kscarbel2

Ex-Google Engineers Form Startup to Develop Kit for Autonomous Driving Trucks Transport Topics / May 17, 2016 Otto, a startup led by former Google engineers, is working on getting the millions of trucks already on the road to drive themselves. Founded by former Google engineers with employees from Tesla and Amazon, the San Francisco-based company is developing an autonomous driving aftermarket kit for trucks. The firm already has several trucks on the road testing the technology. “We are developing a suite of sensors, software and truck enhancements coming together in a product that can be quickly outfitted on existing trucks," the company wrote on its website. "Testing the technology is currently underway on highways with our research fleet, and we recently completed an autonomous demo of the technology on a public highway.” The company finished the first extensive test of its trucks May 14-15 on public highways in Nevada, where the state’s regulations allow the autonomous technology for big-rigs, the Associated Press reported. “We intend to enhance the capabilities of the Otto truck, collect safety data to demonstrate its benefits and bring this technology to every corner of the U.S. highway system,” the company said. Otto is looking for 1,000 volunteer professional truck drivers to have the kits installed on their cabs, at no cost to them, to help fine-tune the technology. “To speed the adoption of self-driving technology, we began by equipping existing trucks on the road with our unique self-driving kit, designed to empower truck drivers to drive more safely and efficiently,” Otto said.

Autoblog / May 17, 2016 Self-driving cars are very much a part of the future of tech, with Google, Uber, Apple and plenty of other top names working to develop autonomous vehicles. But what about trucks? That's where Otto is aiming to shape the future. Founded by former Google employees Anthony Levandowski, Lior Ron, Don Burnette, and Claire Delaunay, Otto wants to "rethink" the commercial trucking industry. In a Medium post, Levandowski, who lead Google's self-driving car efforts, and Ron, formerly with Google Maps and Motorola, explained that not only do trucks account for an oversized slice of pollution in the U.S. — 28 percent of road pollution despite making up just one percent of all traffic, they claim — but they cause a large number of fatalities, are inefficient and, to top it off, there's an increasing shortage of drivers. That creates the perfect storm for a tech-based solution, Otto's founders believe. Otto started out with tools to help truck drivers perform their job with increased safety, but now it is working on technology that, in time, can automate parts of the drive on highways. Unlike others, which are designing new vehicles that drive autonomously, Otto focuses on technology that can be fitted into trucks that are on the road now. Rather than eradicating drivers by making them obsolete, the immediate goal is assistance. The duo told Backchannel that, among many things, they aim to let drivers safely take a sleep break while leaving their truck driving autonomously. The company said it has already completed one public highway demo of its system, and it is hatching grander plans beyond that. "We intend to enhance the capabilities of the Otto truck, collect safety data to demonstrate its benefits, and bring this technology to every corner of the U.S. highway system," Levandowski and Lior wrote. Otto's team of 40 includes many former Googlers, as you might expect, and other staffers have worked at Tesla, HERE, Apple, Cruise, and various automobile companies.The company has lurked under the radar before its unveiling today — many of its staff haven't updated their LinkedIn profiles with their new roles, for example — and there will be many questions about it, such as which investors are bankrolling it. .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clintons-viral-nightmare-a-video-of-her-lying-for-13-minutes/2016/05/17/ea59e32c-1c66-11e6-b6e0-c53b7ef63b45_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-b%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Would you buy a truck.........from these people? Based on the video, their "brand" doesn't possess the qualities required to succeed.

Volvo Trucks Press Release / May 13, 2016

Volvo Group Press Release / May 13, 2016

You're 200 percent right in saying "the big reason we're seeing more and more autos in trucks because there is a bigger demand for drivers and it's easier to find an inexperienced driver to throw behind the wheel so they can try and drive a truck like their Camry". But you can't compare Eaton's first generation AMT, the 3-pedal Autoshift, to what's being sold today........it was introduced way back in 1999. Though let me say, the Autoshift after all these years still has a strong following in Oz and South Africa (it's always interesting how markets vary), When you speak of off road, the Autoshift wasn't designed for that. However, today's AMTs are. In Eaton's case, they have a purpose-designed UltraShift Plus vocational range. http://www.roadranger.com/rr/ProductsServices/ProductsbyCategory/Transmissions/UltraShiftPLUS/Vocational/index.htm For years now, Scania's superb AMT has had a "rock free" mode which allows the driver to free the truck when it becomes stuck by rocking it back and forth with the accelerator (Volvo and others then copied us.......we always say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery).

6900HD with German Liebherr dump body In Johannesburg, South Africa. (Liebherr builds good mixer bodies as well) .

Eaton sells fully synchronized twin-countershaft heavy truck transmissions in the global market, but doesn't try to sell them in the US. Synchronized trannies always had a shorter life, but the Europeans and South Americans were willing to tolerate that, while the US, Australian and Chinese markets preferred the longer life, greater simplicity and lower overall cost of non-synchronized units. In both cases of course, the advancement of gear oils has extended the lives of both transmission types. To each his own.

It seems that what I've said is not what you want to hear, but I will repeat, for a low-boy tractor application, you should give serious thought to a Granite tractor. In that application, it combines form with function. Why don't you talk with the folks at Watts, or the Worldwide Equipment representative (Jim Toussaint) who also recommended a Granite (on page 2).

The more you learn about Martin (a genuine truck man), the more an informed person is forced to think, what in the world was the board thinking when they appointed Persson to the company's helm. Like so many executives today, he spoke a good line..........but was actually clueless in all the critical areas.

Jack Roberts - Fleet Owner / May 13, 2016 A couple years ago, I found myself on a Meritor test track in Wales, U.K. evaluating new commercial vehicle safety systems. Trips to Europe are always enlightening from a technology standpoint, since so many new safety and drivetrain systems originate there. But on this day, I was struck by something a bit more Old School: The manual gearboxes in a couple of the European cabovers we were driving that day.  These were fully-synchronized transmissions, as smooth and easy to operate as shifting a Honda or a Toyota passenger car. The entire experience was actually a little bit surreal: driving a Class 8 tractor with a dinky little, dash-mounted shifter with absolutely no worries about engine RPMs or double-clutching. Naturally, I starting asking around about these odd gearboxes and was surprised to discover that they're pretty common in Europe. They've also made massive inroads in China, which is basically building its trucking/logistics industry and network from scratch and has no preconceived notions as to how a truck drivetrain should be operated.  A buddy who works at another European vehicle component supplier told me his company tried to bring synchronized gearboxes to the States a decade or so ago, only to have them flop in the marketplace. Why was that? I asked him. They were so much easier and safer to drive than unsynchronized transmissions. He just shrugged his shoulders. "They're not macho enough for American drivers, I guess," he replied. If you're the type of Old School Gear Jammer who sneers at synchronized manual truck transmissions, you gaze in horror at modern Automated Manual Transmissions. Yet, here they are, gaining marketshare at a breath-taking rate and utterly transforming how trucks perform today. But what about manual transmissions? Are they destined for the technological dust bin? Are we just a few years away from logging onto YouHologram (or however we'll be watching videos in the future) to chuckle at the memories as some guy demonstrates who to shift between low and high range on a 13-speed gearbox? My thoughts are that AMTs are well on their way to becoming the dominate transmission in both medium- and heavy-duty trucking and will likely reach full-market penetration on new vehicles before this decade is out. But that doesn't mean there won't be a place for manual gearboxes in trucking. But I suspect their roles will evolve toward more specialized niches such as severe-duty, extreme heavy-haul and off-road and severe-terrain conditions. And, of course, there are always going to be drivers -- young and old alike -- who prefer a manual gearbox for a variety of reasons. When asked, manual gearbox adherents usually tell me they simply feel more in control of a truck when they're shifting gears, as opposed to a computer doing it for them. So there are always going to be drivers out there who prefer shifting the old--fashioned way. But my suspicion is that trucking as an industry has made a sea change: In the past, trucking focused on delivering the goods on time, no matter what. Trucks and powertrains were designed with that emphasis foremost in mind. Poor fuel economy was simply a means to an end. Today, it is clear that the focus has shifted. Delivering goods is just as important as it's ever been. Perhaps even more important, if that's possible. But truck and powertrain design is rapidly shifting toward optimal fuel economy as its priority. It's not enough to get the good there on time, anymore. You've got to do it as fuel efficiently as possible, too. Beginning next year, I think we'll see the first concrete evidence of a new philosophy in trucking: The first generation of truck models with fully integrated fuel economy designs. Every aspect of vehicle design will be engineered with fuel economy as a priority. Moreover, every aspect of vehicle design will be engineering to compliment every other aspect of the design. Simply put, the truck's overall shape and aerodynamic profile will be designed to complement and boost the performance of its drivetrain in every possible way, and vice-versa. And I hate to be the one to tell you, but there's not going to be much room for manual transmissions in those highly integrated and sophisticated truck designs of the near future. 

Western Star targets new markets with XD off-road lineup Fleet Owner / May 13, 2016 Leveraging an iconic brand and Daimler corporate clout, Western Star is looking to “transform” the off-road construction and mining markets with a new line of specialty trucks and an innovative system for swapping truck bodies to suit the immediate needs of equipment operators in the field. Company executives on Thursday introduced the trade press to the Extreme Duty (XD) Offroad package and the new the MBT-40 Transformer chassis in a demonstration at Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds. Calling Western Star a “brand with attitude,” President Kelley Platt explained she wanted to event to highlight the “vocational focus” as part of the company’s growth plan, which also includes expanding the dealer network “to help them tap into new markets and convert new customers to Western Star.” The XD Offroad line is an important part of that growth strategy, designed to deliver the “serious trucks” label to the articulated and ridged frame markets. Engineered specifically for extremely rugged environments, it’s now available on both the 4900 and 6900 models. Vehicles spec’d with the XD Offroad package deliver maximum driver safety and comfort while providing customers with a low cost per ton product for off-road applications. Western Star plans to open the XD Offroad package up to other models in the future. And the real star is the 6900XD Offroad MBT-40, dubbed the Multi-Body Transformer for its ability to quickly change from one fully functional in-cab controlled body application to another, a new concept for off-road equipment markets, explained John Tomlinson, XD and vocational sales manager, Western Star . Simply, Western Star has taken the concept of a “demountable” roll-off or hook-lift body a step further. “A transformer is an off-road chassis that’s capable of transforming from one fully functional truck to another fully function truck,” Tomlinson said. “We’ve created a system where you plug the trucks in. All of the switches turn into the new body switches. All of the hydraulics size themselves to the new body.” Basically, the concept means that customers don’t need to buy a whole, new vehicle for specialized tasks only to park it at the job site most of the time. Using a Palfinger G68 hooklift with a lifting capacity of 68,000lbs and a new transformer package, the MBT-40 gives customers greater utilization of their chassis. With the new product, extremely complex and heavy capacity bodies can be changed over and back to work quickly and easily. “It’s a fully functional water truck if you need it; if you don’t need it, 10 minutes later it’s a dump truck,” Tomlinson said of the demonstration vehicle. ““The MBT-40 package is a game changer in construction applications for its ability to be multiple pieces of equipment in one chassis. Mining, quarry and off-road construction industries are looking for better solutions right now and we have the answers for them with this new product.” The unit is equipped with a generic in-cab control system and a self-adapting hydraulic system that also allows the operators to quickly and easily swap the controls of multiple body applications as well. The MBT-40 features multiple hydraulic air and electrical connections that allow it to connect and power a variety of body needs from powerful flow controlled hydraulic motors and pumps to heavy high flow tip cylinders. “Working with Western Star on this open platform concept product has been great. CARCO Industries is very experienced in mining and off-road fuel and service products along with carrying the Palfinger crane lines,” said Charlie Schimmels, sales manager, CARCO Industries. “This combination of experience and product along with the rugged design and carrying capacity of the XD40 Offroad chassis offered by Western Star makes this a very unique product. With commodity prices down and budget cuts becoming common place we need to think smarter about how we do business and the MBT-40 does that.” The 6900XD is available in both 6x4 and 6x6 configurations. Photo gallery - http://fleetowner.com/equipment/western-star-targets-new-markets-xd-offroad-lineup

There are indeed "very" few truck salesman left. Today, there are just salesman who sell trucks. What a difference years of experience used to make for the customer.

KrAZ Trucks Press Release / May 10, 2016 On May 9, KrAZ Trucks (aka. Kremenchug Automobile Plant) joined with Kremenchug city residents and visitors on Victory Day in honoring World War II veterans and those who perished. Victory Day in Ukraine is a commemoration of the end of the second world war. Attendees had the opportunity to see restored World War II era KrAZ military trucks from the company’s museum collection. KrAZ Trucks general manager Roman Chernyak placed flowers at the foot of the memorial on behalf of the company and its staff. Photo gallery - . http://www.autokraz.com.ua/index.php/en/novosti-i-media/news/item/2642-kraz-razom-z-usima-vshanovuvav-veteraniv-u-den-peremohy

UPS Press Release / December 1, 2014 4-year-old Carson developed a friendship with his UPS driver, Mr. Ernie, when he began receiving shipments of special milk. Carson has become fascinated by all things UPS. He wishes to be just like his pal, so UPS made Carson a UPS driver for a day.

Owner/Driver / May 13, 2016 After 18 years, DAF and Paccar Australia are celebrating the sale of their 4,000th truck Paccar Australia has sold the 4,000th DAF vehicle in Australia, with Steve Brown of S&J Brown receiving the keys to the milestone truck. Sold at Suttons Kenworth DAF Arncliffe in New South Wales, the 4,000th truck marks the second milestone truck this owner-driver has received from DAF after getting hands on the first CF85 in the country. "It was a bit of a surprise, being the 4,000th truck, because I was also their first CF85 customer in 2002," Steve Brown says. "I tested out some of the competing vehicles, but in the end the CF85 got me over the line because being a previous DAF owner, I knew it was going to be very reliable and productive, and Suttons came up with a good deal." Brown first came into contact with DAF after trading in his Ford Louisville 14 years ago, just a few years after starting work as a car-transporter. "Back then it was the first European truck I had ever driven," he says. "Being the first Suttons Kenworth DAF Arncliffe CF85 customer, I got to choose the number plate: DAF430, which related to the engine being 430hp." Brown has chosen a 6x4 FTT as his newest truck, shipping with a ZF 12 speed AS-Tronic transmission and a 13-litre PACCAR MX engine at 460hp. "All up I’m carrying around 35 tonne, which includes seven cars," he says. "The DAF has a really good tare weight so it lends itself well for our needs and it’s got that balance of performance. "And I’ve got to say, the quality of the ride you get out of the truck with the sound proofing — it’s comfortable, quiet and easy. "It’s like driving a car." Since first arriving in Australia in 1998, DAF’s local range has expanded to include the LF, CF75, CF85, and XF105 series trucks. Suttons Kenworth DAF Arncliffe, which has operated as a servicing location for 80 years, has been selling models since the dealership side opened in 1998. "We’re delighted that Suttons Kenworth DAF Arncliffe was able to deliver the 4,000th DAF," Suttons Kenworth DAF Arncliffe DAF sales manager Daniel Glynn says, the team member who sold the milestone truck. "I feel very proud we were able to deliver this milestone. "The CF series is a very well kept secret in some respects, in a very competitive market segment, but once customers get in it, drive it and take ownership, they simply re-order." Originally selling DAF trucks in Ireland, Glynn arrived in Australia in 2008 and has won the 2014 PACCAR Rising Star Award on his way to becoming the DAF sales manager at the dealership. "Suttons Kenworth DAF Arncliffe was my local dealer so I dropped in a resume and before I knew it, I had the job," he says. "From my perspective, the awareness of DAF trucks has improved significantly and they’re very much accepted."

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / May 12, 2016

Dagens Industri / May 112, 2016 In his first meeting with Volvo's economists, Martin Lundstedt picked up the guitar and played the State and capital. But it is not primarily for their social skills, he got the job as president of Volvo. The mission is to "make a Scania" out of Volvo and increase the profits. "I'm a bit of an industrial romantics," he says. At the time of this interview, Martin Lundstedt has been head of Volvo Group for just over five months. He claims to be a bit taken aback by the sheer size of the company. "I've been around and met with employees and customers, and known of culture. What has struck me is it's great size. We are in 194 markets with twelve brands in many different industries. My impression is that we have very good people. I do not lie awake at night worrying about our human resources. It feels great. " He's just returned from a tour of Asia. In nine days he has squeezed in South Korea, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia. "Australia is a good example. Where we are the largest with over 26 percent market share, and image-wise, we are also strong. Most Swedes do not understand how big Volvo's global presence. It makes you feel proud." That said, Martin Lundstedt came to the table prepared. He's been handpicked by Volvo Group board chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg from the company’s fiercest competitor, the smaller but far more profitable Scania, to bring up the level of earnings of Volvo. Increase profits Volvo Group has gone through many phases in recent decades. During the 23-year Pehr G. Gyllenhammar era, Volvo grew into a conglomerate that included everything from drugs to food and tobacco. Then came Sören Gyll, who dedicated Volvo again by selling out, stock market listing or distribute shares in the companies that had no vehicle movement to make. During Leif Johansson's time as president of Volvo, the car unit was sold to Ford Motor Company for US$6.45 billion. With that money, he grew Volvo’s truck and construction machinery segments in Japan, China, India and the United States, doubling sales over 14 years. After Leif Johansson came Olof Persson, whose mission was to integrate Volvo’s growing number of business units and find synergies. He implemented a savings program of US$1.2 billion, which has begun to take effect, but had difficulty finding synergies. Persson was finally ousted after profit levels did not increase as Volvo’s board had expected, On 22 October last year, Martin Lundstedt took over as president with over 20 years experience from truckmaker Scania. DI: How do you want to sum up your time as Volvo Group CEO on the day you step down? Martin: "The fact that we created the profitability and organic growth, and we took the plunge into an era of sustainability, electro mobility (vehicles powered by alternative energy sources), and connectivity." "Just be Martin" Martin Lundstedt grew up in Mariestad, and speaks Swedish, English, French and German. He stays in touch with his home town, for example, he has a reunion with his old racquetball once a year. "I had a good childhood, and my parents still live in Mariestad. It's nice to go there in the summer and just be Martin. " He studied hard in school and was busy with sports, Boy Scouts and music. First he played the trumpet in a big band, then he bought a guitar that still makes an appearance at parties. When he met the Volvo Group's economists for the first time, he chose to play the Blue Train The state and capital. "That I would rather play the Swedish progressive rock, as the National Theatre, Hoola Bandoola, KSMB and Ebba Green. But I booms not too little Ted Gärdestad or Lars Frederiksen either. I can even play some Creedence Clearwater Revival if needed for singing's sake. " Martin’s mother was a teacher and his father a dentist, but there were also entrepreneurial role models up close. "I saw how they lived with their activities, and it has influenced me. This business of making financial statements every day, that I love. I was extremely inquisitive and wanted to know all about what they did." Martin Lundstedt worked part-time at the paper mill in Mariestad, and before he entered Gothenburg’s renowned Chalmers University of Technology, he worked over a year in the local timber company Lamiform. "I usually say that I learned more in that year than during all my time at Chalmers. I started unloading, since I came into the office and got to work with purchasing, production and much more. " "I come from the Volvo Country" When he was finished with Chalmers, he knew he wanted to work in industry, something else attracted not. "I'm very interested in the combination of production and people, to bring things together. To implement, that's what is difficult, "he says. "I'm a bit of an industrial romantics. When the night shift is going on a Saturday night while others are at home having dinner, that fascinates me." Martin graduated from Chalmers in 1992 in the midst of a recession and job shortage. He searched for openings in Scania’s trainee program, where he was one of three who was chosen from a thousand applicants. Twenty years later, he succeeded as Scania CEO Leif Östling. In between, he served in Scania management as head of engine development, production in France, director of product marketing and truck management. Scania is known for its focus on profitability, working closely with its customers and its ingenious modular system. The latter means that the truck components, or building blocks, are designed as much as possible to simplify production, purchasing, administration and hold down costs. It also makes it easier to broaden the truck range. Volvo Group also works with modularized design, but has not progressed as far as Volvo. When Martin Lundstedt joined Volvo Group, he came to a company that is three times as large, in terms of net sales. In many ways it is easy to understand why he said yes. Volkswagen takes an ever firmer grip on Scania, and it should be more enjoyable to be the president of a Swedish company than subsidiary manager of a German corporation. DI: How did it feel, deep down, when you walked out from Scania to a job at Volvo? Martin: "It is clear that it was a very special feeling. I have many good friends left at Scania. But I felt I must do this, I was curious. When you are asked if you want to lead Volvo, it is an indefinable force that turns your stomach, actually. But one should not forget that I come from Volvo country, as I grew up in western Sweden." It’s noteworthy that Martin's youngest sister still works at Scania. She is a civil engineer and director of product planning at buses. DI: What did she say when you took this job? Martin: "Finally!", Jokes Lundstedt says with a broad smile. Got 5 million DI has previously reported that Martin Lundstedt received a lump sum of 5 million Euros (US$5.7 million) when he signed the contract in the Volvo Group. He wants to explain the background to it. "It sounded like I got a transfer fee to another football team. But it was not. What I got was compensation for any bonus in Scania, which I would have had if I had remained there," he says. "It felt a little sad, because I seemed to be greedy. But in fact I’ve never been a money-focused individual. I work hard and I'm fortunate to have a good salary, but it is not the driving force for me." Martin Lundstedt is known for his people skills. He loves to meet customers and be out on the assembly line talking with employees. In this sense, he is quite the opposite of his predecessor, Olof Persson. And when Volvo Group board chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg justified the appointment of Martin Lundstedt, he noted in particular that the new Volvo head "is known for his successful leadership." "Actually, you should not worry so much about their own leadership, because it may not work anymore. But I'm interested in people, and their activities, for real. I want to convey that we are a team. Although there is a hierarchy because you have to organize themselves, but for the rest we are colleagues who are running together in different roles," says Martin Lundstedt. "I like it operational, but not excessively structured. I’m an emotional person and can be annoyed, but my dad taught me that you should not be at loggerheads with someone when you go to bed. So I would rather pick up the phone and make a call before I fall asleep. " He is also renowned for its great capacity for work, and ability to remember numbers as well as names of the people he has met. "As for the thing with numbers and names, this is linked to my interest in people and the business." He says that his weak point is that he is not moving enough, exercise and physical activity may be too little space in his life. But he has no problem to relax. "The question is often: 'How do I recharge the batteries?' Then it sounds as though you recharge the batteries on the job, but I do not see it. The job also gives me energy. For me, my job and personal life flow together, but it isn’t a problem. Everyone has to find their formula, "he says. "When it comes to managing stress on the job, I think the most important parameter is that people feel they can participate and influence their own situation. Otherwise, powerlessness and frustration arise. To be seen at work is extremely important." During Olof Persson's tenure, Volvo Group’s four truck brands including Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, Mack and UD Trucks, were merged together. Now under Martin, they have been separated once more, with three regional organizational units with overall responsibility for all brands in each region. Independent brands When Martin Lundstedt was appointed, he orchestrated a return to Volvo’s previous business model with independent brands. DI: Was it difficult to convince the board that you wanted to break up an organization that had just been merged? Martin: "No. We fully agreed that this is the way to go. It is important that each brand and business area be responsible for its own profitability. In such a large organization, you must be careful to ensure that business acumen is not lost. Decision power must be where it belongs. However, we retain joint purchasing, production and product development." Martin says Volvo’s business is increasingly shifting from sales of vehicles to the sale of sophisticated industrial solutions. Customers want help with everything from repair and maintenance to financing and insurance. "We sell a complete solution, instead of a product that has an aftermarket. Actually I do not like the word aftermarket, for it is the customer's main market. All this implies greater responsibility for us," he says. "The retail sector is a good example, where many companies have very ambitious targets in terms of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This puts the indirect demands on us too." Optimistic about China Geographically, one can say that Europe is currently Volvo Group's only bright spot right now, as it looks tough throughout the rest of the world. In North America, which had one of its best years ever last year, demand has fallen sharply forcing us to reduce production by 30 percent. "But it depends as much on stock build-up as falling demand," says Martin Lundstedt. Brazil is in a deep economic slump and growth is slowing in China. But in the long term, Martin Lundstedt is optimistic about the Chinese market. During Olof Persson's tenure, Volvo Group sold its Volvo Aero subsidiary, as well as Volvo IT. Investors, with activist fund Cevian in the lead, are calling for more spin-offs. Most have speculated the sale of Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE). "For me, it is not the key issue on the agenda right now. It is rather to ensure that we develop our own organization in a good way. In addition, I note that, given the incredible headwind that VCE had on their end markets, including China, they have done a great job. I would rather emphasize that, compared with the industry, they have developed well," says Martin Lundstedt. Moving from the glamour At the end of the year, the Volvo Group will relocate its Gothenburg headquarters from the Volvo Car era facility in Torslanda to Lundby, where about half of the group's operations already are. "The move is important from a practical point of view. We need to sit close to the business, especially when we have clients visiting. And I want to be able to go down and rub shoulders with the engineers. I like that," says Martin Lundstedt