Volvo CE Transfers Backhoe Loaders, Motor Graders to SDLG to Improve Profitability

Mon November 17, 2014
Agricultural Equipment Guide

As part of the Volvo Group’s ongoing activities to improve profitability and reduce costs, Volvo Construction Equifpment will discontinuedevelopment and production of its current product line of Volvo-branded backhoe loaders and motorgraders. In the future, these products will instead be manufactured by Volvo CE’s Chinese company SDLG.

As communicated in conjunction with the report on the third quarter of 2014, further cost-saving measures will be implemented in Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) to adapt the cost structure and to address the profitability of certain products. A review of the operation has now been performed, resulting in the decision by Volvo CE to discontinue product development and production of backhoe loaders and motorgraders in Europe and Americas and transfer these operations to its Chinese company SDLG. Combined with other efficiency enhancement measures, this will result in a workforce reduction of about 1,000 employees, of whom the majority are in Poland, the United States and Brazil.

The current product lines of technologically advanced and high-spec Volvo-branded backhoe loaders and motorgraders have addressed a relatively small premium segment of the market. SDLG-branded backhoe loaders and motorgraders will better serve customer demands in the large and growing value segment of the market.

Currently, motorgraders are built at Volvo CE’s production sites in Shippensburg, Pa., and Pederneiras, Brazil, while backhoe loaders are manufactured in Pederneiras, Brazil, and Wroclaw, Poland. Ceasing European production of backhoe loaders will result in the closure of Volvo CE’s operations in Wroclaw.

The measures within Volvo CE are a part of the series of new activities within the increased scope of the Group’s Strategic Program 2013-2015, which was published in conjunction with the report on the third quarter 2014.

For more information, visit www.volvogroup.mobi.

This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.