KION showcases how Physical AI delivers measurable customer value at NVIDIA GTC Berlin 2026

KION showcases how Physical AI delivers measurable customer value at NVIDIA GTC Berlin 2026
 

• KION has successfully integrated Physical AI into regular operations and is driving forward its cooperation with partner GXO in Épinoy, France
• Using AI-powered digital twins and highly realistic simulation environments, KION reduces the commissioning time for autonomous vehicles from weeks to just a few days
• New Physical AI applications improve the performance, safety, and scalability of autonomous warehouse operations
• Together with technology partners such as NVIDIA and Accenture, KION is further expanding its Physical AI ecosystem and laying the foundation for the scaled deployment of autonomous solutions for a growing number of customers worldwide
   

Frankfurt am Main, October 21, 2026 – KION is demonstrating how Physical AI is moving beyond concept and delivering measurable business value in real-world supply chain operations. At NVIDIA GTC Berlin 2026, KION showcases how advanced AI, digital twins, autonomous vehicles, and a growing ecosystem of technology partners are helping customers accelerate deployment, improve safety and increase performance.

From simulation to live operations

A key milestone is the successful integration of a fleet of autonomous vehicles in daily operations at GXO’s facility in Épinoy, France. After an initial pilot in early 2026, the site now demonstrates how Physical AI can be applied in complex logistics environments, allowing multiple autonomous vehicles to operate efficiently alongside warehouse personnel and other equipment. This approach has reduced the time required for on-site deployment by over 60 percent.

"Physical AI is a strategic enabler for orchestrating end-to-end solutions across the entire supply chain – from simulation and validation to real-world operations. By combining KION’s industry and automation expertise with NVIDIA’s technologies, we drive design, deployment and scaling of our solutions forward. This enables our customers to accelerate rollouts, increase predictability, and strengthen operational resilience while minimizing disruption to ongoing operations", said Rob Smith, CEO of KION.

Accelerating time to value through digital twins

KION leverages Physical AI to design, validate, and deploy automation in simulated and real warehouse environments by combining AI-based decision making with industrial trucks and warehouse robots. This approach enables safer, faster, and more reliable intralogistics operations while creating tangible operational benefits for customers.

A central element of KION’s Physical AI strategy is the use of AI-powered digital twins. Built using advanced simulation technologies enriched with spatial intelligence generated on the customer’s site, these digital representations enable autonomous vehicles and software systems to be trained, tested, and optimized before physical deployment. By moving critical testing and validation steps into simulation, KION can reduce commissioning from weeks to just a few days, accelerating operational readiness and time to value.

Safety is integral to this approach. KION is working with NVIDIA on a concept that uses AI not only to improve productivity, but also to support the safe operation of autonomous solutions alongside warehouse personnel. The NVIDIA Halos blueprint provides an important foundation for this AI-based safety concept, which KION is integrating into its solutions.

Expanding a growing ecosystem

To accelerate and scale our efforts – with hardware, software and computing power – KION collaborates with technology leaders and ecosystem partners. Together with NVIDIA, Accenture and other partners, the company is bringing together world-class expertise in simulation, computing, spatial intelligence, perception, and autonomous operations to accelerate innovation for customers.

Two years ago, KION started collaborating with Accenture to optimize supply chains and build the warehouse of the future using NVIDIA’s advanced AI and simulation technologies. Since then, the collaboration has evolved significantly. Most recently, Accenture supported KION in building a digital twin and simulation capabilities on NVIDIA Omniverse and MEGA technologies for the lighthouse project in GXO’s logistics facility in Épinoy. This enabled KION to virtually test, optimize and commission warehouse operations and autonomous systems before deployment.

This broad technology ecosystem approach supports the development of interoperable solutions that can be deployed faster and scaled more efficiently across global supply chains.

Physical AI delivers proven value across customer operations

At a ROSSMANN regional warehouse, KION successfully delivered the Robotic Case Picker (RoCaP) in October 2026, an autonomous industrial truck that uses AI-powered camera scanning and an advanced gripper arm to identify, pick, and securely stack individual packages – even in complex brownfield environments and when packaging is damaged. After the pilot exceeded expectations for speed and gripping performance, the customer ordered additional vehicles – proving that Physical AI can automate labor-intensive order picking, reduce errors, and relieve employees from physically demanding tasks.

About Physical AI at KION

Physical AI enables machines to sense, understand, and independently act in the real world. By giving industrial trucks and warehouse solutions a human-like understanding of their environment, KION bridges the gap between digital systems and physical operations. The company simulates and perfects solutions in a virtual environment before they reach the warehouse floor, making operations safer, faster, and more reliable. Partnering with global technology leaders, KION uses Physical AI to help customers tackle real-world challenges like labor shortages and trade volatility, ensuring more resilient and efficient operations globally.

The Company

KION is shaping world trade – globally, regionally, locally – empowering its customers to unlock the full potential of their supply chains: efficient, smart, and reliable with real-time traceability and high delivery speed. The company’s full spectrum of services includes industrial trucks, integrated automation technologies, AI-based solutions, and software as well as all related services. KION’s supply chain solutions enable the smooth flow of materials and information in our customers’ warehouses, production plants, and distribution centers in over 100 countries worldwide.

The MDAX listed group is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in the EMEA region based on the number of units sold in 2024. Based on revenue for the year 2024, KION is the leading overseas manufacturer in China, and including domestic manufacturers, the third-largest supplier there. In the warehouse automation market, KION is the world’s leading provider based on 2024 revenue. At the end of 2025, more than 2.0 million industrial trucks of KION were in use by customers from all manner of sectors and of varying sizes on six continents. The group currently has more than 42,000 employees and generated revenue of approx. € 11.3 billion in the 2025 financial year.

You can access up-to-date image material for the KION Group via our image database https://kionmediacenter.canto.global/v/MediaCenter/ as well as on our respective brands’ websites.

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