Kalmar plans to simplify its operating model to accelerate growth, enhance customer focus, and optimize operational efficiency

The Board of Directors of Kalmar Corporation has decided to restructure its operating model to boost growth, improve customer focus, and improve operational efficiency. As part of this plan, Kalmar will merge its Terminal Tractors and Horizontal Transportation divisions into a single division. This change aims to enhance governance, accelerate development, and improve R&D across various segments.

Additionally, Kalmar will keep its Services segment, which focuses on capturing recurring lifecycle value through spare parts, maintenance, and advanced lifecycle solutions. The external segment reporting structure will remain unchanged, with Equipment and Services being the two main segments.

Kalmar's goal is to move towards a leaner structure, which will help accelerate its automation and electrification roadmap, contributing to sustainable and profitable growth. The company's "Driving Excellence" initiative will be supported by this operating model renewal, aiming to achieve a 15% comparable operating profit margin and a 5% annual sales growth target by 2028.

Sami Niiranen, Kalmar's President and CEO, emphasized that the move simplifies internal governance, strengthens commercial focus, and aligns with the company's strategy for a services-driven business.

The move will affect the structure of the Kalmar Leadership Team. Arto Keskinen, the current President of Horizontal Transportation, will lead the design phase and serve as the new President of the newly combined division of Terminal Tractors and Horizontal Transportation. Thor Brenden, the current President of Terminal Tractors, will replace Alf-Gunnar Karlgren as the President of the Counterbalanced division.

Both appointments will take effect on January 1, 2027. The new Kalmar Leadership Team will consist of Sami Niiranen as President and CEO, Ulla Bono as SVP General Counsel, Thor Brenden as President of Counterbalanced, Carina Geber-Teir as SVP IR, Marketing & Communications, Tamara de Gruyter as President of Services, Katri Hokkanen as Chief Financial Officer, Arto Keskinen as President of Horizontal Transportation and Terminal Tractors, Tommi Pettersson as SVP for Strategy, Sustainability & Technology, Hanna Reijonen as SVP Human Resources, Shushu Zhang as President of Bromma, and other existing members.

The planning for the new operating model will commence immediately, with changes subject to local employee consultation and union notification processes in compliance with local legal requirements in each affected country. Kalmar estimates that the cost savings resulting from the full operating model renewal, including other organizational efficiencies, would be approximately EUR 10 million, with full implementation expected by the end of 2027.

These restructuring plans do not impact Kalmar's financial guidance for 2026, as the company still anticipates its comparable operating profit margin to be above 12.5% in 2026. More details about the planned new operating model will be shared at Kalmar's upcoming Capital Markets Day on November 2, 2026, in Helsinki, Finland.