The KION Group is donating €257,000 to the Spanish Red Cross (Cruz Roja Española) to support relief and reconstruction efforts in the wake of the devastating floods that hit the Spanish regions of Valencia, Murcia and Andalusia at the end of October.

“Fortunately, no KION employees or network partners in the affected areas were injured in the floods. However, we are still deeply affected by this tragedy, and, as a company operating in the region, we want to do our part to support the people affected and help rebuild the infrastructure,” said Valeria Gargiulo, Chief People & Sustainability Officer of the KION Group.

During the floods, the Linde Material Handling branch in Valencia suffered structural damage, which has been repaired over the past few weeks. The Linde Valencia team is working with great dedication to return to normal operations and continue our activities in the region. STILL dealer Daniel Monzón also reported isolated material damage. The Dematic facilities near Madrid and Barcelona were not affected, but Dematic colleagues provided local support.

KION employees from around the world donated money in November and December as part of an internal fundraising campaign set up in conjunction with the Spanish Red Cross. In 15 days, KION employees donated a total of €9,500. The KION Group decided to increase this amount to €250,000. In addition, Carelsa from the Linde Material Handling Spain dealer network donated €4,000, and José Vidal, S.L.U from the STILL Spain dealer network €3,000 bringing the total amount raised to €257,000.

Furthermore, KION granted paid leave to Spanish employees who had a personal connection to the affected region and wished to participate in humanitarian relief efforts.

“We are extremely grateful to our employees who not only generously donated to help the victims of the floods but also did their best to keep our business in Spain running and to help our customers who were affected,” said Andreas Krinninger, President KION ITS EMEA and member of the KION Executive Board. “We are more than happy to support their solidarity by increasing the amount and hope that this sum can help the Spanish Red Cross to provide vital assistance to those affected.”