Stakeholder dialogue

G4-24, G4-25, G4-26, G4-27

Linde Material Handling is in continuous communication with its stakeholder groups through direct conversations, by means of surveys and at events. Expectations and demands communicated to the Company can be identified at an early stage and taken into account when decisions are made.

Relevant groups

The importance of the individual interest groups for the Company is measured by means of a number of parameters, notably their relationship to the Company’s business or products, or the activities that can be influenced by them in the sales markets or in the area surrounding the locations.

The stakeholder groups influenced by the business activity of the Company are also relevant. The most important stakeholder groups of Linde Material Handling are customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders of the KION Group.

Sector associations and international institutions are also included here. Linde has a total of some 100 memberships in this area. A special focus on sustainability is provided by a number of organisations including the International Organization for Standardization (e.g. ISO/TC 110/SC 5 Sustainability), the Comité Européen de Normalisation (e.g. CEN/TC 150/WG 15 Sustainability), the German Institute for Standardisation (Deutsches Institut für Normung) (DIN NA 060-22-45 AA) and the German Engineering Federation (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau) (Blue competence).

Linde also maintains a strong focus on dialogue with its customers. Numerous instruments ensure that proactive communication takes place here along its entire value chain (see also section on “Products and solutions”).

Participation in government subsidised projects

Linde takes part in various projects subsidised by the government with the aim of promoting highly innovative technologies that exert a beneficial effect on the environment. These include the “H2IntraDrive” research project financed by the German Federal Ministry of Transport. Since 2013, industrial trucks have been deployed in the bodyshop at the BMW plant Leipzig which are powered with green certified hydrogen. This project is continuing until 2016. The Department of Materials Handling, Material Flow and Logistics (fml) at Munich Technical University is evaluating the pilot project under production conditions.
www.h2intradrive.de

As partner of the “E-LOG-BioFleet” project financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Linde provided ten pallet trucks from 2011 to 2014 which are powered by a hybrid system with fuel cells. The successful pilot project in the materials handling warehouse operated by DB Schenker in Hörsching was successfully completed in 2014 and the plan is to extend the project.
www.klimafonds.gv.at

Hydrogen refueling process of an industrial truck (photo)
Hybrid pallet truck (photo)