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It's MeVolvo.
Page 98
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IN THE CASE of a new vehicle or vehicle range. Volvo will go out and study the market, and, via the product planning department, will map out the basic specification of the vehicle.
This is done virtually in isolation at Volvo's headquarters in Gothenburg.
Having come up with a broad preliminary specification, the Volvo engineers show it to Irvine who then have the opportunity of pulling it to pieces. Irvine tends to concentrate on criticisms and suggestions directed towards the UK market. "But we're not backward in coming forward with anything for elsewhere," said John Bryant, director and general manager, AiIse Assembly.
Continual discourse
Between Irvine and Gothenburg, there is a continual discourse on what is allowable in terms of financial and production commitments. Because the UK side of the Volvo operation is doing specific design work (witness the successful F86 eight-wheeler), the Irvine engineers are well placed for commenting on details of design, be they good or bad.
If a component change has been needed to suit the UK market then it has often been possible to introduce the modification throughout the Volvo range to eliminate the need for an extra component specific to one market alone. This is well illustrated by the case of the F86 eight-wheeler which needed a different cab mounting bracket because of the different steering layout.
Volvo agreed to take this modification right across the whole F86 range.
Regular visits take place between Gothenburg and Irvine at all levels including those of designers, development engineers and even technical clerks. There are regular formal meetings every three months, but otherwise it is a case of "as and when." So far this has worked out as someone visiting at least once a month.
In some ways Irvine can be considered as an extension to the drawing office in Sweden. The same part number sequence is used, for example, and this applies to the Ailsa bus as well. As John Bryant put it "The doors of the Irvine design department are completely open to Volvo, and vice versa."
Obviously, a fair deal of influence is exerted by the Irvine factory, especially in the case of the F86/ F7, with the UK by far the largest market for this category of vehicle. Because the•F86 is rarely used at anything approaching its design potential in Sweden, the UK is also by far the hardest user, as 86s are constantly run at 32 tons gross.
This influence can be put into perspective when it is realised that Gothenburg asks Irvine to come and criticise at all the various stages leading up to a new model.
At one such meeting, in fact, John Bryant was the only non-Swede present in a group which included people from the Volvo sales, marketing and engineering departments.
Sweden likes this inter-factory liaison as it means Irvine can challenge the thoughts of the Gothenburg side, and, as far as the Scottish-based engineers are concerned, they hope they can put an original input into the design total.