Dinakar B, Executive Vice President, Volvo Trucks VECV Ltd in an interview with  B2B Purchase

In this digitalisation era, we have improved fleet uptime for our customers by introducing three new services: Uptime Care, Fleet Assist, and Fuel Efficiency Services explains Dinakar B, Executive Vice President, Volvo Trucks VECV Ltd.

Can you talk about the latest customer service initiatives?
Volvo Trucks in India has a solid leadership position in the premium trucks segment. We continue to focus on offering suitable transport solutions that deliver profitability for customers over their lifetime. We have showcased two products at EXCON 2022- Volvo FMX 500 off-road dump truck and Volvo FM 420 8×4 construction tipper. These two products are part of the new Volvo FMX and FM range of trucks that deliver higher productivity, safety and efficiency by combining excellent driver comfort and enhanced connectivity features.

Volvo FMX 500 off-road dump truck
For long-term and more challenging assignments, we introduced a completely new off-road solution, i.e., Volvo FMX 500 8×4 off-road dump truck. This truck has the most cutting-edge features and improved load-carrying capacities that will push the limits of productivity.

Volvo FM 420 8×4 Construction Tipper
Volvo FM 420 8×4 construction tipper is an optimally designed transport solution, especially for road construction and Irrigation. Volvo FM 420 8×4 23 cum solution delivers a superior value proposition in soil movement in the road construction segment, especially in greenfield projects.

Along with our new trucks, we also introduced three new service offerings to ensure our trucks are always up and running.

Fuel Efficiency Services:
Through Fuel Efficiency services, we monitor a gamut of vital parameters influencing fuel efficiency and generating insightful reports for our customers.

Fleet Assist Services:
This service connects all equipment in a mine digitally and offers optimised and real-time route prediction. This helps in reducing idle time and thereby lowers operational expenses.

Uptime care:
Uptime care- an all-exclusive portal that integrates different services and functions and gives a combined report including trip summary, vehicle-wise repair status, and fleet uptime at your fingertips in one place.

What are the vital smart features of these new products?
The new Volvo FMX 500 8×4 is an entirely new off-road dump truck with the most innovative safety features. E.g., Volvo dynamic steering technology takes steering to a whole new level and improves the driving experience even in demanding operations in mining. It comes with increased front axle loads of 20- tonnes and a 38 tonnes bogie. With a 15 per cent increase in payload capacity, this solution offers superior productivity and gained higher acceptance in the market. The newly designed cabin gives the best working environment and enhances driver productivity. With the latest engine management system, upgrades in the I-shift program and subtle design improvements help enhance the fuel-efficiency. This truck also comes with a bodybuilder module ECU that prevents the truck from exceeding five kmph speed when the dump body is raised, thus improving safety at the dump yard.

Volvo FM 420 8×4 construction tipper is particularly built for projects in the construction and irrigation segment. This truck comes with the most modern features starting from an entirely new cab, improved driver comfort through better thermal and noise insulation and a smart and intuitive new digital instrument display. A larger windscreen and lowered door lines provide 10 per cent direct visibility improvement.

How are Volvo Trucks focusing on improving fuel efficiency?
At Volvo Trucks, we always aim to provide solutions that deliver superior fuel efficiency per cu.m material. The new Volvo tippers come with a proven 13-litre engine that generates maximum power and torque, which is available over a wide rpm range that results in improved average vehicle speed. The engine management system has been upgraded from version 2.2 to 2.4 with several design improvements that facilitate optimal fuel consumption. The new driveline is designed for delivering the right power and torque as per demanding application requirements. The I-shift lever and software are new with additional drive modes and include an I-roll feature that reduces fuel consumption.

With our new service offering – FE Services- we leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to evaluate many parameters that influence fuel efficiency extensively. Based on that, we generate actionable insights followed by custom-made driver engagement programs for our customers.

What are the opportunities VECV sees with the infrastructure boost?
We see infrastructure booming on road construction as well as the logistics front. The government has clearly stated its ambition under PM Gatishakti National Master Plan to build 25000 km of national highways, multiple cargo terminals, multi-modal logistics parks, and also doubling the pace of road construction to 60km/day. Faster completion of projects is of utmost importance. Dynamics are fast-changing, and customers are targeting speedier completion of projects with a leaner fleet, higher productivity and maximum reliability. And this is where we have FM 420 8×4 construction tipper exclusively built for road construction. Our transport solution is well utilised by some road construction customers who have experienced enhanced productivity in their project execution. With this understanding and experience, we are confident that we will be able to expand our solution to others and capitalise on the business opportunity.