Volvo pumps $150M into Mack flagship engine plant

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Mack Trucks has been building engines and transmissions at its Hagerstown, MD powertrain facility since 1961, and there’s every indication that production will continue under that 45-year-old roof for some time to come. Volvo Powertrain North America is pumping $150 million into the plant where the new line of Volvo D-series engines and Mack MP-series engines will be built for North American customers.

In deciding where to set up manufacturing operations, Volvo Powertrain’s North American vice president, Sten-Ake Aronsson concluded that bricks and mortar and the right amount of money would build a plant anywhere, but the experienced people at Hagerstown were irreplaceable at any cost.

“The best alternative was to stay in Hagerstown,” he said. “Our most valuable assets are knowledgeable people and experienced labor. That’s not something you can buy for money.”

The upgrade is a work in progress, with part of the engine production area already retooled to Swedish standards. Actually, not entirely Swedish but the best concepts from all of Volvo’s worldwide operations. Workers in the new section enjoy significantly better lighting, a quieter work environment, sprung hardwood flooring, and more mechanization of critical assembly functions and heavy repetitive work.

A new emissions lab is slated to be fully operational by August 2007, with sufficient engineering capacity and space for 35 new engine test cells, and eight engineering test cells. The new facility can accommodate any engine platform, any anticipated future emissions reductions, and even multiple fuels and hybrid engines. Much of the design and development work for U.S. 2010, and Euro 6 will be done at Hagerstown, said Aronsson. “To measure engine emissions that close to zero, you need some very sophisticated equipment. We’ll have that here at Hagerstown.”

Current engine production at Hagerstown include 160 Mack ASET engines, and 100 Volvo D12 engines.