The drivetrain and Optishift system workstation led by Gunnar Stein, Global Director of Drivetrains, focuses on the fuel-saving innovations and related long-term projects being implemented by Volvo Construction Equipment. In the future, this innovation could enable wheel loaders to carry 50% more material while consuming the same amount of fuel.

　　Engineering for Emerging Markets

　　Although it originated in Sweden, Volvo Construction Equipment is now a global company, and its global character will only become more pronounced in the future. As one of the few truly global companies in the construction machinery industry, Volvo Construction Equipment can provide products to customers around the world. Tommy Streipel, Director of the Wheel Loader Platform, introduced the wheel loader product line tailored to different market needs around the world, and the new L105 wheel loader specially developed for Chinese customers is a prime example.

　　Design Innovation

　　Innovation is not only about technical elements of equipment. In the view of Volvo Construction Equipment, good design is also about how people feel. Therefore, emotional capital is an important factor in product design. In a recent survey, an operator said that driving a Volvo Construction Equipment product made his work seem less daunting­——which is enough to show that product design can greatly influence how operators perceive their working environment. Design is not only about form, but also about function. If a machine looks good but is not practical, it cannot be called design——it is merely a fashionable ornament.

　　Design Director Stina Nilimaa Wickström offered her own explanation of design and elaborated on how Volvo Construction Equipment approaches product design elements from the inside out. She also introduced some of the company's new design concepts to the participants.