Kalmar expands its Shanghai plant to optimize operations and enhance production capacity

Kalmar has expanded its Shanghai manufacturing plant to optimize operations and enhance production capacity. Completed in May 2026, the expansion improves operational efficiency by centralizing post-assembly tasks and strengthens long-term flexibility with capacity for EV assembly and support for production growth.

Kalmar’s Shanghai plant, opened in 2005, manufactures a wide range of material handling equipment, serving customers in the Asia-Pacific, Africa, South America, Oceania and Middle East regions. The plant is located at the south-eastern tip of Shanghai close to one of the world's busiest ports, with easy access to both a network of navigable inland waterways and China’s vast railway network.

John Zhang, Managing Director, Shanghai Plant, Kalmar: "I am very proud of what our Shanghai team has achieved here over the past two decades. The new space provides the necessary layout to handle the specific assembly and testing requirements of our electric range. By moving our final assembly tasks into this area, we can work more safely and efficiently to meet the growing demand for sustainable equipment across all the regions we serve.”

Alf-Gunnar Karlgren, President, Counter Balanced, Kalmar: “The expansion of the plant represents a strategic move to better support our delivery footprint and further strengthen the efficiency and flexibility of our operations. The Shanghai plant is a vital part of our global manufacturing network, focusing on the assembly of reachstackers, forklift trucks, empty container handlers and terminal tractors for our customers around the world.”