Even though the big event had to be canceled due to the pandemic, there was "plenty of goosebumps" (press release) when the millionth counterbalanced truck rolled off the production line at the Aschaffenburg plant in mid-March. The completion of the anniversary vehicle was celebrated with a minute-long indoor firework display of red Bengal lights, fountains of sparks, smoke and lots of glittering rain around the number "1,000,000" and captured on video for everyone to see.

One day later, the latest generation Linde diesel forklift truck with a load capacity of 3.5 tons, on the rear of which all assembly employees had previously signed, set off on its journey to its future location at Colorobbia España S.A. on the east coast of Spain. There it will strengthen a fleet of 60 vehicles in total. "We have been relying on Linde industrial trucks for 24 years and particularly appreciate the user-friendliness and safety of the trucks," says Gonzalo Trilles de Castro, Managing Director of Colorobbia España S.A. Equally important to him is the reliable partnership with a company that corresponds to his own philosophy regarding sustainability, innovation and technology. "All of this is a guarantee of long-term success, which we share with our customers as a competitive advantage." The arrival of the truck at the Spanish customer company, which is celebrating its centenary this year, was celebrated with a specially decorated cake, which also sparkled.

The millionth counterbalance truck from the main plant in Aschaffenburg is the latest highlight in Linde Material Handling's sixty-year success story. With the "Hubtrac", the first Linde forklift truck, today's goods handling specialist offered an industry-defining, technological alternative to the previously sluggish commercial vehicles, which were usually jerky to operate with a clutch and gear shift. Thanks to the hydrostatic drive and the resulting double pedal control, the ancestor was perfect for storing and retrieving goods or loading and unloading trucks: no shifting gears when frequently driving forwards and backwards, instead both feet rested on the pedal in a relaxed position. And even back then, this ensured higher handling performance in goods handling and has become the trademark for all Linde counterbalanced trucks to this day - regardless of whether they are powered by an internal combustion engine or electrically.

"Our goal is to enable customer companies to make their material flow processes as efficient and safe as possible and thus be even more successful in their core business," says Stefan Prokosch, Senior Vice President Brand Management at Linde Material Handling. "With products that impress our customers, we already have our sights firmly set on the next milestone in our company's history - the launch of the new generation of Linde electric forklift trucks in June of this year."