Jungheinrich
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGerman provider of industrial trucks, warehouse technology, and integrated intralogistics solutions.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Jungheinrich is a German industrial technology company focused on material handling, warehousing, and material-flow engineering. Founded in Hamburg by Friedrich Jungheinrich in 1953, the business developed from a manufacturer of industrial trucks into a broader provider of equipment, warehouse infrastructure, automation, software, financing, rental, maintenance, driver training, and used-equipment services. Its product portfolio includes counterbalance forklifts, reach trucks, stackers, pallet trucks, tow tractors, automated guided vehicles and other driverless transport systems, as well as racking and complete warehouse systems. The company's history is closely associated with the Ameise brand, whose name means “ant” in German and became widely associated with manual and electric pallet trucks. Jungheinrich later consolidated several acquired truck brands under its own name. The acquisition of the Steinbock und Boss Group in 1994 strengthened its industrial-truck position, while the former MIC, Steinbock, and Boss brands were discontinued in 2002. The company subsequently expanded beyond stand-alone vehicles into warehouse planning, automated storage and retrieval, warehouse-management systems, radio-data solutions, and complete intralogistics projects. International expansion began early. Jungheinrich opened its first foreign branch in Austria in 1956 and established its first Eastern European branches in the Czech Republic and Hungary in 1991. Its international manufacturing and supply footprint has included facilities in China, Germany, and other European locations. The Qingpu operation near Shanghai, opened in 2006 and expanded in subsequent years, assembles electric pedestrian-controlled trucks and supports the Chinese and wider Asian markets. The company also operates or has operated sales and service organizations across numerous countries, supplemented by independent dealers, particularly in overseas markets. Jungheinrich's business model combines equipment sales with recurring and lifecycle services. These include a large rental fleet, inspection and repair, spare-parts logistics, reconditioning and resale of used trucks, leasing and sales finance, and training for equipment operators. The company has also built capabilities in warehouse automation through the acquisition of specialist businesses such as MIAS, a Munich-based warehouse-logistics engineering group acquired in 2015. Its offering is therefore positioned around the complete movement and storage of goods, from individual pallet transport to automated distribution centers. The company became publicly traded in 1990 through preference shares. Its share has moved between the SDAX and MDAX during its German stock-market history, while ordinary shares have remained associated with the founder's family. Jungheinrich remains headquartered in Hamburg-Wandsbek and operates as an international industrial group. Reference material describes it as ranking second in Europe and third worldwide in material-handling equipment, warehousing, and material-flow engineering. The supplied reference reports 2025 revenue of €5.502 billion and 21,438 employees; these figures are included as a time-specific reference rather than as timeless company attributes.
History
Friedrich Jungheinrich established H. Jungheinrich & Co. Maschinenfabrik in Hamburg on 7 August 1953. The company quickly began building an international presence, opening its first foreign branch in Austria in 1956. In 1958, headquarters and a production site were established in Hamburg-Wandsbek. A Swiss subsidiary, Ameise GmbH, was founded in Aarau in 1960, linking the company to the Ameise name that later became especially associated with pallet trucks. After the founder died in 1968, the business continued to broaden its industrial and commercial base. In 1966, it acquired a site in Friedrichsgabe, now part of Norderstedt, and production was progressively transferred there from Hamburg through 1984. Jungheinrich created a dedicated organization for truck rental and used equipment in 1974, establishing a lifecycle-services orientation that remains important to its business model. A new plant was built in Lüneburg in 1989. Jungheinrich became publicly traded in 1990, when domestic companies were merged and the group was listed through preference shares. The ordinary shares continued to represent entrepreneurial control associated with the founder's family. The same period marked further internationalization: branches were established in the Czech Republic and Hungary in 1991, expanding the company's reach into Eastern Europe. A major portfolio change followed in 1994, when Jungheinrich acquired the Steinbock und Boss Group. Production facilities in France, Great Britain, and Spain were closed and production was consolidated in Germany. In 2002, the MIC, Steinbock, and Boss truck brands were retired, and new trucks were sold under the Jungheinrich name. This strengthened the corporate brand and simplified the group's market identity. The Dr. Friedrich Jungheinrich Foundation was established in 2004 to support scholarships for students specializing in mechanical or industrial engineering. The company continued to develop equipment and automation capabilities. In 2005, it presented a forklift with a rotating cab, described in the reference material as the world's first of its kind. In 2006, Jungheinrich opened an assembly plant in Qingpu near Shanghai for electric pedestrian-controlled pallet trucks and related low- and high-platform equipment. The Dresden Used Equipment Centre also began operations in 2006, supporting the reconditioning and resale of used trucks. Battery-powered low-platform trucks began production at Landsberg in Saxony-Anhalt in 2009. In 2013, Jungheinrich inaugurated a plant for warehouse and system trucks in Moosburg, expanded its spare-parts infrastructure with a central warehouse in Kaltenkirchen, and opened a plant in Qingpu serving the Asia-Pacific region. A spare-parts warehouse near Moscow began operating in 2015 under Kühne + Nagel Contract Logistics to serve Russia and neighboring markets. The company also acquired MIAS in 2015, adding specialist engineering expertise in warehouse logistics. In the same year, the management board was expanded to include a Logistics Systems division under Klaus-Dieter Rosenbach. Jungheinrich moved into a new company-owned headquarters in Hamburg-Wandsbek at the beginning of 2016. Its subsequent business has combined industrial trucks with racking, warehouse-management systems, automated storage and retrieval, driverless transport, financing, rental, maintenance, training, and used-equipment services. The reference material describes a global network of 40 group-owned sales and service companies, supported by dealers in additional overseas markets. It reports 2021 revenue of €4.24 billion and 19,103 employees, and 2025 revenue of €5.502 billion with 21,438 employees. These figures are tied to their respective years and should not be treated as current unless independently updated.
- 2016
New Hamburg headquarters occupied
[1]Jungheinrich moved into a new company-owned headquarters in Hamburg-Wandsbek.
- 2015
MIAS acquired
[1]The company acquired MIAS, a Munich-based specialist in mechanical engineering for warehouse logistics.
- 2013
Moosburg and logistics infrastructure expanded
[1]Jungheinrich inaugurated a Moosburg plant for warehouse and system trucks, opened a central spare-parts warehouse in Kaltenkirchen, and expanded Qingpu operations.
- 2009
Landsberg battery-powered truck production begins
[1]The Landsberg site began producing battery-powered low-platform trucks.
- 2006
Qingpu assembly plant opens
[1]An assembly plant near Shanghai began producing electric pedestrian-controlled pallet trucks for China and Asian markets.
- 2005
Rotating-cab forklift presented
[1]Jungheinrich presented a forklift with a rotating cab, described in the reference as a world first.
- 2004
Dr. Friedrich Jungheinrich Foundation established
[1]The foundation began supporting scholarships for mechanical- and industrial-engineering students.
- 2002
Truck brands consolidated under Jungheinrich
[1]The MIC, Steinbock, and Boss brands were discontinued for new trucks in favor of the Jungheinrich name.
- 1994
Steinbock und Boss Group acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded Jungheinrich's industrial-truck operations and was followed by production consolidation in Germany.
- 1991
Eastern European expansion
[1]The company established its first branches in the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Products and positioning
An integrated material-handling and intralogistics partner combining industrial trucks, warehouse automation, storage infrastructure, software, financing, rental, and after-sales services.
Material-handling equipment
Industrial trucks
Jungheinrich's core equipment range includes counterbalance forklifts, electric forklifts, reach trucks, stackers, pallet trucks, and tow tractors. Models cover warehouse, manufacturing, distribution, and heavy-load applications. The range includes vehicles for different capacities and lifting heights, with the wider rental fleet described as covering capacities from 1 to 42 tonnes and lifting heights up to 17 metres.
Pallet trucks
Ameise
Ameise is a registered Jungheinrich Profishop trademark and one of the company's best-known product names. It is associated particularly with manual and electric pallet trucks used for moving pallets over short distances in warehouses, retail, manufacturing, and distribution environments.
Warehouse automation
Driverless transport systems
Jungheinrich supplies driverless transport systems for automated movement of goods and materials. These systems extend the company beyond conventional forklifts by supporting repeatable warehouse and production flows, integration with warehouse software, and varying degrees of automation.
Warehouse infrastructure
Warehouse and rack systems
The company's storage portfolio includes manual, semi-automatic, and automatic racking solutions. Examples include automated high-bay warehouses, automated small-parts warehouses, pallet warehouses, and combined systems designed around a customer's storage and material-flow requirements.
Systems engineering
Intralogistics solutions
Jungheinrich plans and implements complete intralogistics projects, from warehouse analysis and design through project execution and after-sales support. Solutions may combine physical storage, industrial trucks, warehouse-management software, radio-data equipment, storage and retrieval machines, and automated transport technologies.
Industrial services
Lifecycle and fleet services
Services include equipment inspection, maintenance and repair, operator training, leasing and sales finance, rental, used-truck sales, and reconditioning. This service layer supports customers throughout the operating life of material-handling equipment and helps Jungheinrich participate in both new-equipment and secondary markets.
Brand decisions
2015
Acquire MIASM&ABackground
Jungheinrich was broadening from industrial trucks into warehouse automation and engineering.
Action taken
The company acquired Munich-based MIAS, which specialized in mechanical engineering for warehouse logistics.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened Jungheinrich's capabilities in warehouse-logistics systems and complemented its equipment portfolio.
2006
Expand assembly and distribution capacity in ChinaStrategyBackground
Jungheinrich expanded its manufacturing and market-support footprint in Asia.
Action taken
The company opened an assembly plant in Qingpu near Shanghai for electric pedestrian-controlled pallet trucks and related equipment.
Aftermath
The Qingpu operation supplied Jungheinrich sales activities in China and the broader Asian market and was later expanded for Asia-Pacific industrial-truck production.
2002
Consolidate truck brands under JungheinrichStrategyBackground
Following the Steinbock and Boss acquisition, the group operated several truck brands.
Action taken
Jungheinrich abandoned the MIC, Steinbock, and Boss brands and sold trucks under the Jungheinrich name.
Aftermath
The decision concentrated market identity and product branding around the corporate Jungheinrich name.
1994
Acquire the Steinbock und Boss GroupM&ABackground
Jungheinrich sought to expand its industrial-truck business through the acquisition of the Steinbock und Boss Group.
Action taken
The group was acquired, after which production facilities in France, Great Britain, and Spain were closed and production was relocated to Germany.
Aftermath
The transaction was followed by brand consolidation; MIC, Steinbock, and Boss were later discontinued as truck brands in 2002.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Jungheinrich launches direct sales company in South Korea[3]
Jungheinrich officially launched a new direct sales company in South Korea, establishing its own sales organisation in the market for the first time.
- Unconfirmed
JD Industrial Products and Jungheinrich partner on digital forklift customization[4]
JD Industrial Products and Jungheinrich entered into a cooperation covering pre-sale technical consultation and fulfillment delivery, with the stated aim of upgrading Jungheinrich's digital customization services. Jungheinrich's more than 200 forklift models were listed on its JD-operated flagship store.
Jungheinrich ERC 216zi wins iF Design Award[5]
Jungheinrich's ERC 216zi stacker truck won the iF Design Award in the Automobiles/Vehicles category.
Sources5 sources
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