Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/315150
D R I V E R ' S D I G ES T #2 /2014 33 Volvo Trucks North American Sales & Market- ing. "Providing a hands-on opportunity is an important extension of that experience, and we believe it will foster an even deeper appreciation of the design, manufacturing and performance of Volvo products." "I'm delighted with this investment, partly because it will be a very suitable environment for testing trucks," says Nyberg. "We are using New River Valley for a lot of customer events, and now we will be able to off er customers the opportunity to drive trucks in a controlled en- vironment. It has always been important for us to engage with customers as much as possible, and getting customers and drivers into our product is unbeatable. is will off er excellent added value to the existing customer experi- ence that we off er at the plant. We are extremely happy with it, and we will continue to develop "We also use it for quality control. Part of my job is to road test trucks that roll off the line here, and we will be using this track for doing that. It has fl at sections, sloped sections and a series of elevated curves, and it is a good test of what is expected of a highway truck." NEXT CHAPTER What future plans are in store for the track? "We don't quite know where this will end up," says Blomberg. " ere may be some R&D work that could happen here, but this is and will always be primarily an opportunity for our customers to get behind the wheel of our trucks and test them to their fullest extent." "Customers visit our plant nearly every day to see their trucks being built and experience the passion and care that goes into the vehicles we manufacture," says Göran Nyberg, president of the Customer Experience Track." Engaging with customers is now more important than ever. As truck technology has improved, so has the necessity for a supplier to explain in detail the design philosophy of a new vehicle. Over the past decade, the opportunity to en- gage with customers has become a far easier task. Internet and social media now allow an almost continual dialog between supplier and customer — and expectations have risen. Truck buyers considering equipment investments appreciate the opportunity to evaluate their purchases and the chance to off er input into the process. Volvo Trucks Customer Experience Track speaks to the heart of the Volvo customer care philosophy and off ers both the Volvo team and the customer the opportunity to engage in the whole process. ■ HOW IT WORKS PDI TRACK Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 miles Lanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Facility Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 acres Curve Super Elevated . . . . . . . . 8% Highway crown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2% Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DOT Standards Max Design Speed Straight . . 65 mph Max Design Speed Curve . . . . 35mph Material Excavated . . . . . . . . . . 135,000 cubic yards Rock Excavated . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,000 cubic yards VHD OFF-ROAD TRACK Max Incline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27% By the Numbers Volvo Trucks Customer Experience Track