Volvo Trucks key bodybuilder programme cuts lead-times
In a move that will significantly reduce lead-times for a range of waste and construction vehicles, Volvo Trucks is working in partnership with four key bodybuilders to provide selected vehicles complete with bodywork.
After a successful initial scheme with Thompsons, Volvo have extended their programme so customers can now opt for an FMX 8x4 fitted with a Thompson Loadmaster steel tipper, an FMX with a Boweld Taperlite steel body, an FL 18-tonner with Hyva’s industry leading skip-loader or an FM equipped with a Boughton Engineering Hooklift.
In a little over a year, three new Volvo FMX eight-wheelers have joined the tipper fleet of Glasgow-based J&M Murdoch, and in each case the company has been able to take full advantage of Volvo’s ‘ex stock’ availability of fully-bodied vehicles.
“In our business, we need to be able to react quickly to new opportunities,” says director Andrew Murdoch. “This in turn means that when we want new trucks, we want them as quickly as possible. With the Volvo key bodybuilder programme, we can get a new tipper on the road in about ten days, rather than the standard order to delivery time of around three months. This makes a huge difference to our capability.”
J&M Murdoch’s FMXs are fitted with Thompson’s all-steel Loadmaster Lite tipper bodies, providing an optimal blend between strength, reliability and payload capacity. Indeed, Murdoch sees the Thompsons body as the perfect complement to the rugged FMX.
“There’s no point in having fully built up trucks if there’s a mis-match between the chassis and the body” says Tony Cairns, J&M Murdoch’s Operations Manager (Transport). “By offering Thompsons bodies, we know that the trucks we get will operate to their fullest potential. The whole truck has to work as one unit, with no compromises. The Loadmaster is absolutely ideal for the FMX chassis, being tough, durable and extremely reliable. As a complete vehicle, we’ve proven that the Volvo / Thompsons package gives us an unrivalled level of performance.”
