• Group provides logistical support for the German Red Cross deployment in affected areas
• Forklift trucks loaned to the German Red Cross free of charge
• KION Group employees given paid leave to volunteer with aid organizations

The KION Group is supporting relief workers in their tireless efforts to cope with the heavy storm damage in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Bavaria. The intralogistics company is donating €1 million in emergency aid to the German Red Cross. The national relief organization has been actively assisting in the rescue, care, and shelter of those in need in the areas.

“The images of flooding and destruction are shocking, and the people living in those areas have been hit hard. Many have lost everything they own, and some are also mourning the death of friends and relatives. Our thoughts and sympathies are with all those affected,” said Gordon Riske, Chief Executive Officer of KION GROUP AG. “We would like to thank the professional and volunteer relief workers on the ground who are giving their all to mitigate the impact of this tragic natural disaster.”

The German Red Cross is a recognized umbrella organization of the non-governmental welfare sector, providing facilities, programs, and services through both volunteers and full-time workers. In Germany, the organization is also involved in civil defense and disaster response. In the event of a disaster, the German Red Cross is committed to using all available helpers and all available resources to rescue people and help them in their time of need. Currently, more than 3,500 German Red Cross helpers are in round-the-clock operations in flood-hit areas.

The financial support that the KION Group is providing to the German Red Cross is distributed to the respective regional and local organizations by the national headquarters in Berlin. This ensures that emergency aid is sent where it is needed most urgently.

In addition to emergency financial aid, the Frankfurt-based intralogistics company is also making equipment and personnel available. “We are offering paid leave to all employees who are volunteers with an aid organization, such as the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, the German Life-Saving Association, and the German Red Cross, and providing active support on the ground to those in need in the flood-hit areas,” says Anke Groth, Labor Relations Director and CFO of KION GROUP AG. “We have also agreed to grant the German Red Cross free access to our forklift trucks to make it easier to manage the logistical challenges.” The equipment will help to ensure that people in the affected areas have access to what they need.

“We are immensely grateful to the KION Group for its support and this generous donation,” says Christian Reuter, secretary-general and chief executive officer of the German Red Cross. “Many people in the disaster-hit areas are desperate as they have lost almost everything, so it’s important that we can provide assistance quickly.”