To continue our series of interviews with leaders in the materials handling industry, we are pleased to introduce you to Gordon Riske, President of the FEM Industrial Trucks Product Group and CEO of KION group.
In this interview, Gordon tells us about his journey from the Lawrence Institute of Technology in Southfield/Michigan to his position of CEO of KION Group, the challenges our industry is facing, and how digitisation and automation will determine the future of logistics in warehouses.
Introduction to Gordon & Kion
I have always had a passion for engineering. I started my career by studying Electrical Engineering at the Lawrence Institute of Technology in Southfield/Michigan (USA) and working at DeVlieg Machine Company, Royal Oak in Michigan. Then I moved to KUKA robotics where I held various positions, most recently as Managing Director of KUKA Roboter GmbH in Augsburg, Germany.
In parallel, I completed my Bachelor of Business Administration at Oekreal School of Business in Zurich, Switzerland, and subsequently was in the MBA Program at the GSBA also in Zurich in collaboration with the State University of New York.
In 2000, I became Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutz AG in Cologne, Germany for more than 7 years. In 2007, I moved to Linde Material Handling GmbH as Chairman of the Management Board in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, and COO of KION Group GmbH at the same time. In 2008 I became CEO of the KION Group GmbH.
The KION Group is among the world’s leading suppliers of industrial trucks and supply chain solutions. Its portfolio encompasses industrial trucks, such as forklift trucks and warehouse trucks, as well as integrated automation technology and software solutions for the optimization of supply chains, including all related services. Across more than 100 countries worldwide, the KION Group’s solutions improve the flow of material and information within factories, warehouses, and distribution centers.
Since the IPO in 2013, I have been Chief Executive Officer of KION GROUP AG, based in Frankfurt am Main.
For the full interview, click HERE.
