How Volvo is Doing Automation Right
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INDUSTRY: Agriculture Truck & Trailer Job Shop Construction & Heavy Equipment
HOW A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP IS SPARKING ALL-NEW AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS
Volvo Construction Equipment in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and CLOOS go way back. As a heavy equipment manufacturer, Volvo CE produces large components requiring heavy deposition and flexible articulation to get optimal welds. Volvo’s first CLOOS system, a robotic system that could automatically adjust to weld compactor drums of different lengths and diameters, was purchased in 1998. To put that in perspective, Google was founded in the same year. The success of that first system kicked off a strong bond between the two manufacturers. Today, Volvo has 12 CLOOS systems in operation at their plant.
“We’ve been working together for decades,” says Nate Alleman, Volvo’s head of wheel loader end-to-end flow. “Because of our relationship with that team, we’ve switched over all of our robots now completely to CLOOS.”
WATCH INNOVATION IN ACTION
For over 20 years, Volvo Construction Equipment and CLOOS have teamed up to push the boundaries of welding automation. Their latest breakthrough shows how the right collaboration can boost productivity, free up skilled talent, and deliver lasting impact.
Watch the video to see it in action—then keep reading to learn how this partnership continues to spark innovation.
THE PUNCHLIST
The Customer: Volvo Construction Equipment, Shippensburg, PA
The Need: Freeing skilled welders from routine tasks to focus on higher-value work
The Fix: Volvo’s custom solution seamlessly integrates four fully automated systems working in concert:
– A “tuning fork” assembly combining support with two axes of articulation for optimal weld access
-A swiveling mechanism that moves components from loading to an enclosed welding cell and back for nonstop material handling
-A robotic welding cell
– An autonomous mobile robot (AMR) that transports and loads material
The Bottom Line: 33% boost in productivity – 0% sacrifice in quality
THE CHALLENGE
Volvo developed a deep familiarity with automation over that time, and that’s changing how they think about addressing production challenges.
Time after time, Volvo has reached out to CLOOS to work together on new solutions to their thorniest problems. Most recently, Volvo noticed that their skilled workers were spending more time on non-value-added tasks – moving material, hooking it up to a crane, and setting it in a fixture – instead of doing what they do best: complex welds. It was draining time and energy that could have been better spent on more important work.
“There’s times where we’re discussing some problem and we’ll joke, ‘Well, if we could only solve this,’” Alleman says. “And then we stop and think, ‘What if we could actually solve that?’”
-Volvo, Pennsylvania
We’re probably at least a third faster in this operation than we were before,” Alleman says. “We’re getting better welds, better reach and locations, so that we have less manual welds afterwards. We’re taking that non-value-added work out of having to load and unload those machines, and keeping those welders on the welding task. This gets us one step further in being the best plant we can be.
-Volvo, Pennsylvania
THE SOLUTION
Working with Volvo and another supplier specializing in autonomous vehicles, CLOOS created a state-of-the-art robotic welding solution where different systems work in concert. It looks something like this:
– An autonomous mobile robot (AMR) independently collects material from a welder’s cell, transports it across the production floor, and loads it into another automated cell.
– That cell has one robot—almost resembling a rotisserie or tuning fork—that both supports and articulates the material. That enhanced articulation provides two axes of positioning, enabling access to all six sides of the weld.
– The “tuning fork” system sits on a swiveling mechanism. Once the part is loaded into the fixture, the whole assembly rotates to an enclosed cell where another welding robot finishes the job.
– That rotation reveals a second “tuning fork” on the same assembly, this one holding another component that’s just been completed. While the new material is being welded on the other side, the AMR that’s been standing by takes the finished component, moves it down the line, and returns to its original position to start the whole process over again.
Increased Productivity:
The automated solution has dramatically reduced cycle times, allowing Volvo to meet growing production demands without compromising quality.
Improved Efficiency:
The automated process requires less manual intervention, freeing up skilled welders for more critical tasks.
Stronger Partnership:
The collaboration between CLOOS and Volvo highlights that solving automation problems isn’t just about robots- it’s about relationships.
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