Colruyt Group and KION enter into a partnership to accelerate the development and industrialisation of next-generation supply chain robotics. Colruyt Group has sold 70% of its activities related to research and development concerning self-driving pallet trucks to KION. With this strategic partnership, Colruyt Group selects KION as its preferred global partner to bring its most advanced self‑driving vehicle (SDV) technologies to the market. With this very innovative technology, both companies will redefine a new benchmark for efficiency, safety, and innovation in logistics. This partnership will maximise the future potential of SDV applications.
In 2023, after years of intensive research and development, Colruyt Group, together with KION brand STILL introduced its first self-developed, self-driving pallet truck. For two years now, these autonomous STILL pallet trucks have been operating seamlessly alongside logistics teams in two distribution centers of Colruyt Group.
These SDVs were the result of a close collaboration between the innovation team at Colruyt Group Smart Innovation (part of Colruyt Group Technics) and KION. Colruyt Group designed and built the software intelligence, while STILL ensured robust hardware integration.
“The SDVs make work in our distribution centers significantly easier. They navigate safely around people and obstacles and locate every pallet with remarkable precision, thanks to advanced technology. This allows our employees to focus on more complex tasks and processes that require specialised knowledge and skills,” says Koen De Vos, Director Supply Chain Colruyt Lowest Prices.
Innovative technology developed by Belgian talent
Colruyt Group has a long tradition of technological entrepreneurship, with earlier successes. Its innovation team has already developed several pioneering concepts for its own stores (Easy Check-out/Smart Cart) and logistics operations.
“The success of SDVs for horizontal transport opened new horizons for our innovation team. Today, our engineers are developing cutting-edge robotics software, integrating artificial intelligence and computer vision, for SDVs that will shape the future of logistics operations. We are extremely proud of the expertise our team brings to solving the complex challenges of retail logistics,” says Jo Janssens, Director Colruyt Group Technics.
To bring a revolution in logistics to market, Colruyt Group is partnering with KION, which has established a dedicated expertise center in Belgium: KION Automation Center Antwerp. The resulting technology is fully developed in Belgium, with support from VLAIO (the Flemish agency that stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship through subsidies, advice, and guidance for companies in Flanders).
A new R&D center within KION
Developing innovative and sustainable solutions has long been a core mission of Colruyt Group Smart Innovation, strengthening logistics operations with smart, future‑proof technologies.
KION sees significant potential for these innovative solutions in retail and far beyond, across multiple industries. With its global footprint and industrialisation expertise, KION is ideally positioned to scale these innovations worldwide. This strategic alignment is the foundation of the new partnership.
The partnership will focus on further developing the SDV program and preparing it for industrial rollout across EMEA markets. Colruyt Group retains a minority stake in the legal entity. Within this partnership, the team of Colruyt Group Smart Innovation will continue to drive both ongoing and future developments, ensuring maximum impact of robotics in logistics.
The transaction
Colruyt Group has sold part of its activities related to research and development concerning self driving pallet trucks to KION. This transaction is expected to lead to a positive impact of approximately EUR 20 million in Colruyt Group’s consolidated income statement in the 2026/27 financial year.
Colruyt Group keeps a participation of 30% and Smart Innovation NV will as of now be recognised as an associate accounted for using the equity method.
