard, Poland, we are expanding our operations to facilitate the production of forklift trucks. This will create about 200 new jobs in the region," he concludes.