19 YEARS. That is how long it is since Volvo Trucks last launched an entirely new truck generation. It was 1993 and the trucks were the Volvo FH12 and FH16. The series was an immediate success and, one year later, it was chosen as the prestigious Truck of the Year. The Volvo FH has been the obvious choice for many truck customers for many years.
It goes without saying that Volvo Trucks has not simply been sitting back, doing nothing, since 1993. It has instead remained at the cutting edge when it comes to product development by continuously improving its trucks. This has included making a number of updates to the Volvo FH Series and developing the driveline; it has become both more powerful and more environmentally sustainable over the years. One of the main challenges when it comes to creating an entirely new truck generation was to make a new truck that was even more unique than the old Volvo FH and took product development to a totally new level.
´We have had a long journey with the current Volvo FH Series, which has been the subject of a number of successful face-lifts and has thereby maintained its competitiveness,´ says Claes Nilsson, President Volvo Trucks. He adds, ´The only way forward has been to develop something that is even more outstanding. We want to be able to offer our customers the chance to share in the future and the new Volvo FH Series enables us to do precisely that.´
From the start, the target was to create the truck of the future, a revolution in the industry, and the journey from the drawing-board to the finished truck has been comprehensive. It is not simply a question of moving from A to B. It has instead been an adventure-filled expedition through a jungle of different parameters, all of which have required detailed attention.
´We started the product planning for the new Volvo FH Series back in 2003. This initially focused on studies of the business environment and analysing future developments in the transport industry, together with future customer requirements and legal standards,´ explains Staffan R´djedal, product manager for the development of the new Volvo FH Series.
He says that the Volvo Group´s core values-environmental care, safety and quality-have naturally inspired the guidelines throughout the project, but that one factor has ultimately played by far the most important role: the customer. During the design process, the customer was also the focal point. To begin with, customers were asked to test wooden models, so-called ´mock-ups´, and test vehicles in which different new components had been incorporated in the current Volvo FH Series, after which they also had the chance to test and evaluate finished prototypes.
´We have also conducted a number of field tests with the truck at our customers, in which they have driven the new series in commercial traffic. All the input from them has then been followed up and improvements have been made as the project progressed,´ says product manager Staffan R´djedal.
An enormous test programme has been conducted at the same time. The service life and reliability of the Volvo FH Series have, for example, undergone quality tests in shaking rigs, extreme environments and climates of different types. The new truck series has also undergone safety tests to verify that its structure is reliable. This has included 1,000 simulations, 200 component tests and 50 sleigh tests. The most comprehensive test is known as a full-scale test, which is conducted more than 25 times.
´There is absolutely no question that the drivers have helped to design their new working equipment and home. Many drivers live and sleep in their trucks more than five nights a week, so they know what´s important for them to enjoy work and do a good job. In all, we spoke to almost 900 drivers.´
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