A new Experience Center for Volvo’s headquarters in Gothenburg is coming off the drawing board of renowned Danish architect Henning Larsen. It will give visitors from all over the world the chance to see old favorites as well as coming vehicles, including electric autos and self-driving trucks.
How high can you lift a truck?
The design calls for the display area to be on the top floor, which poses a challenge. It is a big challenge, in every sense: how do you get vehicles as big as a 22-tonne truck 13 meters up to the display level safely? And without using ugly and space-consuming ramps? A further complication is that the solution must of course harmonize with Henning Larsson’s stunning architectural concept as well as Volvo’s enduring brand values.
“This is not a problem you can solve over a coffee break!” remarks Erik Dahllöf, Sales Manager. He is managing VPG’s contribution to the project, in which they are responsible for the lifting tables in a cooperation with Kone, the elevator specialists. “Our solution will actually turn out to be one of the biggest lifting tables ever.”
“We have been working with Volvo for many years,” says Erik. “We know that safety is always at the top of the agenda, and to achieve that you need outstanding safety awareness and skilled engineering minds. Here at VPG, challenges like these are what set our engineering pulses racing.”
Building a beast
The solution adopted is a twin three-scissor design. And as you can see, it is on a huge scale. “It has to be rugged to lift such a heavy load so high,” Erik points out. “Stability is critical to ensure 100% safety and bullet-proof operation day after day.”
For all its size and performance, the lifting table is remarkably compact, being only 3.2 m high in its lowest position. “That is the outcome of our amazing journey with Volvo and Kone. Together we have explored the lifting table envelope and tested all our engineering skills to the limit,” Erik says. “We all like to think that in a project like this we are engineering the future.”
