Design – quality – safety – cutting-edge technology – and values that inspire the world. Our major customer, Volvo Construction Equipment, manufactures high-end construction machinery – from excavators to huge haulers.
What do we specifically develop and manufacture for Volvo CE?
Sustainability, trust and passion
From the very beginning, Volvo CE has been an industry pioneer with a clear purpose – to contribute to a cleaner, smarter and more connected world through imagination, hard work and technological innovation. A world that is a joy to live in…
They are doing great! They have been successfully turning their beliefs into reality since 1832.
“What the world will look like tomorrow depends on the decisions we make today”.
Volvo CE has built a company culture on humanity – trust, enthusiasm, openness, respect and listening.
People (and their safety, health and general well-being) are priority No. 1. So is the well-being of the planet. They are, therefore, passionate about contributing to sustainable development, reducing their climate footprint and protecting the environment.
Volvo CE is involved in a number of progressive projects, such as WWF Climate Savers, the Construction Climate Challenge and their own global programme, The Building Tomorrow, through which they would also like to help address current social issues.
“We, at Promens Zlín, are honoured to have been part of this inspiring story for more than 10 years!”
Václav Císař, Key Account Manager
Volvo CE has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Brazil, Scotland, Sweden, France, Germany, Poland, India, China, Russia and South Korea.
Under its brand you will find wheel loaders, hydraulic excavators, articulated haulers, motor graders, soil and asphalt compactors, backhoe loaders, skid steer loaders and milling machines.
Perfect technological interplay
We currently supply parts to several Volvo CE manufacturing facilities – specifically in Sweden, Germany, the USA and Brazil.
“Our cooperation with Volvo CE is primarily based on the perfect combination of RIM technology and pDCPD material.
Václav Císař, Key Account Manager
The high impact toughness even allows the machines to operate in very challenging mining conditions.
And we are also planning future projects where vacuum forming technology will be given more space”.
The truck for the toughest jobs
If we focus on specific parts, a typical representative for Volvo CE is the Articulated Hauler, for which we produce the front mask – hood, the front part (grille), the side parts (fenders) and the fan shroud.
Loader of many colours
Another typical representative for us is the L45/L50 loader. For this machine, we supply a hood that is placed on the rear of the machine, including the parking camera mount and license plate holder.
An interesting feature concerning this part is the frequent requests for special custom colours, which can range throughout the colour scheme.
A roof that protects
The Volvo BHL71 (Backhoe Loader) is also worth mentioning. This machine is Volvo CE’s flagship for vacuum forming technology, for which we supply the roof.
Of course, we also offer aftermarket service – supply of spare parts including the smallest items for assembly. It is this service that represents a significant added value for Volvo CE towards the end users.
From coin-operated machines to the all-electric compact excavator
Volvo CE was founded by Johan Theofron Munktell in 1832 in Eskilstuna, Sweden. With his enthusiasm for new technologies, he left the Royal Mint in Stockholm, where he held the position of a foreman responsible for the development of new coin machines, to take on a new working challenge – setting up a mechanical engineering shop to support the development of the local engineering industry.
In the meantime, he was replaced in his former position by another young and talented engineer, Jean Bolinder, who, together with his younger brother Carl Gherard, travelled to England to learn as much as they could about engineering technology, and on his return was able to set up his own company. They succeeded. A few years and some experience later, the two stories slowly began to intertwine.
Exactly 100 years after the mechanical engineering shop was founded, Bolinder moves to Eskilstuna and the two companies merge under the name AB Bolinder-Munktell, which is later acquired by Volvo in 1950. In the years that followed, Volvo CE – through mergers, acquisitions, development and deployment – became a leading international manufacturer of high-end construction machinery.
Challenges of cooperation
Every cooperation brings challenges that push us forward, both in professional and human terms. In the case of Volvo CE, this is especially a “challenge” for our paint shop. Although the demands of Volvo CE cannot be compared to the truck segment, for example, there is really no room for error, so all parts are thoroughly checked. Another challenge is the perfectly mastered occupational safety, which we have been working on together with Volvo CE for the last few years, down to the smallest detail.
We thank Volvo CE for their trust and look forward to the challenges the more sustainable future will bring!