Kalmar in 2022 - a record year in a mixed environment

Kalmar’s orders received in 2022 ended at about EUR 2 billion, increasing slightly from the previous year. Kalmar sales were around EUR 1.9 billion, a record number as well. The comparable operating profit increased by 58 percent from the previous year to about EUR 190 million. Kalmar enters the year 2023 with a strong order book of EUR 1,428 million.

“We were maybe afraid that customers would not place that many orders in 2022. However, we achieved more than 2 billion euros in orders received. From a performance perspective, the Kalmar ability to turn these orders into sales and do that in a profitable way led to an operating profit result that was really outstanding. I am pleased with that,” says Michel van Roozendaal, President of Kalmar.

Mixed market environment still provided high demand
The demand for Kalmar solutions is affected by the development of the global GDP per capita. According to the recent World Bank report, the global economy grew by 2.9 percent in 2022, and in the advanced economies group with several key market countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, the growth in 2022 was 2.5 percent. The growth projections are lower compared to the World Bank’s previous outlook.

“The market in 2022 was mixed. People were afraid that inflation and the fact that the energy prices would go up, that those would reduce customer demand. But quite the opposite was true, we actually saw demand being quite high in all our divisions.”

Record sales, good performance in services
In 2022, Kalmar reached a record in sales, in total over EUR 1.9 billion. What was particularly pleasing was the level of service performance where also a record sales level was reached with EUR 551 million.

“We achieved record sales in services. As a small example - but it still signifies a lot for us - our web shop delivered more than 50 percent of our parts sales. “

“But of course, service is not just a web shop, it is about 1,300 technicians on all continents who are making sure that our customers’ uptime, the performance of Kalmar machines is guaranteed. And I am really excited about how customers rely on Kalmar and how that translates into a very good business for ourselves.”

“Our relationship after we have sold the equipment with the customers is continually there. Our customers want the uptime, they want Kalmar service technicians to make sure that their Kalmar product is absolutely performing at its very best.”

Sustainability is high on Kalmar’s agenda
Kalmar’s sustainability offering progressed steadily in 2022. Kalmar entered the year with its total offering already available in electric versions. The popularity of these among customers, as well as the steady development of these solutions continued throughout the year, proving sustainability’s importance on Kalmar’s agenda.

“We launched a whole range of electric vehicles that we also were able to turn into reality. As an example, we had the first orders for the all-electric reachstackers from customers in Norway and Sweden.”

In total, the number of orders for Kalmar’s hybrid straddle and shuttle carriers has exceeded 500 worldwide. When comparing these hybrid devices to conventional ones, more than 400,000 tonne CO2 emission reductions are achieved over the life cycle. This corresponds to annual emissions of 174,000 passenger cars. Kalmar continues to invest in sustainable product development:
“Kalmar is currently busy spreading out more and more electric units, electric reachstackers, electric forklifts, etc. But not just electric. We have also signed an agreement with Toyota Tsusho America Inc to jointly develop fuel cell technology as an alternative way to reduce the carbon footprint of all these vehicles.”

Lean way of working will make Kalmar even better partner for its customers
In the future, Kalmar will continue to develop its portfolio further towards supporting its customers to both deliver their efficiency goals as well as their sustainability goals.
“Kalmar is aligned with the objectives of its customers to deliver sustainable solutions, to make sure that our customers’ operations are more and more efficient,” says Michel van Roozendaal.

“On top of that, we'd like to make Kalmar a lean company. I have worked for many other companies where Lean was really at the forefront and Kalmar can learn from these companies. We are on a mission to make sure that what we do, where we provide value, is really aligned with how we can provide value for our customers whilst eliminating waste.”