Porsche Design and Engineering

Linde Material Handling and Porsche engineering have been working together for 40 years, including on the product design of Linde industrial trucks. The very first collaborative project was the Linde H30 diesel counterbalance truck (BR 351): a design project with the aim of making the functional design features of the truck visible through its external appearance. The maxim ‘form follows function’ has since been implemented in many other vehicle developments and received numerous accolades – more than 25 design awards have been collected since the beginning of the collaboration. “When Porsche Engineering started designing Linde forklifts 40 years ago, they still looked significantly different. In the intervening years, there have been major realignments as well as progressive evolution,” says Wolfgang Rüber, Sales Director at Porsche Engineering. “The 39X series of 2001 was style-defining – a real design revolution that is still having an effect today. But we also deliberately take Linde Material Handling’s heritage into account to sharpen the established brand image – just as we do with Porsche vehicles.”

Innovative: the 39X generation of forklifts was distinguished by its load-bearing overhead guard with overhead tilt cylinders, among other features.

With the assistance of the renowned Porsche Design Studios, all controls are intuitively placed, reducing tiresome body movements.  In addition, fatiguing vibrations, caused by floor surface and engine, are neutralized via our standard, high comfort and fully adjustable cushioned seat.

A milestone in the development of industrial vehicles was the beginning of Porsche’s ongoing successful cooperation with Linde Material Handling. After Porsche had already designed slewing gear drives and chain drives for Linde, at the beginning of the 1980s the sports car manufacturer was contracted to design a new generation of forklifts.

In the meantime, Porsche styling for Linde has become a multiple award-winning trademark. Linde forklifts have again recently been awarded the “red dot award for product design” from the renowned Design Zentrum North Rhine-Westphalia. The product design has become an integral part of the “Linde” brand for Linde Material Handling, as well as a decisive competitive advantage. Porsche Engineering also supported Linde Material Handling with development tasks in addition to the design.  For more info, go to: https://www.linde-mh.com/en/About-us/Magazine/Porsche-Engineering/