On a brilliantly sunny day at the end of an otherwise rainy month of June in Sweden, Volvo Construction Equipment (CE) announced the launch of its new G Series wheel loaders for emerging markets.
Volvo’s G Series comprises three models: the L60Gz, L90Gz and L120Gz, set to launch in Russia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Volvo CE’s customer centre in the idyllic town of Eskilstuna hosted the manufacturer’s guests at its Volvo Days 2015 event, where Tomas Kuta, president for Volvo CE in its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) sales region rolled out the G Series to target, as Kuta says, the manufacturer’s “non-regulated” markets around the world.
“The product has been created specifically for the service segment, and will be introduced in non-regulated markets in the EMEA region,” Kuta explains.
“For the time being, we will not bring the series to Europe. We’re looking to test its demand before we launch it in Europe.”
The G Series is being produced at Volvo’s factory in Linyi, China, and is, in Kuta’s words, “down-specced and designed away”, as it targets controlled applications.
“It is a true Volvo CE product with the quality Volvo CE is known for. The G Series won’t be the most ideal for demanding operations, but will be suited to rehandling and bucket-focused operations, especially at quarries,” Kuta adds.
The G Series features Volvo’s Fully Automatic Power Shift (FAPS) system, which Volvo CE claims will optimise operations by adjusting the gears with engine and travel speed for comfortable gear change and fast cycle times.
The bucket pins have been double sealed to keep grease inside the bearing and dirt out, ensuring long pin and bearing life, while the automatic bucket leveller and boom kick-out functions stop the bucket and linkage in adjustable, pre-selected positions.
All three models have been fitted with Volvo’s Z-bar linkage, which, according to Masood Akar, Volvo CE’s product manager for the EMEA region, provides high breakout forces for strong digging and complete bucket fill. Load-sensing hydraulics, which supply power only when needed, will also lead to reduced fuel consumption.
Akar also emphasises the focus on operator comfort integrated into the design for the series: “The design is completely different from the F Series. For instance, the serviceability of the bucket has been improved to make cleaning operations easy. You can carry out maintenance works from ground level, and all filters have been arranged for easy access. The rear-axle cradles are service free, as with all Volvo CE wheel loaders.
“The G Series’ cabin is not much different from the H Series in visibility, but we have placed handrails in all three spots for operator ease and safety. One difference in the cab is that we have added a full glass door.”
The G Series cab includes a tiltable steering wheel and vibration damping, and a three-point access ladder built with anti-slip steps and sturdy handrails. Air is filtered through an easy-to-replace pre-filter to separate coarser dust and particles before passing through the main filter, allowing 90% of cab air to be recirculated for continuous dust removal.
The series’ L60Gz and L90Gz can be equipped with a general purpose, standard-duty bucket or a heavy-duty version for loading shot rock, while the L120Gz can accommodate a standard- or heavy-duty bucket, as well as a re-handling bucket optimised for handling, stockpiling and loading processed aggregate and sand.
The spade nose rock bucket is ideally suited for loading shot rock, and the light material bucket is a high capacity bucket for low density materials. Akar emphasises states that the G Series is not so much downspecced as simplified.
“It’s still a premium Volvo CE machine, but there are elements which are optional in G Series models. Customers can choose to add these elements and upgrade the machine,” he says.
Despite the simplified electronic controls of the G series machines, they have still been equipped with the Volvo Contronics system.
“We’ve reduced the number of warnings in the G Series, and the operator doesn’t need to stop the machine if a warning shows up. It will continue to work until the next service appointment. This, we feel, will lead to more uptime.”
Kuta adds that there is no need to categorise the G Series as premium or affordable, but instead, as Volvo CE’s response to market demand for uncomplicated machines that can carry out industrial tasks without demanding high costs.
“There’s no specific category for the series. It’s been created for customers who work, say, 1,500 hours a year and on less demanding applications. We’ve noticed there’s a clear demands for machines that are a little less expensive than the standard, and include fewer features,” Kuta explains.
“But even those customers still want a premium machine, and this is our response to that demand.”
Volvo CE is confident the series will find a fervent fan base in the Middle East — a region where the Swedish manufacturer is keenly anticipating to experience further growth, and Gardetun goes on to note that he expects Volvo CE to continue an upward trajectory in the region over the next year.
“The last 12 months have seen a real improvement in the Gulf market,” Gardetun says. Indeed, production of the G Series began in June 2015, and Volvo CE has already received orders from Russia, Africa and the Middle East.
“Growth has mainly been driven by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but even the UAE is starting to grow now. Oman has remained largely stable, but we’re growing with the markets, and that’s good for us.”
Gardetun concedes that the company had its doubts about the Saudi Arabian market in light of fluctuating oil prices (though the Kingdom arguably bears some responsibility for this), but adds the manufacturer has been inspired by the country’s steady investment into its infrastructure projects.
“We had our doubts with the oil prices dramatically falling to $50 last year, but we observed that they [the Kingdom’s government] have enough resources, and want to continue investments across the country, particularly for social infrastructure like education facilities and housing, but also in all kinds of infrastructure projects.
“We’re also involved in the transport network in Saudi Arabia, and on the Makkah-Madinah (Haramain) rail project in the country, while Makkah’s works involve breaking down mountains to construct over the land, so there’s real scope for us to grow with our excavators there,” Gardetun adds.
Asked if the possibility of Qatar losing the FIFA World Cup 2022 concerns him as an equipment manufacturer, whose products are purchased — and often rented —largely in anticipation of sizeable projects, Gardetun discounts the suggestion that Qatar’s growth will suffer without the event.
“Qatar is being entirely reformed. A lot of its development is driven by Vision 2030. We’re already a part of the Doha Metro project, the Doha Port project and so on. But even the number of general projects in Qatar, to build road and general utility infrastructure, is expected to be very high.
“It’s mind-blowing; the volume of equipment going into a country as small as Qatar, and with such a small population as well.
“We’re touching 3,000 pieces of equipment in the country, and in these terms, it’s already higher than Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but Qatar also needs it right now,” Gardetun concludes.
