KUKA Launches KMF 1500P-CB Autonomous Forklift to Automate Pallet Handling and Boost Productivity Across Manufacturing and Warehousing

KUKA Launches KMF 1500P-CB Autonomous Forklift to Automate Pallet Handling and Boost Productivity Across Manufacturing and Warehousing

(IN BRIEF) KUKA has launched the KMF 1500P-CB, the first model in a new autonomous forklift family designed to improve productivity, safety and flexibility in manufacturing and warehouse intralogistics. The counterbalanced vehicle can autonomously transport open and closed pallets and containers weighing up to 1,500 kilograms, detect and pick up loads and position them at lifting heights of up to three metres. Its design enables operation at enclosed transfer points such as roller conveyors, allowing companies to automate a broad range of existing pallet-handling processes without necessarily modifying transfer stations. Larger wheels support stable transportation over longer distances, while LFP batteries and conductive charging technology are designed to enable reliable automated operation around the clock. Christian Mühsam, Product Manager at KUKA, said the new forklift family addresses manufacturers’ need to maintain cost-effective material flows amid continuing labour shortages while improving transport safety. The KMF 1500P series also expands KUKA’s intralogistics portfolio beyond traditional horizontal autonomous material transport into more flexible pallet and container handling applications.

(PRESS RELEASE) AUGSBURG, 10-Sep-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — KUKA has introduced the KMF 1500P-CB, the first model in a new family of autonomous forklifts designed to automate pallet and container transport across manufacturing and warehouse environments.

The new autonomous vehicle can transport open and closed pallets and containers weighing up to 1,500 kilograms, providing manufacturers and logistics operators with a flexible solution for automating material flows over longer distances.

KUKA said the new product family responds to growing pressure on industrial companies to maintain efficient, reliable and cost-effective intralogistics operations despite persistent labour shortages. The KMF 1500P-CB is designed to increase automation, improve safety and expand KUKA’s material-handling portfolio beyond conventional horizontal transport applications.

KMF 1500P series introduces new autonomous forklift family

The KMF 1500P-CB is the first product in KUKA’s newly launched KMF 1500P autonomous forklift series.

The “CB” designation stands for counterbalance, reflecting a design developed specifically for transporting different types of pallets and containers over longer distances within factories and warehouses.

KUKA sees automated material flows as an increasingly important contributor to productivity and competitiveness as companies seek to make better use of available resources and reduce reliance on manual transport operations.

The new forklift family is intended to give customers greater flexibility when automating intralogistics processes while also supporting safer movement of heavy loads.

Autonomous forklift handles loads of up to 1,500 kilograms

The KMF 1500P-CB is capable of moving loads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes and can handle both open and closed pallets as well as containers.

Its flexibility enables companies to automate a wide range of existing pallet and container transport processes without necessarily modifying established transfer stations.

This capability is intended to reduce the infrastructure changes required when introducing autonomous transport into existing production and warehouse environments.

The vehicle can automatically detect loads, pick them up and move them accurately between required locations.

Counterbalance design supports enclosed transfer stations

One of the distinguishing features of the KMF 1500P-CB is its counterbalance architecture.

Unlike material-handling systems that may require access beneath or around a load, the counterbalanced design enables the autonomous forklift to pick up pallets and containers at enclosed transfer points such as roller conveyors.

This expands the range of production and logistics environments in which the vehicle can be deployed and reduces the need to redesign existing interfaces around automated transport equipment.

KUKA said this flexibility can help customers introduce pallet automation into established facilities more easily.

Loads can be lifted to heights of up to three metres

In addition to horizontal transport, the KMF 1500P-CB can lift loads to heights of up to three metres.

The system is designed to detect and collect loads reliably before positioning them accurately at their destination.

This capability extends KUKA’s autonomous transport portfolio into applications requiring vertical load handling rather than limiting automation to movement at floor level.

The forklift’s larger wheels are also designed to support stable and efficient operation over longer transport distances within industrial facilities.

KUKA targets labour shortages and round-the-clock material flow

Christian Mühsam, Product Manager at KUKA, said manufacturers are facing increasing pressure to maintain reliable and economical material flows while dealing with continuing labour shortages.

He said the new autonomous forklift family will help companies automate transport processes and improve safety while expanding KUKA’s portfolio beyond traditional horizontal material movement.

The KMF 1500P-CB is designed for automated 24/7 operation, supporting consistent material flow and repeatable handling quality throughout continuous manufacturing and warehousing operations.

LFP batteries support autonomous operation

Power for the KMF 1500P-CB is supplied by lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.

The batteries are replenished using conductive charging technology, supporting integration into automated operating cycles.

Combined with autonomous operation, the charging architecture is intended to enable the forklift to perform repetitive transport tasks with limited manual intervention and support high equipment availability in production and logistics environments.

New solution extends KUKA’s intralogistics automation portfolio

With the KMF 1500P series, KUKA is expanding its offering for autonomous material transport into more complex pallet-handling applications.

The new family complements systems focused primarily on horizontal movement by adding load pickup, elevated placement and flexible handling capabilities.

For manufacturers and warehouse operators, the approach is intended to create opportunities to automate processes that have traditionally depended on manually operated forklifts while retaining existing transfer infrastructure wherever possible.

The KMF 1500P-CB therefore provides a foundation for broader automation of material flow between production processes, storage areas and transfer stations.

Media Contact:

Sandra Hirsch
Global Content Marketing Manager
KUKA Deutschland GmbH
Zugspitzstraße 140
86165 Augsburg, Germany
+49 160 92695911

SOURCE: KUKA