Volvo CE To Simplify Machine Branding

Volvo Construction Equipment is changing its branding strategy, switching to shorter and less complicated product names. Rolling out from this month, new and updated Volvo-branded products will now be tagged with just the product type and size on its side.

All other product details, such as model series and model variant, will continue to be found on the specifications, brochure or PIN plate, ensuring customers will see no change in how they buy service or order parts for their products.

Volvo aid the motivation behind the change is to bring the product’s branding in line with the company’s minimalist Scandinavian heritage and long-standing desire for a clean, clear and boundless human-centric design.

Clarity in function and design
“We always strive for an honest and simple design that still emulates the smart power of our products,” said Gustavo Guerra, Design director for Volvo CE. “But we found that our brand designation did not suit the purposeful and progressive quality of our products. This new move is designed to bring more confidence and clarity not just to the operator but to everyone out on the jobsite – which is what we mean by boundless design.”

Volvo CE said modern construction sites are now less focused on just the product and more focused on the construction site as a whole. With this updated product designation, Volvo CE aims to create a clearer line of communication for all parties, from the operator out on the job site right through to the back-office function. A rise in new technologies also brings with it a necessary increase in inter-generational product updates, so eliminating the need to change the product name for every update, no matter how big or small, ensures the branding stays clean, simple and purposeful.

“We are at a crossroads where new and traditional ways of working are coming together,” said Guerra. “As developments in electric, autonomous and connected technologies grow side-by-side with our continued need for diesel equipment, we will soon see the level of product updates also growing exponentially. It’s a time of change for the industry and our branding structure should reflect that too.”

Electric machines with new designation
The first models launched with the new designation policy are the first two Electric models of ECR25 and L25 and the ECR58 generation F – which recently won the Red Dot Award, a globally recognized mark of product design quality.

The change is being introduced on all new and updated models during a staged roll-out from this year forward, set to take until around 2025.

“This is not just a renaming initiative,” Guerra said. “This is our design philosophy, a principle that guides us through the creation of the next generation of construction products. A key part of our role is to help our customers navigate the shifting digital landscape and offer clear and open communication to better manage these times of change.”