Volvo Trucks South Africa has started assembly of Euro 5 specification trucks at its plant in Durban
While Euro 5 variants have been available in South Africa since 2012, it will be the first time they will be assembled locally.
Eric Parry, sustainability manager at Volvo Trucks SA, commented, “More customers have ambitions to improve their environmental footprint, which is driving the uptake of Euro 5 models locally. In general, the Euro 5 engines have a lower fuel consumption than an equivalent Euro 3 unit, which means that even though total costs are roughly the same because of the need for AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid on the vehicle, the CO² emissions are reduced with the lowering of fuel consumption. There is also the significant reduction in poisonous gases from the exhaust, which in turn improves the environment around the vehicle.”
Volvo Trucks has initially started with the assembly of Euro 5 level FH truck-tractors, the company’s long-haul icon, as this is the model that customers are asking for. More models and configurations will be added over time as fleet owners require them.
Certain layout changes were made to the facility to accommodate AdBlue filling in trucks, as well as for storage. Additional floor layout adjustments were also done to allow for new procedures like the assembly of AdBlue tanks and special exhaust systems.
“Operators have also received advanced training to assemble the new features connected to the Euro 5 specifications. Specialised training was also provided for road testers and product auditors to ensure the highest standards are maintained throughout the assembly and QA processes,” explained Aubrey Rambau, Volvo Trucks plant director.
The Volvo Trucks plant has also recently installed a new solar power system to generate renewable energy for the facility. A total of 440 solar panels and two solar inverters will generate 243kW of power - approximately 60% of the energy needed for the plant.
