VOLVO Construction Equipment has announced a multi-million pound investment into battery pack production at its excavator plant in Changwon, South Korea.
With the SEK 80 million (around $7.8 million) spend, a new production facility and equipment will be built at the plant, which is the largest excavator production site in Volvo CE, producing around 55% of its total excavators.
The new facility will produce a range of common electric storage solutions and become a ‘core competence centre’ for electric diggers.
Andy Knight, head of operations excavator and MD of Volvo Group Korea, said, “As the largest plant in Volvo CE and the core site for excavator development and production, Changwon is at the forefront of our shift to a sustainable future. This investment is an important milestone in our electrification roadmap and supports our recent investments in production facilities for electric excavators.
“Changwon is ideally located close to battery module supply partners and other key suppliers in South Korea to meet the needs of customers in the future. We are also home to a highly skilled and motivated workforce who are fully committed to meeting our future environmental targets.”
The new production facility will be built inside the current component workshop at Changwon without disruption to the existing operation. Once complete the facility will be approximately 2,500 sqm including assembly and logistics areas. The building work will begin in April, with battery pack production expected to start in June 2024.
