Volvo Construction Equipment recently showcased its new flagship rigid hauler, the R100E, at its Motherwell factory. Project Plant’s Fraser Rummens went along to find out more.
VOLVO Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) recently held a showcase event at its Motherwell facility to launch the new R100E rigid hauler, where attendees even had an opportunity to get behind the wheel of the 95-tonne behemoth.
The R100E is the flagship machine of Volvo CE’s new rigid hauler range that also includes the E45D, the R60D, and the R70D, ranging in capacity from 41 to 65-tonnes – all or which will be manufactured in Scotland.
Project Plant joined a group made up of trade press and business leaders for a factory tour, where we saw the construction process of these new machines – from fabrication to final testing and fitting – before getting hands-on with the largest hauler in the Volvo CE line-up.
This new range is the end result of in-depth discussions between Volvo CE and its customer base, with customers calling for a machine that could provide a low cost of ownership; performance and productivity; operator wellbeing; and service and care.
‘Built by you, made by Volvo’, says the strapline.
The 95-tonne payload hauler is powered by a Cummins QST30 CAC (Tier 2/Stage II) 783kW 1,065hp direct injection diesel engine and can reach a top speed of 31.1 miles per hour. It features a new V-shaped body, which aims to optimise load retention while minimising material carry-back. The hauler also utilises Volvo Dynamic Shift, which the manufacturer claims delivers a smooth, consistent ride and low fuel consumption.
At over sixteen feet tall, it goes without saying – the R100E is a monster. As it pulled up onto the test track, the sheer scale of the thing impressed all in attendance. That sense of awe gave way to trepidation, however, as we realised that one-by-one, we would all be sitting in the driver’s seat. I was second up, and after an admittedly slow start, I began to get a feel for how light and responsive the steering was and felt comfortable putting the foot down.
The interior of the pressurised cab is spacious, with the operator seat located on the far left side (you’re sat directly above the front wheel) and the large windscreen gives you a wide range of visibility. After a quick lap around the test track I was back outside, watching the next nervous attendee climb up the front for their turn.
“The new R100E is, for all intents and purposes, a completely new machine,” Paul Douglas, Volvo CE vice president of rigid haulers and managing director of Terex Trucks, told me after the showcase.
“We listened intently to what the customer wanted,” he continued. “We spoke with over 50 different mining customers and quarry customers, asking what they really wanted to see, what was important, what the priorities should be, and from those inputs we started to build a clear picture of what the new E platforms for Volvo trucks should look like.”
Paul said that “almost 90%” of the hauler is new, with the base, the chassis and the body design all “completely different from the previous generation”, along with a new ROPS/FOPS cab, which offers a 360-degree bird’s eye view of the work zone, using Volvo Smart View.
Paul said that while the new R100E featured a lot of Volvo CE technology, it was important to preserve what the customer asked for – a machine that is simple to operate, service, support and maintain.
“They know they wanted more efficiency, they know they wanted lower fuel consumption and there would be some technology steps to be able to deliver that, but they were very clear they wanted to keep the simplicity of the truck, from an operator and a service perspective.”
Paul reckons the R100E has captured the essence of what operators want out of the machine.
“We’re confident it’s going to be a world-beater,” he said. “With the Volvo name on this truck and with the investments we’ve made in the truck, focused on what the customer wants, I think we’ve got a new challenger to the norm out there.”
The Volvo dealer network is key to the success of the new rigid hauler range, according to Paul. “It’s not just the product and how it performs,” he said emphatically.
“(The dealer network) know what to do to provide a customer with the products and services that they really need at a price point that the customer is willing to pay for.
“We’re really excited about the new truck and not just the E, but the D-series as well, going through the Volvo network into the hands of customers.”
Paul said that while only officially launched in April, the R100E has been working in anger on sites in Sweden and Africa, where feedback has been “very, very positive”, with drivers praising the hauler’s handling, stability and climbing ability.
“They really like it. They really appreciate the operator environment, the drivability of it and they’re now seeing the results coming through in terms of productivity and efficiency…it’s exciting times because the feedback from those guys is very important because they’ve been using these trucks day in, day out.
“Then as we start to put more and more of the new trucks into other customers’ hands, we’ll build a picture of what they really like about it, and maybe there are some things that they still think we should enhance or improve, but we’ll be open-eared and open-eyed.”
Reflecting on the demand for the new range in the Scottish market, Paul said that although there’s little open-cast coal mining happening, the quarrying industry is still very active. However, fleet replacement in the quarrying industry tends to be longer cycle.
“They tend to keep the trucks for longer or they put less hours on them per year and they keep them a little bit longer,” he explained. “Now, in other countries that’s not the case…there are still many, many parts of the world where there’s going to be a big demand for open-cast mining.
“I’ve focused on coal because about 70% of these trucks go into coal mining, but of course there is copper mining (or) nickel mining. There are plenty of other minerals where there are large pits that will need big trucks, and the quarry industry is very active globally at the moment.
“We’re excited; I think we’re seeing a good healthy rise in the rigid market at the moment worldwide, all territories, and I think that’ll continue.”
Volvo CE will continue to bring other models in the E series to market; first with the R60E, then the R70E, both of which are being worked on at the moment. Alongside this, the company is supporting its dealer network to bring it up to speed on rigid haulers through training.
The company will also be continuing with the Terex Trucks brand “for the foreseeable future” on articulated haulers, having agreed a deal with the Terex Corporation. Paul explained, “The articulated hauler distribution will be independent so typically it will go through multi-franchise distributers. In the UK it’s TDL Equipment, a good partner of ours, so we’re working with those guys to say we’ve secured the brand future, we’re working on the product improvements and the next generation, so let’s work together to find the best solutions for the customers.”
Paul concluded that it was “becoming very clear” that there will be two business streams at the Motherwell facility, with both Volvo-branded rigid haulers and Terex Trucks-branded articulated trucks coming out of the same building.
