The Volvo Trucks production organization aims to reduce energy consumption by 29 percent in the next two years.
In 2003, the company decided to cut specific energy consumption within its Global Manufacturing division by an average of 29 percent per plant by 2006, using 2001 as a baseline.
The company aims to achieve “world class” standing in the area of energy consumption within three years under Belgian energy authority guidelines, which are based the Kyoto protocols.
In 2002, the gap between Volvo and world class energy consumptionwas 11.8 percent. Volvo stands to reduce that number to 3.4 percent in 2005 and eliminate it completely in 2006.
The New River Valley plant in Virginia stands as an example of how Volvo is reducing energy consumption.
The plant is working under a seven-year energy conservation program where it will replace all light sources with low-energy types and the lighting in the plant’s warehouse areas will be equipped with detectors to monitor movement. If no movement is detected for a period of time, the lighting power is reduces by 35 percent.
