Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has announced the creation of a compact business unit take advantage of the shift to electrification.
The company said it wants to “secure a fully electric line up of productive and sustainable products across the whole compact range”.
The unit will operate as an independent entity within Volvo CE, fully focused on maximising the opportunities in the growing market for compact equipment. Initially it will be responsible for compact excavators up to 9 tonnes and compact wheel loaders up to the L50 model.
“An increase in population and urbanisation has led to the expansion of the construction sector throughout the globe – with a particularly strong increase in the demand for compact equipment”, the company said it a press statement. “The segment now represents 50% of the total market compared to 35% a decade ago, with the growth trend likely to continue.
From September, Thomas Bitter, Volvo CE’s head of technology, will become head of the Compact Business Unit. “Our pioneering work in electrification and digitalisation has positioned us as an innovator in compact equipment,” he said. “And now, because of compact equipment’s ever-growing influence on the market, we are focusing our attention on our compact machine portfolio to provide customers with productive and sustainable products and services.”
Volvo CE said the company had an industry-first in 2019 when it shifted its entire branded compact range over to electric and stop development of new diesel variants.
Since then it has launched five electric compact models: the ECR25 Electric, ECR18 Electric and EC18 Electric excavators and the L20 Electric and L25 Electric wheel loaders.
The EC55 Electric excavator has also been introduced into China.
