Volvo Penta wins a 2020 WBW Award
Volvo Penta’s diesel engines were selected by most of the award-winning vessels at the Work Boat World Awards 2020. This trend of success has been recognized with a formal award by Baird Maritime.
Volvo Penta’s ethos of performing and transforming means that it is a trusted partner for an array of vessels – balancing the development of today’s technology with future solutions for the marine commercial professional. Volvo Penta’s diesel engines were the first choice for numerous award-winning vessels. This achievement was recognized at the Work Boat World Awards where Volvo Penta won Best Small Diesel Engine Supplier 2020. But what makes Volvo Penta products so sought after?
Efficient, nibble, and reliable
“For one thing, fuel efficiency and CO2 reduction is a key focus across the Volvo Penta, recently expanded, commercial marine product range,” explains Peter Granqvist, CTO Volvo Penta, “and this is an aspect we believe is important to our customers. Another added benefit we believe is highly appreciated is our unique marine torque, which allows for great acceleration and maneuverability. This coupled with the high power to weight ratio makes for an impressive output.”
Volvo Penta’s propulsion systems also offer a fully integrated arrangement. Thanks to the Electronic Vessel Control (EVC) system and controls, Volvo Penta offers a complete package with a plug and play approach with no need for integration with other 3rd-party systems. This single point of contact approach keeps installation, operation, and maintenance simple for the customer.
“What’s more,” says Peter, “Volvo Penta has a truly global service network with our 3,500 dedicated dealers worldwide. This makes securing parts and services easy and efficient because we understand that downtime really isn’t an option for our marine commercial customers.”
Global growth for the marine professional
“Our marine commercial customers are really important to us,” states Martin Skoglund, head of Volvo Penta Oceania. “We have worked hard to grow this side of the business in the Oceania region and so it is with great honor that we accept such a prestigious Australian award. Not only does this award recognize our success in this region it also highlights our global commitment to the marine commercial sector as a whole.”
And demand looks set to continue. In recent years there has been a global increase in cargo being shipped by waterways. To meet this increase in demand there has been an increase in commercial shipping vessels. Volvo Penta’s president of Europe & Global Head Marine, Johan Inden believes this means increased growth and the need for more workboats globally – for marine and inland.
“We believe customers in this segment will continue to seek high torque and efficient engines,” says Johan. “They need products that meet existing legislation like IMO Tier III, EPA, China 1, and EU Stage V – like our D13 engine with after-treatment that meets IMO Tier III and EU Stage V marine emissions.”
Volvo Penta is in a unique position to address these demands. With in-house naval architects – who have the competence and expertise to help designers and operators – Volvo Penta’s power solutions are designed to meet the latest legislation whilst the company’s innovative ethos drives future technology.
Short term, Volvo Penta is investing in reducing CO2 and other emissions in its current range of propulsion technologies – where alternative fuels and renewables have big potential. Mid-term, diesel-electric applications are certainly becoming more feasible – with some applications already in the market today. Finally, long term, Volvo Penta predicts electrification powered by either significantly improved batteries or other environmentally friendly energy carriers will increase significantly.
“We believe that we need to not only work with the solutions for the long term but focus on the here and now as well. This is at the heart of our perform and transform philosophy” explains Johan. “We believe this is why so many customers are choosing our products. Because they know that we are invested in supporting the future success of the marine commercial sector.”
ABOUT VOLVO PENTA
Volvo Penta, with approximately 3,500 dealers in over 130 countries, is a world-leading and global manufacturer of engines and complete power systems for boats, vessels and industrial applications. The engine program comprises diesel and gasoline engines with power outputs of between 10 and 1000 hp. Volvo Penta is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heavy trucks, buses and construction equipment.
