Barely a few months into its Asia launch, the new range of Volvo Trucks so impressed customers that key agreements have been inked to supply regional hauliers. Pak Nam Po Transport of Thailand, Felda Transport of Malaysia and PT.PEC-Tech Services of Indonesia are among the first to benefit from the new range.
Comprising of the completely redesigned FH, FM and FMX, the new Volvo truck range leapfrogs the market standards in the crucial areas of uptime, productivity, fuel efficiency and safety.
Shortly after the new trucks’ Asian premiere in May this year, Volvo Trucks continued its momentum of delivering better services and maintenance to key markets across Asia Pacific, with significant investments amounting close to US$150 million. The most recent development was the opening of Volvo Group Thailand’s flagship dealership in Bangna as well as new headquarters which will provide regional oversight for Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Realizing Asia’s growth potential in the transport industry
Christophe Martin, President of Volvo Trucks in Asia, said, “We are excited about the region’s ambitions towards intra-regional trade with the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and believe that Volvo Trucks and our customers have a role in supporting this growth.”
“As a commitment to Asia and to ensure a good brand experience throughout the service lifetime of our trucks, the Group has invested and expanded dealer networks and parts distribution hubs, particularly in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
“The new Bangna flagship dealership and Volvo Group Thailand’s headquarters unveiled in mid-December completes our THB3 billion (US$93.5 million) commitment in the country. We have more than doubled our Thai network of wholly-owned dealerships from six to 15, built spare parts distribution centres and are providing a global standard of fleet maintenance to customers.”
“We will also be investing RM75 million (US$22.8 million) to enlarge our Malaysia dealer network and spare parts distribution centres within the next three to five years. In Indonesia, we set up a US$10 million spare parts distribution centre in November to cater to the demands of the mining industry,” Mr Martin added.
Volvo FH wins hearts in Thailand and Indonesia
One of the the first orders from Thailand, for 63 units of the new Volvo FH, came from Pak Nam Po Transport, a leading petroleum carrier in Indochina. Transporting a highly sensitive cargo such as petroleum from Bangkok to Yunnan is a fitting task for the Volvo FH, which was also voted the International Truck of the Year 2014. The new Volvo FH trucks ordered by Pak Nam Po are optimized for long-haul carriage and also feature the Volvo Dynafleet telematics system, designed to enhance fleet productivity and fuel efficiency.
Nineteen units of the Volvo FH were also handed over to Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, an integrated construction firm. The trucks will serve in the construction of the Red Line Mass Transit System Project, an urban rail transit network serving the Greater Bangkok area.
In Indonesia, a total of 32 units of Volvo FH were delivered to PT. Rantai Mutiara Insani and PT. PEC-Tech Services. These units were welcomed by both companies to undertake various transportation needs in Engineering, Procurement and Construction services for green field and expansion projects. The versatility of the Volvo FH truck will be useful in serving wide range of client needs, in the Pulp & Paper, Oil & Gas, Power, Industrial and Infrastructure sectors.
Volvo FM makes headlines in Malaysia
The new Volvo FM was the truck of choice for Felda Transport, and would be used to support the logistics operations of the Felda Global Ventures, a leading global agribusiness company. One of the largest multimodal transport operators in Malaysia, Felda Transport currently operates a fleet of 450 trucks, with about 90 percent of its units being Volvo trucks.
The first batch of deliveries to Felda comprised six units of the new Volvo FM, with an expected eventual order size of 41 trucks. The Volvo FM is a popular prime mover in Malaysia, and was named ‘Prime Mover of the Year’ (2-axle category) in the New Straits Times-Shell Rimula Truck of the Year awards.
As part of a strategic move to achieve dominance in China’s booming e-commerce sector, Bo Tong Mei Da Logistics (博通美达) of China decided that its key differentiation from the competition is timeliness and efficiency. A business partner supporting domestic giants such as ZTO, YTO and STO in the Express industry, Bo Tong Mei Da Logistics ordered 35 new Volvo FM trucks with the view of achieving a 60-unit strong Volvo fleet. The company is leveraging on Volvo Trucks’ superior attributes to achieve on-time deliveries, low maintenance costs, a good industrial safety record and low driver turnover.
Volvo Trucks committed to drive productivity and fuel efficiency
The customer wins are testament to the increased productivity, fuel efficiency and versatility of Volvo’s new truck range. Developed at the cost of US$3 billion and after 14 million engineering hours, the new FH, FM and FMX trucks feature Volvo Dynamic Steering, as well as intelligent I-Shift gearbox technology which together, deliver exceptional handling, pretty much like a car. Fleets could also be fitted with Dynafleet, Volvo’s telematics system which present fleet owners with real-time updates on fuel consumption, total carbon emissions and vehicle utilization rates.
“We take a multi-pronged approach to the business of transport. There is the technology in the truck itself, industry leading innovation, such as Volvo Dynamic Steering for instance. But there’s also the service, the care for the customer, reflected in a service offering that meets their needs, such as uptime, productivity, fuel efficiency and safety. This is the essence of the total transport solution Volvo offers to its customers. And that’s how we drive progress within the industry and society at large. And that’s how we become the No. 1 brand to own,” concluded Mr Martin.
