Volvo Trucks is commemorating its 50th year of operations in Malaysia this year. The well known Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer officially set foot here in 1969 under Federal Auto Industrial Sdn Bhd and a year after the Swedish Motor Assemblies plant had begun operations in the country. In the years that followed, Volvo Trucks continued to expand its business and launched programmes to build on their customer relationships as well as create new ones along the way. But fifty years is quite a long time...
Volvo Trucks Malaysia's first product brought into the country in 1969 was the complete built-up N Series truck. The Volvo N Series truck was a tipper and heavy haulage transporter that also featured the three-point safety belt that was created by Volvo. It was one of the first trucks to have sported this important safety feature and in those days, Malaysian trucks had those wooden cabins, flimsy wooden doors and planks for seats. We literally ran the chassis with wood coachwork right past the front windscreen pillars. So having a steel cabin, and safety seat belts was a big thing actually. Especially back then.
Those were simpler times where the idea of road safety was almost unheard of. In fact, trucks were smokey diesel belching vehicles which often found it hard to even traverse a small mountain range. Usually one smokey truck would hold up a train of vehicles behind it as they slowly climbed up a hillside road. Trucks were also overworked, and many a time, truck drivers had to be accomplished mechanics. They always had to do their own temporary repairs if their truck broke down. Usually this was on some hillside roads too. Ahh, the good old days...or not.
Anyway, trucks like Volvo have changed the trucking landscape here. Long distance haulage was slowly made better and better with the introduction of more modern trucks. You can see the change when complete metal cabins replaced the wooden cabs of old. There are some still plying our roads if you pay attention. But trucks like the Volvo F7 and F10 which you see here are some of the trucks that brought modernity to the trucking scene. These were great trucks, as even the Malaysian Army used them. And still do actually!
A Malaysian Army 'Kembalik' is shown above - Towing vehicle for armoured vehicles. Used to see a few of these on the roads in the 1970s and 1980s when i was living in Taiping - the town was HQ to an Army Battalion so we saw many of these as well as the Volvo C303 and C603 belonging to the Army as well as those operated by the Royal Malaysia Police (under the Police Field Force - Jungle Squad or 'Pasukan Polis Hutan'). These were popular vehicles because of their all-terrain capabilites as they had superb ground clearance due to having portal axles. These were Volvo trucks which I fondly remember watching them pass by back in the day. It also shows that I am quite an old fart actually!
Anyway, over the past fifty years, Volvo Trucks expanded its reach throughout Malaysia. They launched new truck models, opened dealerships, gained new customers and also introduced of many aftermarket services and activities to meet the needs of its growing customer base. In the world of commercial vehicle sales, it is the relationship that is so important and deals are made, by the rapport between the company and the truck operators.
“Volvo Trucks is extremely glad to be celebrating our 50th anniversary in Malaysia this year. This is one of the most momentous milestones for us and we are very satisfied with everything that we have been able to accomplish over the past five decades. We also feel truly honoured to have the continuous support of the industry and our customers as they have made it possible for us to grow our business in this market,” said Mitch Peden, Managing Director, Volvo Malaysia (seen above).
“Volvo’s strategy revolves around making bigger difference through more sustainable, smarter and efficient transport solutions for the industry, customers and communities at large. Stongly guided by our three core values which are safety, quality and environmental care, Volvo Trucks has successfully achieved 50 years in Malaysia by continuously expanding our resources, products and service offerings and giving back to communities,” commented Peden on Volvo Truck's current business strategy.
He added, “Although today we are well positioned as the market leader in the heavy-duty European brand segment in Malaysia, there’s still a lot to achieve. The next 50 years will pose new challenges and we are thrilled and ready to embrace it as we remain focused on driving efficiency, innovation and excellence for all our stakeholders.”
On a personal note, I have been following the accomplishments and recent events of Volvo Trucks Malaysia and they have been steadily maintaining their presence here. Their current line-up of products (like the FM, FMX, and FH series - a video on a unique FH16 can be viewed above) and their current take on sales as well as aftersales have kept them in the minds of heavy duty truck operators here in Malaysia. Operators or Truck Owners seem to love the brand and the truck drivers here would jump at the chance of driving one (especially the newer trucks which come very well equipped these days). Add the various after sales campaigns as well as their emphasis in inculcating driver training and skills - like the Volvo Fuelwatch Challenge, the brand is actually vastly popular among its users.
Here's a pic of of Yours Truly from 2015 in a Volvo FH440 over in Thailand! I liked driving this variant with its ease of operations and those red seatbelts!!!
Here's to another 50 good years here in Malaysia!
Laying the foundation in 1969
This year marked the setting-up of Volvo Trucks’ operations in Malaysia and the
introduction of the complete built-up N Series tipper and heavy haulage truck.
Establishing footprints in the 70s
The 70s paved way for a stronger establishment of the brand in Malaysia. The complete
knocked-down assembly of the N Series truck was initiated and the 3-point safety belt
equipped in all the units, making Volvo the first truck brand to highly emphasise on
safety. Over the course of this decade, Volvo Trucks made several breakthroughs
including the introduction of the turbo engine used in the F Series truck. It also
continued serving the country by delivering the Volvo F88 truck to the Malaysian Army,
further cementing its importance in Malaysia.
Charting more milestones in the 80s
Volvo Trucks’ development into the eighties was built upon the introduction of new
innovative technologies and features focused on improved efficiency, performance and
safety. The company introduced the Euro 1 engine in the FL10 model and became the
first truck brand to introduce the airbag as well as the 6x2 tag axle. With these products,
business began to expand and had propelled the arrival of other new models to service
the booming transport and logistics sector. Thus, Volvo Trucks expanded its portfolio
with the arrival of F7, F10, F12, FL10, N10, N12 and NL12 truck models. It also
delivered the N10 trucks to the local Fire Department and the first batch of N12 logging
trucks to its customers in East Malaysia.
Driving progress in the 90s & Onwards
The 90s saw the arrival of the Euro 2 engine and the latest FL10, FL12 and FH12
models and the introduction of its Blue and Gold Service Agreements to serve
customers’ demand for cost-effective preventive maintenance and repairs. In addition,
Volvo Trucks also introduced its first Breakdown Service Team to ensure that its
aftermarket support reaches its customers whereever they are. This was significant as
Volvo Trucks continued to expand its network of dealerships across Malaysia.
Making impact beyond 2000s
The 2000s were significant for Volvo Trucks as it continued to build upon its successes
and made bigger impacts in the industry. Realising there was an increasing demand for
reliable heavy-duty trucks to meet industry needs, the Volvo FM9 and FM12 models
were brought into Malaysia in 2002. This was followed by the launching of its Customer
Care Centre (CCC) to provide 24/7 breakdown service support.
Playing a bigger role in driving productivity and enhancing road safety, the Volvo Driver
Training programme and the annual Fuelwatch Challenge to promote safety and fuel-
efficient driving behaviour among truck drivers were also launched.
The Volvo I-Shift transmission which uses road grade, speed, weight, and engine load
to gauge the optimum time for switching gears to increase fuel efficiency was
introduced as one of its latest advancement in trucking solutions.
As business expanded, Volvo Trucks’ appointed Dai Lieng Machinery Sdn Bhd as its
first private dealer for Volvo in East Malaysia in 2008.
In the ensuing years, Volvo Trucks continued to expand its business and launched
programmes to deepen its customer relationship. This included an investment of RM75
million for its network enhancement strategy across both Peninsula and East Malaysia.
This 3-year long project saw Volvo’s dealerships in Kuantan, Prai, Ipoh and Sibu being
relocated to newer and bigger locations, a new Kota Bahru dealership established and
other dealerships across the country upgraded with additional facilities. This also
included the establishment of Port Klang dealership into its flagship outlet, serving the
needs of at least 3,000 Volvo trucks in the area.
In 2014, two new models joined the Volvo Trucks fleet with the launch of the new
facelifted and improved Volvo FM and FMX to meet different industry applications. The
following year, Volvo upped the ante by introducing to the market Volvo Dynafleet – its
telematics system for customers to better manage their fleet and keep track of their
trucks and drivers’ performance in real-time.
However, Volvo’s most significant product milestone was achieved when the premium
flagship Volvo FH Series comprising two variants, FH13 and FH16, made their epic
entry into Malaysia in 2017. With breakthrough innovations such as the ultra-low crawler
gears and Volvo Dynamic Steering (VDS), the FH series offers superior handling,
performance, safety, fuel efficiency and ergonomics and can withstand extreme heavy
loads. The introduction of the Volvo FH was touted as setting a new industry benchmark
for innovative trucking solutions in Malaysia.
More than just business and in line with its commitment to sustainable social and
environmental responsibility, in 2018 Volvo Trucks carried out its biggest local corporate
social responsibility project ever in Bario, Sarawak. This project saw Volvo Trucks
funding an estimated RM500,000 to build a fire-fighting system for the Bario Asal
Lembaa longhouse settlement and five eco-shelters along the 25-km distance Bario
ancestral jungle trail to help improve the lives of the Kelabit community there.
And in the last two years, Volvo Trucks has continuously launched additional
aftermarket services to ensure that its customers receive the highest global standards
which Volvo has always adhered. These included the Volvo Service Planning, 24-
months Fitted Parts Warranty and Port Klang Extended Workshop Hours programmes
to further boost customer satisfaction and long-lasting truck ownership experience.
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