Volvo Construction Equipment (CE) kicked off its Volvo Days 2026 event in Eskilstuna, Sweden, welcoming 4,000 customers, dealers, partners, suppliers, and media over four weeks in June – and we were there.
Described as “the best Volvo Days ever” and a significant highlight for the company, the event serves as a crucial platform to showcase Volvo CE’s latest products, services, and solutions, fostering direct interaction between customers, product experts (and us media). The theme for this year, “smart solutions driven by you,” underscores the opportunity for hands-on experience with machines and services.
Now it may well be a serious business event, but it’s very personable too, with us attendees being welcomed down a corridor of applause with staff and instructors clapping and shaking our hands (it was quite surreal). This was followed by a product range history and musical show that was really second to none. Watching the interaction between huge haulers, excavators and loaders to music was quite the unforgettable spectacle.
Moving inside, the very charismatic Melker Jernberg, President of Volvo CE, kicked off proceedings by sharing personal anecdotes, including his ongoing quest to participate in the aforementioned machine show and his practice with an A60 articulated hauler for a tilt demonstration.
The main event began with the introduction of new management team members: Åsa Holmström as the new Head of Brand Marketing and Communication, and Hanna Inatovic as the new Head of Region International, both bringing extensive experience within Volvo.
Strategic Direction in a Dynamic Global Landscape
Volvo CE acknowledged the turbulent global environment, marked by geopolitical difficulties, wars, and supply chain disruptions. However, the company views these challenges as opportunities for technological development and new business approaches.
A core strategic shift involves focusing “100% on the Volvo brand,” which has led to the sale of its 70% ownership in the Chinese joint venture SDLG (Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery Co) and the closure of the Rokbak business. This sharpened focus enables prioritised investment and development, ensuring Volvo CE remains competitive and responsive to customer needs.
According to Jernberg, despite market volatility, the company has demonstrated strong financial resilience and performance, with “extremely good resilience” and positive results in the first quarter.
Driving Customer Success Through a Comprehensive Total Offer
Over the past few years, Volvo CE has significantly renewed its product portfolio, introducing 80 new and updated products, representing roughly half of its entire range. This includes advancements in conventional diesel machines, as well as the introduction of new emission-free electric and battery-electric machines. Currently, approximately 16,000 of these new-generation products are actively operating on customer job sites.
The company has made substantial investments in excavators, wheel loaders, and haulers, with positive customer feedback, such as the A40 hauler being described as “like a mini-hotel” by a South African customer.
Beyond machinery, Volvo CE has expanded its service portfolio by 50%, encompassing digital consultancy, uptime, and productivity services, alongside parts and attachments. This comprehensive approach addresses customers’ demands for total solutions that reduce downtime, control costs, and enhance productivity, safety, and sustainability.
A construction group in Australia, for instance, highlighted how Volvo’s telemetry system dramatically improved efficiency, safety, and operational management, demonstrating the value of partnering with Volvo for a total solution.
Volvo Financial Services also plays a critical role, financing one-third of sales globally and 25% in the International region, underscoring the importance of competitive finance offers for customers.
Leading the Electric Transition: Challenges, Opportunities, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Benefits
Volvo CE is at the forefront of the electric transition, delivering industry-first electric articulated haulers and wheel excavators to customers. While the adoption of electric machinery has been “slower than we thought,” significant variations exist across segments and geographies.
Key enablers for this transition include procurement requirements from municipalities and governments. Oslo, Norway, stands out as a prime example, where 98% of construction activities are now fossil-free, with a future goal of 100% emission-free operations. This has resulted in 400 electric machines operating in Norway for 180 customers, accumulating 125,000 hours of experience, providing invaluable learning for Volvo CE.
A crucial aspect of driving electric adoption is demonstrating short-term profitability for customers. A real-world case study in winter conditions showed an electric L120 achieving a “28% lower TCO” compared to its diesel counterpart over 1100 hours, even with the negative impact of cold weather on electric performance. This illustrates that electric machines can offer superior performance and significant cost savings, making them a “win-win” for customers and the environment.
Sharpening Focus – Key Market Segments and Growth Ambitions
Volvo CE is strategically focusing on three main segments: Construction, Mining, and Quarry & Aggregates (Ag), which collectively represent approximately 80% of its global business. These segments are projected to experience global market growth of 5-6%, and Volvo CE aims to grow even faster. The rationale behind this focus is clear: Construction is driven by infrastructure investments and urbanisation; Mining is fueled by the energy transition and demand for minerals; and Quarry & Ag supplies essential materials for infrastructure.
By sharpening its offer for these demanding segments, Volvo CE can create more value for customers, who focus on productivity and predictability in their operations.
Strategic Investments – Strengthening Industrial and Retail Footprint
To enhance resilience against geopolitical issues and supply chain disruptions, and to shorten lead times, Volvo CE is investing heavily in regionalising its industrial footprint. This includes a 2.5 billion SEK investment to strengthen excavator capacity across South Korea, Sweden, and North America, as well as increasing wheel loader production in Arvika and Belvidere.
A significant project is the construction of a new 700 million SEK excavator factory in Eskilstuna, Sweden. This 30,000 square metre facility, with a heated area of 20,000 square metres, is scheduled to begin production in the first half of 2028, with an annual capacity of 3,500 units (12 to 50 tons), including both conventional and electric models. This investment underscores Volvo’s long-term commitment to its core products and brand.
In retail, Volvo CE has made a strategic move by acquiring Swecon, Europe’s largest dealer. This acquisition significantly increases Volvo CE’s direct customer interface in Europe, raising the proportion of revenue managed through its own retail network from 30% to 65%. The rationale is to bring the company closer to customers in key markets like Sweden and Germany, enabling better adaptation to new technologies, evolving business models, and changing customer requirements.
The Path Forward: Innovation, Solutions, and Performance
Looking ahead, Volvo CE’s strategy is built on four key pillars:
1. Lead in Innovation: Continue investing and leading in both conventional diesel machines and zero-emission solutions, primarily battery-electric.
2. Provide Solutions: Offer comprehensive packages combining machines with extensive services, including digital tools, uptime support, and site solutions.
3. Regionalise Value Chains: Invest in a more regional industrial footprint to enhance resilience and responsiveness.
4. Continue to Perform: Maintain strong financial performance to fund investments and control the company’s future, ensuring the ability to “design your future”.
Volvo CE is committed to navigating the ongoing industry transformation by focusing on innovation, delivering comprehensive customer solutions, strengthening its global footprint, and maintaining a performance-driven culture.
Time to play
With the Volvo Days 2026 ‘smart solutions’ part well and truly covered it was time for the ‘driven by you’ and that meant us donning HiVis vests and heading out to the ‘play area’.
The entire range (more or less) of Volvo CE gear had been split up into separate areas for us to not only learn about and crawl all over – but drive too!
Equipment with price tags that venture well into the $millions, horsepower that crosses into the thousands and machines that are soo tall Sherpa Tenzing would think twice about scaling, and they let novices like me loose to test out.
Since I had driven one in Christchurch (thanks to TDX), I headed straight to the Articulated Haulers. Of the plethora of gear available for the day ahead, the haulers are (in my opinion) the easiest to use, although in A50 form (45-ton payload) form, it was still a little daunting.
Surprisingly I shouldn’t have worried, it was so easy to use. There is a yellow guiding mark in the centre of the bonnet that helps you keep the hauler pointing where you need to go and the steering is so precise and responsive. Added to this, the updated hydraulic suspension means that regardless of the terrain or load (or in my case unloaded), the ride is smooth and confident.
Next up was the wheel loaders, in both diesel and electric variants. They both have steering wheels, (and joystick controls too), but again, the sheer size of the machines is enough to make you gulp, or maybe that’s just me.
In the heavy duty L350 I managed to scoop a shade under 10-tons into its bucket and around half that in the ‘smaller’ all electric L120 version, but the latter was far smoother in its power delivery and pound for pound, possibly the better option for me – although the grunt of the L350 is hard to ignore.
Next up, the excavators. Now these were the giants that filled me with the most dread (and potential for blushes), so I have to admit to spending some time on the simulator in the museum the previous day to try and get some coordination going (until a 10-year old kicked me off).
My vehicles of choice were the EC500 and the EC750E with a 3.8m and 4.1m swing radius respectively. For me, having two joysticks with multiple functions on each side is like patting your head and rubbing your stomach, all while standing on 1 leg. But joy of joys, my on screen training paid off and I didn’t make a fool of myself – well not in my mind at least.
Last but not least, I climbed on board the R100 rigid hauler. A 30.5 litre, turbo V12 offering a 1050HP (783kW), but more importantly, it’s the size of an apartment block, towering over 5m tall.
The steering is more vague than the articulated version, and it offers less visibility, BUT, it looks like one of the Tonka Toys I played with as a kid and when I (finally) pulled up to stop, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
The Volvo Days 2026 event was a perfect blend of business and sheer pleasure. The brand’s attitude and direction seems bang on, offering business and equipment solutions in a true partnership fashion and the equipment itself is (once you get over their initial magnitude) intuitive to use, comfortable and forward thinking in terms of safety and sustainability. I’m not sure I’m ready to be let loose in a quarry anytime soon, but I would jump at the chance to spend more time at the wheel or playing with joysticks.
‘Smart Solutions’, sure. But ‘Driven by me’ – hell yeah! TACK.
