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Exhibitor Profile: Husqvarna Cutting edge advances Newly re-branded, Husqvarna Construction Products anticipates continued success with a host of new machines for the hire industry. Alan Guthrie visited the operation’s Swedish headquarters. Husqvarna has an astonishingly long history. The company’s origins date back to 1689, making it one of the oldest formally registered organisations in the world. It initially manufactured firearms for the Swedish army, an activity requiring precision and quality. Over the centuries, it has adapted its engineering operations to meet other market opportunities, successfully making items as diverse as sewing machines, wood burning stoves, household appliances, bicycles and motor bikes. Condensing more than 300 years of development is an impossible task, but a significant milestone came in 1959. Husqvarna launched its first chainsaw (currently it supplies 35% of the global market), entering the lawn, garden and forestry equipment market which has subsequently expanded prodigiously. This also represented the company’s initial interest in powered cutting. In 1978, Husqvarna was acquired by the giant white goods corporation, Electrolux, which bought two other Swedish cutting equipment manufacturers, Partner and Jonsered, the following year. Other companies were purchased, such as Dimas and Diamant Boart, creating a substantial portfolio of brands with inevitable overlap. This is now being addressed following major developments that took place last year. Essentially, the Husqvarna Group has been spun off as a separate unit focused on the outdoor product interests of Electrolux. At the same time, Husqvarna Construction Products has been created within the Husqvarna Group, uniting the different professional products brands for building equipment under one operation, (separate Husqvarna divisions have been established for lawn and garden equipment and for forestry). “The change to a single brand – Husqvarna – is the single most important element in our strategy to act as a leading company within construction,” contends Anders Ströby, President of Husqvarna Construction Products. “Now we can clearly show our strength in the market and be perceived by everyone as a global brand with strong promise.” The only exception is Diamant Boart which, as a strongly recognised specialist brand for the stone cutting industry, remains unchanged. By uniting the Partner, Dimas and Target brands (the latter having been used primarily in North America), duplication of product development can be avoided and strong families of machines established. Marc Segers, Managing Director of Husqvarna Construction Products, states that “So much of what Husqvarna does is about cutting, with products for stone, concrete and other building materials, metal, branches or grass. We are building a strong brand with maximum customer support, and hirers will find it much easier to deal with a single source of supply. The Husqvarna Construction Products portfolio is extremely comprehensive, including power disc cutters, floor saws, wall saws, road saws, wires saws, drilling stands, drill motors, masonry saws, tile saws, tile cutters, diamond blades and cores, and protective clothing.” As we reported last month, all equipment is being re-branded in the new colours of orange and grey, already the established livery for Husqvarna’s lawn, garden and forestry products. This will be completed by March. Products from Partner will be double-branded for approximately one year to ease the transition. Model numbers, however, will be retained. The first machine to be re-branded is the K750 power cutter, a product designed from first principles to address specific issues regarding Health & Safety and the environment, such as HAV and emissions. A patented air filtration system is designed to extend running times with significantly less downtime between service intervals. The exhaust muffler has been doubled in size and incorporates a larger intake system, allowing the engine to run 25% more quietly. Anders Reuterberger, who as R&D Team Manager for Power Cutters was responsible for the K750’s design, says that development work continues to fine-tune the performance of the machine still further. Sophisticated foundry Many of the components for the K750 are made at the company’s headquarters in the town of Huskvarna (spelt slightly differently from the company’s name), approximately 100 miles east of Gothenburg, where the organisation was founded more than 300 years ago. “At the heart of this facility is a highly sophisticated foundry, which is able to cast the most intricate of components in aluminium and magnesium,” states Joakim Frisk, Husqvarna Construction Products’ Market Manager for Power Cutters in Western Europe. “Our precision enables us to make the components required for technically advanced equipment. The care taken by our R&D department in design streamlines the manufacturing process, and exemplifies the high quality of western European design.” A dedicated research and development facility at the Huskvarna complex assesses the company’s products for their performance in terms of Health & Safety. Dag Gärskog, Senior Measurement Engineer, Noise & Vibration, states that “products are tested throughout their lifetime to take account of any modifications or changes in design, to see if they alter a tool’s characteristics. We monitor two aspects of vibration, namely that transmitted to the operator such as HAV, and that which will affect the machine itself. Husqvarna’s interest in vibration began as soon as we entered chainsaw production. In the 1950s, chainsaws were very heavy and could only be used for short periods, but lighter machines were produced that could be used for longer periods. HAV therefore became an issue for a wide range of tools. Various solutions have been developed, such as the two-mass principle, where a machine is essentially designed as two masses that are isolated from each other to minimise the vibration magnitude for the part of the machine held by the operator.” Substantial number of new machines Certainly,
the
Husqvarna
Construction
Products
R
&
D
department
has
been
busy,
and
a
substantial
number
of
new
machines
will
be
officially
launched
at
the
Executive
Hire
Show.
Perhaps
the
most
innovative
is
the
K650
Cut-n-Break,
offered
for
quick
and
economical
deep
cutting
into
walls.
Featuring
two
parallel
230mm-diameter
blades,
it
cuts
either
side
of
a
segment
of
material,
which
can
then
be
broken
out
by
using
the
special
tool
supplied.
Maximum
cutting
depth
is
400mm.
Several
new
floor
saws
will
be
displayed,
ranging
from
the
lightweight
FS
305
to
the
self-propelled
FS
520,
along
with
a
new
diamond
blade
designed
for
particularly
fast
cutting
and
low
vibration.
Also
on
show
will
be
the
new
DM
230
hand-held
drill
motor
ergonomically
designed
for
operator
comfort.
Another feature of the stand will be a production line, actually making K750 power cutters for delivery to hirers after the Show. “As we cannot take people to our factory, we will bring the factory to the visitors,” states Marc Segers. “They will be able to see how the modular construction concept gives low HAV levels and simplifies maintenance. We will also promote a new range of Husqvarna accessories and workwear that can be sold at the point of hire, including hard hats, hearing protection, protective glasses, respirator masks, gloves, boots and other items, all made to the highest standards, as our equipment is. We are not just selling products, but a whole concept of quality, performance and safety.” • T
0113
395
6850 Executive Hire News › Archives › Jan/Feb 2007 › Exhibitor Profile: Husqvarna › Cutting edge advances
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