More than 65 years ago, H. Jungheinrich und Co. Maschinenfabrik established the foundation of our Group. Customer orientation, technical leadership and outstanding service are deep-rooted in the history of the company. Today, Jungheinrich counts among the top three intralogistics brands worldwide.
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Obtain an overview here of Jungheinrich’s development from a small company with not even ten employees to a leading international supplier in the area of intralogistics and to a top worldwide brand.
The beginnings (1899 - 1953)
The forerunner of our company was established by Hermann Jungheinrich in 1908 as an import and export firm under the name H. Jungheinrich & Co. In 1953 his eldest son, Friedrich Jungheinrich, laid the cornerstone for the present company by establishing H. Jungheinrich and Co. Maschinenfabrik.
The milestones
1899: On 20 October, our founder, Friedrich Jungheinrich is born in East London, South Africa.
1908: On 3 December in Hamburg, Friedrich Jungheinrich's father, Hermann Jungheinrich, establishes import and export firm H. Jungheinrich & Co.
1947: Hermann Jungheinrich dies on 9 October. Friedrich Jungheinrich and his brother Otto inherit equal shares in the company, which at the time had five employees.
1948: Production of hand trucks and lift trucks starts in Barmbek. On 22 October Friedrich Jungheinrich registers the brand name Ameise (which means ant) at the patent office.
1953: The forerunner of Jungheinrich AG, H. Jungheinrich & Co. Maschinenfabrik, is founded on 7 August. The Ameise 55, the first battery-powered forklift truck, goes into production. The first domestic branch office opens in Mülheim/Ruhr.
The boom years of the German economic miracle (1954 - 1968)
In the 1950s and 1960s Germany and Hamburg enjoy the boom years of the so-called German economic miracle. For our company, export business becomes the major source of revenue. Gradually the first international subsidiaries are established. Jungheinrich lays the groundwork for becoming a global group.
The milestones
1954: Under the name Ameise a new battery-powered forklift model series is launched, as are the first lift trucks and tractors with driver platform.
1956: Start of in-house battery-powered motor development and production. The first international sales subsidiary is established in Austria under the name Hermann F. Jungheinrich Gesellschaft mbh. With the reach truck Retrak a new fork lift truck category is developed.
1958: To expand manufacturing capacity the new Hamburg-Wandsbek commences starts production. New international subsidiaries are established in Italy and Sweden. Under the name Ameise 65 DFG 15 G we launch the first IC-engine powered stacker in the Nitro series.
1960: Ameise Junior, the first wheel-supported lift truck, featuring tiller steering and starter batteries, enables small companies to maximise the advantages of pallet storage. Another international subsidiary is opened in Switzerland.
1962: We develop Teletrak, the first automatically controlled and inductively guided stacker. A new international subsidiary is established in France.
1963: International subsidiaries open in Netherlands and UK.
1966: Land is bought in Norderstedt. The start of the first construction phase of the plant paves the way for the future growth of our company.
1967: Another international subsidiary opens in Denmark. Jungheinrich Unternehmensverwaltung KG (Holding) is formed to manage the international subsidiaries.
1968: Our founder, Dr Friedrich Jungheinrich, passes away at the age of 68 years on 28 January. He leaves behind a healthy and prosperous company. The same year sees the unveiling of the ETX series. This high stacking and narrow aisle truck ensures improved exploitation of warehouse space.
Generational change and improved competitive edge (1969 - 1989)
After the passing away of our founder, we remain an independent family business owned by the shareholder families Lange and Wolf. In the late 1970s another innovation offensive is launched. At the same time we introduce a new design principle, expand the Norderstedt plant and streamline production.
The milestones
1969: A new international subsidiary is founded in Norway.
1970: A new international subsidiary opens in Spain.
1972: Order picking gains ground in warehouse logistics workflows. Jungheinrich develops the necessary specialized equipment.
1974: We launch our rental and used equipment business.
1976: The first driverless transport systems are introduced into production. A new international subsidiary is founded in Belgium.
1977: Market launch of the Delta racking system.
1979: Our company now employs 4,100 people and boasts sales of DM 533 million, of which 58 percent is earned abroad.
1982: The roll out of the ARS automatic shelf stacker system marks the entry to the automated stacker market. Unveiling of the first all-wheel-drive, cantilever electric three-wheel lift truck to a world audience as an alternative to Jungheinrich’s well-established, rear-wheel drive truck.
1983: IC-engine powered forklift trucks round off the product range for Germany and Austria.
1984: Paletting/picking systems delivered to automate order-picking processes. The new assembly plant in Norderstedt goes on line and acts as a central warehouse for production and spare parts. It features computer-controlled powder coating and assembly lines for industrial trucks.
1986: With the the conversion from job shop to modular flow production system we establish a new construction principle and rationalize the production in Norderstedt plant.
1987: With the new Retrak generation Jungheinrich opens new opportunities for reach trucks in space-saving storage. For the first time revenues surpass DM 1 billion, 5,330 employees on the payroll.
1988: New product sales, rental and used truck business, repair shop and service division are brought together under unified management – at the headquarters in Germany as well as decentralised in the sales divisions.
1989: A new plant is built in Lüneburg for special build, small series production, and customisation.
IPO and restructuring (1990 - 1999)
In the year of German reunification we go public. We respond to the pent-up demand for modern industrial trucks and warehouse equipment in the new German states and the former Eastern Bloc countries. We acquire the Boss Group, including long-standing Steinbock company in Moosburg, Bavaria. Our company undergoes comprehensive restructuring.
The milestones
1990: After merging the domestic companies, the company is transformed to a public limited company and floated on the stock exchange on 30 August.
1991: The launch of DIS, the drive-In-system for deep stacking
1992: New international subsidiaries founded in the Czech Republic and Hungary
1993: In July, in a joint venture with Linde, Jungheinrich sets up an engine plant in Moravany/Brunn, Czech Republic.
1994: We take over the British Boss group, including the long-standing Steinbock company in Bavaria. The ComFOUR concept is rolled out to offer customers the choice between borrowing, leasing and rental as well as the provision of financial services. A new international subsidiary opens in Poland. Our operations in Norderstedt, Wandsbek and Luneburg are certified to the DIN ISO 9001 quality assurance system.
1995: We develop the world's first reach truck with central joystick under the name Multi-Pilot.
1996: Certification of entire Jungheinrich sales operations to ISO DIN 9001.
1997: Series production of the AC counterbalance EFG-VD 25/30 truck series starts. We are the first lift truck manufacturer to offer all diesel and LPG trucks with hydrostatic or hydrokinetic drive systems. Two new international subsidiaries are founded in Slovenia and in Slovakia.
1998: Jungheinrich develops the Retrak® ETV 14, the first reach truck for wheelchair drivers. The sales and engineering divisions are separated for organisational purposes, and a brand-independent production pool is established. The Steinbock company in Moosburg (now Jungheinrich Moosburg GmbH) celebrates its 75th anniversary. Wap Reinigungssysteme GmbH & Co in Bellenberg is sold. The University of St. Gallen awards Jungheinrich the Best Practice in After-sales Service award.
1999: On 20 October we celebrate the 100th birthday of our company founder Dr Friedrich Jungheinrich. A new international subsidiary is formed in Portugal. Our environmental management system is certified to ISO DIN 14001. We unveil a completely re-developed hand pallet lift truck series to succeed the successful model that boasts nearly 2.5 million units sold between 1957-1999.
Globalisation and the end of the multi-brand strategy (2000 - present)
At the turn of the millennium we now offer our products exclusively under the Jungheinrich brand. The Complete Intralogistics Solutions, Financial Services and Full Service divisions are continuously expanded. In parallel we strengthen our sales units and position ourselves on the globalised markets.
The milestones
2000: New international subsidiaries founded in Turkey, Greece, United States and Singapore.
2001: The Group approves and implements the new corporate sales strategy, focussing on direct sales of the Jungheinrich brand. A new spare parts warehouse is set up in southern Germany to centralise spare part logistics. A new international subsidiary opens in Ireland. In cooperation with Linde, Jungheinrich establishes the ecommerce company Supralift.
2002: A new international subsidiary is formed in Brazil. A new spare parts logistics centre goes into service in Lahr, near Offenburg.
2003: On 7 August we celebrate our 50th anniversary. New international subsidiaries are opened in Russia, Latvia and Lithuania.
2004: New international subsidiaries go into service in Finland and China. A joint venture with Ningbo Ruyi (PR China) is formed for sourcing our pedestrian pallet trucks.
2005: The 100,000th truck with AC technology is delivered. We premiere the world's first forklift truck with rotating cab.
2006: A new assembly plant is set up in Qingpu district, Shanghai, China. The used equipment centre starts to operate in Dresden.
2007: The Germany sales, export sales, Norderstedt plant and spare parts logistics Norderstedt divisions are converted into separate companies. A new spare part logistics centre goes into service in Bratislava (Slovakia). We deliver the 50,000th 48 volt electric forklift.
2009: A new plant for the production of electric pallet trucks starts to operate in Landsberg.
2010: A new powder coating system goes online in Norderstedt. The Warehouse Management System (WMS) is added to our portfolio.
2011: The EJE 112i series truck with lithium-ion technology goes into production.
2012: In addition to the main production facility in Germany, the ground-breaking ceremony for a new production plant for Jungheinrich Lift Truck Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is held in Qingpu, China.
2013: Under the motto “60 Years of Passion for Logistics" we celebrate our 60th anniversary. A highlight of the anniversary events is the “1st Hamburg Intralogistics Summit". The spare parts centre in Kaltenkirchen and the new plants in Degernpoint near Moosburg and Qingpu (China) start production.
2014: We establish the Jungheinrich Logistiksysteme GmbH and the line of business Energy and Drive Systems. Our subsidiary company ISA changes its name in Jungheinrich Systemlösungen GmbH. The building of the new corporate headquartes starts in Hamburg-Wandsbek.
2015: In line with our growth strategy, the strategic key area “Logistics Systems” is significantly expanded by acquiring the Munich based MIAS Group, a stacker crane expert, and by creating the new management board division “Logistics Systems”. At the production site in Norderstedt, the new training center with an annual capacity of up to 5000 participants commences operation. In cooperation with the largest Chinese forklift manufacturer Anhui HELI, a new joint venture for the rental of material handling equipment is founded, catering for the largest global single market – China. In December 2015, Jungheinrich moves into the new headquarters at its traditional company location "Friedrich-Ebert-Damm 129“, which had been a production site from 1958 until the 1990s and remained the Group headquarters until 2007. Direct sales branches in Australia, South Africa, Romania and Chile (January 2016) are founded.
2016: Jungheinrich reports record figures for the business year 2015: The value of incoming orders increases by 11% to 2.82 billion Euro, all-time sales high with 2.75 billion Euro (+10% compared to the previous year) and production figures above 90,000 units for the first time. In total, more than 14,000 people are in Jungheinrich employ.
2018: This year is all about 65 years Jungheinrich. The expansion of own locations continues worldwide. Having set up Colombia, Peru and Ecuador in early 2018, Serbia followed as 40th own direct sales company.
2019: Achievement of sales target of 4 billion euros. All-new electric high-lift truck ERC 216zi.
2020: Presentation of Strategy 2025+: CREATE SUSTAINABLE VALUE.
2021: Perfect Fit: Acquisition of arculus. 10 years of lithium-ion technology "made by Jungheinrich".
