Kalmar opens industry-first automated test centre

Kalmar has officially opened its industry-first fully automated Test Centre in Ljungby, Sweden, marking a major investment in electric and autonomous product development.

Opened during a ceremony on 3 September attended by approximately 300 customers, dealers, suppliers, industrial partners, employees and media representatives, the facility is designed specifically for material handling equipment and is hailed as unique in size, scope and technical capability within the global sector.

“Located right next to our Innovation Centre in Ljungby, our new Test Centre is designed to push our machines to their absolute limits,” said Alf-Gunnar Karlgren, president, Counterbalanced at Kalmar.

The Test Centre enables fully automated, unattended round-the-clock lifetime testing across the complete lifecycle of Kalmar’s electric vehicle and diesel product lines. Machines can be tested in extreme conditions ranging from arctic cold to desert heat, with rigorous driving simulations and load testing of up to 45 tonnes.

Kalmar said the facility will strengthen product reliability, structural uptime and operational performance while significantly shortening time-to-market for future product generations.

Karlgren said the centre will allow Kalmar to combine accelerated lifetime testing with faster product development. “By enabling 24/7 accelerated lifetime testing under extreme conditions, we are ensuring that our products deliver the highest reliability and longest possible lifetime, while simultaneously shortening our time-to-market for new developments,” he said.

Sami Niiranen, president and chief executive of Kalmar, described the opening as a strategic milestone for the company and the wider industry.

“This milestone represents the next chapter in our commitment to invest in sustainable innovations and sets a new benchmark for the industry,” Niiranen said. “It shows that we are not simply following the future – we are actively shaping it.”