press releases

As from March 1st, Jens Holtinger becomes the new plant manager of Volvo Europa Truck, the Ghent truck factory of Volvo.

Back from the summer vocation Volvo Europa Truck has begun trimming truck cabins in a new industrial building in Oostakker. This new department, with a technical capacity of 144 cabins a day, is based entirely on ‘lean manufacturing’ principles. EUR 15 million has been invested in this innovatively designed project. Next to truck assembly this is the largest activity at Volvo Europa Truck. The Volvo Cab Trim department employs more than 200 personnel.

The new building for the cabin trim activities will also be CO2-free. Its equipment includes a solar boiler, heat pumps and photovoltaic cells. Also, by analogy with the truck assembly plant, bright colours have been chosen for the walls and floors. Roof lights increase the incidence of natural light, while floors are surfaced with a light epoxy layer.

The Volvo Group Representation-EU and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the EU co-hosted a seminar on Alcolocks today, gathering a senior audience of top officials, industry and civil society representatives.

On Wednesday 16th of January Volvo Group Representation EU hosted a delegation from the Swedish Government for a visit to the truck assembly plant in Ghent. The delegation was lead by the Swedish Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Magnus Robach and Swedish State Secretaries for Environment, Mrs. Karlsson and Mrs. Falemo.

Beginning of 2006 Volvo Europa Truck NV and Electrabel announced the realisation of the first CO2-free company in Belgium on the site of Volvo in Oostakker. More than two years later this is a fact and the company is even the first automotive factory worldwide to produce without CO2 emissions. Both companies invested around 10 million euros in setting up this CO2-free company

As a part of the EU Commission Road Safety Week, ETSC (European Transport Safety Council) and Volvo Group launch a campaign aiming to increase knowledge of the links between alcohol and accidents in traffic.

Austrian Markus Brier made his mark on the Volvo China Open with a cool, calm final round that kept all challengers at bay and pronounced he would be back to defend his first title on foreign soil.

Since 2001, fatal accidents on the European road network have dropped by about 20 percent. The EU target is to halve this figure by 2010.

Volvo’s hybrid vehicles can reduce fuel consumption and therefore also emissions of greenhouse gases by up to one-third compared with conventional diesel-powered vehicles.