In total 150 000 metric tons of castings are produced in Volvo´s foundries in Skövde and the new foundry is responsible for 20 000 metric tons. 80 000 cylinder heads per year shall be produced in the new foundry. The cylinder head in an engine is the most exposed part and has to withstand large pressure and heat stress year in and year out. It is the most complex and advanced foundry product in an engine, continues Christer. When the new foundry is in full swing in three-shift operation it will employ a total of 55 people.

The Volvo Group, which manufactures trucks, buses and construction equipment, is completely self-sufficient in terms of castings. Christer believes that having close proximity between engine development, casting, machining and assembly enables a holistic approach to engine manufacturing. The design can take account of the foundry process options that can facilitate machining and assembly, and vice versa. This creates an efficiency that is difficult to achieve when the elements are separated from each other, both geographically and in terms of ownership.

Foundries need a lot of energy to melt the iron that is to be cast. The new foundry in Skövde is connected to the city´s district heating network and delivers heat from cooling to other Volvo plants in Skövde and to the municipality. Foundry sand that is used when the casting moulds are made by robots is currently recovered to an extent of 45%, but the aim is to recover 80%. What is not recovered is supplied to the cement production in Skövde. All air from the casting process is purified and the dust is disposed of in a large silo.

Foundry manager Christer Davidsson says that he is really proud of the new foundry. Efficiency, quality and environment have been the key objectives to fulfill in the new facility, and here we are showing that this is possible. Heavy basic industries such as foundries incorporate high technology and we are good at this in Sweden.   This facility is currently the most advanced foundry in the world, and this means that we are now competitive in relation to all the other foundries. The foundry in Skövde will be just as white and clean in the future as it is today, concludes Christer.