KION Group launches Business Council for Democracy pilot project for trainees and apprentices

- Five workshops addressing the topics of online abuse, disinformation, and conspiracy myths on the internet

- Raising awareness to protect democratic values

- 20 vocational and degree apprentices are taking part

Frankfurt am Main, February 23, 2022 - KION GROUP AG is launching a pilot project from the Business Council for Democracy for its trainees and apprentices. Over several weeks, external trainers will be running five workshops for 20 vocational and degree apprentices dealing with the topics of online abuse, disinformation, and conspiracy myths on social media. The project is open to vocational apprentices and those taking part in dual work/study programs across the KION Group in Germany.

KION's reason for participating in the Business Council for Democracy is the growing erosion of democratic core values in social media. "Even within companies we are witnessing an increasing spread of disinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories. So it falls not only to the politicians but also to business to provide accurate factual information. The KION Group must also play its part in actively promoting the protection of democratic values," says Rob Smith, Chief Executive Officer of KION GROUP AG.

The Business Council for Democracy is a joint initiative of the Hertie Foundation, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, and the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, which was launched in autumn 2020.

KION Group promotes protection of democratic values

This year's pilot project is the second time that KION Group has participated in the Business Council for Democracy. The intralogistics group already ran two series of workshops in 2021. On those occasions, the workshops were only open to permanent employees. Due to the positive feedback, the project has now been expanded to also include vocational and degree apprentices.

Through this project, the KION Group wants to provide its employees with an important work-based training opportunity. The workshops are intended as a cost-effective and straightforward way to equip participants with digital skills that will enhance their understanding of democracy.

The project is scheduled to finish at the end of March 2022.

The Company

The KION Group is among the world's leading suppliers of industrial trucks and supply chain solutions. Its portfolio encompasses industrial trucks, such as forklift trucks and warehouse trucks, as well as integrated automation technology and software solutions for the optimization of supply chains, including all related services. Across more than 100 countries worldwide, the KION Group's solutions improve the flow of material and information within factories, warehouses, and distribution centers.

The Group, which is included in the MDAX, is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in Europe in terms of units sold in 2020. In China, it is the leading foreign manufacturer (as measured by revenue in 2020) and number three overall. The KION Group is also one of the world's leading providers of warehouse automation (as measured by revenue in 2019).

At the end of 2020, around 1.6 million of the KION Group's industrial trucks and round about 8,000 of its installed systems were in use by customers of various sizes and in numerous industries on six continents. The Group currently has around 39,000 employees and generated revenue of €8.3 billion in 2020.

Current KION Group images can be found in our image database at https://mediacenter.kiongroup.com/categories and on the websites of our various brands.

(jw)

Disclaimer

This release and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and do not constitute a prospectus or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction.

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and competitive conditions (including with respect to further developments in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic), regulatory reforms, results of technical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. We do not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.

Further information for the media

Michael Hauger
Senior Vice President Corporate Communications
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 655
Mobile: +49 (0)151 1686 5550
[email protected]

Frank Grodzki
Senior Director External Communications & Group Newsroom
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 496
Mobile: +49 (0)151 6526 2916
[email protected]

Further information for investors

Sebastian Ubert
Vice President Investor Relations
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 329
[email protected]

Frederic Depeille
Senior Manager Investor Relations
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 348
[email protected]

Fabian Giese
Senior Manager Investor Relations
Tel: +49 (0)69 201 107 491
[email protected]