May 2018 Vol 73 No. 5
Business
Volvo Construction Equipment (1)
Volvo CE officially added Hawaii Truck Parts, Sales and Services to its dealer network. While a proven dealer of Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks since 2010, and aligning with Volvo CE to offer spare parts and service for the last three years, the Hawaii dealership now adds the full range of Volvo CE equipment and services to its portfolio.
“Having spent years working with the Volvo Group and a variety of its brands, we are very confident that this new venture with Volvo CE will be a boost for both our company and construction equipment customers in Hawaii,” said Gerald Ryusaki, dealer principal.
Based in Kapolei, Hawaii Truck has been in business since 1993. It offers equipment leasing, sales, parts and repairs, and has the resources, such as certified factory-trained technicians and advanced-service diagnostic systems, to provide a high level of service to its customers.
“The expertise and market knowledge that Hawaii Trucks brings to Volvo CE will bolster our brand and help provide customers with unique solutions to their business challenges,” said Stephen Roy, Volvo CE president.
In other news, Volvo CE customer service is moving into a new dimension: 3D printing. Additive manufacturing – as 3D printing is commonly known – is the process of repeatedly layering a molten material or liquid in a specific pattern that is set by the printer’s software, until it solidifies into the required, three-dimensional shape.
Volvo CE is using 3D printing for its aftermarket service, to produce spare parts made of thermoplastics. (Parts made of metals through 3D may be offered in the future.) The process saves time, creating required components in as little as one week and fast delivery that maximizes the uptime of customers’ equipment. When the new parts are replacing ones on older machines that can’t be produced efficiently, or at all, by traditional methods, 3D printing may also extend the lifetime of the machine as a whole.
“Lead-times are significantly reduced with 3D printing and since there are no minimum order quantity requirements, we benefit from quicker delivery of parts, lower inventory levels in our warehouses, and an improved ability to balance supply and demand,” said Daniel Kalfholm, project leader of Aftermarket Purchasing for Volvo CE’s EMEA region. “And it can all be carried out a purchase price that is comparable to that of a traditionally manufactured component.”
Parts produced by 3D printing can be of any shape and size, and for any unit in Volvo CE’s range of off-road machinery. To-date, that’s typically parts of a cabin, plastic coverings and sections of air conditioning units. The company uses its own archive of drawings, 3D models and product information to feed into the printer and produce the correct, new part.
In addition to producing aftermarket parts, Volvo CE is using 3D printers at its research and development premises to build new components for prototype machinery.
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