Kalmar Books First-of-its-Kind Electric Reachstacker for Polish Terminal

Kalmar has logged a Q3 2026 order from POK Zachód for a customised electric reachstacker, and it will be the manufacturer's first battery-powered machine to carry both a side-tilting spreader and a hydraulic slab gripper on the same frame. Delivery lands in the second quarter of 2027 at the operator's logistics terminal in Wojkowice, Poland, where the machine will handle containers and steel.

The numbers behind the configuration matter. The reachstacker lifts up to 45 tonnes and runs on a battery pack with a nominal capacity of 533 kWh. Kalmar will fit specialised attachments engineered around the terminal's workload: a spreader that tilts containers by 55 degrees to discharge bulk cargo, plus a hydraulic gripper able to lift steel slabs weighing up to 33 tonnes.

That combination is the story. Until now, no Kalmar electric reachstacker has shipped with both attachment types. Terminal operators running mixed cargo — boxes on one shift, heavy steel the next — have typically needed separate diesel machines or time-consuming changeovers. A single electric vehicle covering both flows compresses the equipment fleet and cuts fuel burn at the same time.

Where the money comes from

The project draws European Union support through the Just Transition Fund, the EU instrument that finances decarbonisation in coal-region and industrial-transition territories. That detail tells you the purchase is not just an equipment swap. It is part of a funded, structured shift toward lower-emission cargo handling at a terminal that sits squarely in the kind of industrial region the fund targets.

The order value was not disclosed.

For Kalmar, the agreement opens a new customer relationship in Poland — a market where terminal electrification is gathering pace and where the ability to customise machines for niche industrial logistics can decide tenders. Brand strength mattered here. So did the reference list.

Marcin Woźniak, President of the Management Board at POK Zachód, framed the deal as a milestone: "We are proud to take this important step in transitioning our operations toward zero emissions. Kalmar proved to be the ideal partner due to its strong brand recognition in the market, impressive customer references, and ability to customise an advanced electric reachstacker specifically to meet our needs."

What does this change for terminal operators?

In practical terms, it proves the attachment envelope of electric handling equipment now matches what diesel machines have long done in specialised steel-and-container operations. The 55-degree tilting spreader is not a gimmick — it is the tool that lets a reachstacker empty bulk from a container without a separate tipper installation. Pair it with a 33-tonne slab gripper, and one 533 kWh machine covers two cargo families that usually demand two fleets.

For shippers moving steel and containerised cargo through Polish terminals, the consequence is quieter and cleaner handling with no capability loss. For forwarders, nothing changes operationally today — the machine arrives in Q2 2027 — but terminals with EU transition funding behind them are likely to keep converting diesel fleets, and that trajectory points toward steadily lower-emission inland handling networks across Central Europe.