Capital Equipment News November 2019

INTERVIEW

ABOUT CATRIN NILSSON

Catrin Nilsson, manager of Connected Solutions Platform in Technology, Volvo CE, has been working at Volvo since 1997 – mainly within EnE systems and hardware. She has now been working within the connected solutions platform for the past two years.

Q: With so many connected construction machines – Volvo CE has 150 000 at the last count – does this mean connected solutions are now just as important as the machine? Catrin Nilsson [CN]: Connectivity is a true enabler. It has become such an essential feature that if you are not con- nected, you simply cannot perform to the high levels required of a modern job site. Machine data can now provide customers with all the help they need to boost fuel efficiency, uptime and productivity. Advanced prognostics even allows us to analyse trends to the point where we know not only why a component might break down but also predict when it might happen. The number of machines equipped with machine control system applications such as Load Assist, Haul As- sist, DigAssist, among others, is growing every day. On top of that we provide the customer with fleet services related to up- time, such as CareTrack and Active Care. Q: So, where do we go from here? CN: Prognostics is still one of the biggest areas of focus at the moment. Finding pat- terns in the behaviour of machines so that failure can be prevented is so important in the construction business. Every second of downtime costs money. For example, in an asphalt laying project in the US, you are given a specific time- frame to carry out the work. So if a paver breaks down it is not only slowing down the entire project, at a huge cost, but it also gives you additional penalties if the timeframe is exceeded. Q: Uptime is clearly one of the biggest drivers for connectivity. What other factors are there? CN: At Volvo CE we thrive on innovation, but there are outside factors too. Environ- mental regulations such as the China IV

Catrin Nilsson, manager – Connected Solutions Platform at Volvo CE.

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) may have helped Volvo Group reach a major milestone of 1-million connected assets, but it is already asking ‘what’s next?’ Catrin Nilsson, manager – Connected Solutions Platform at Volvo CE, explains why this is a pivotal time in the company’s connectivity journey. Construction connectivity: the best is yet to come

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