Scania tractors with unique cab and fully automatic 3000 Series™ transmissions undertake warehouse shuttling duties
ÄLMHULT, Sweden – Furniture and home furnishing retailer, IKEA, has introduced specially-designed Scania tractors at its two distribution centres in Sweden. For efficiency and comfort, they are equipped with fully automatic Allison 3000 Series™ transmissions.
The oldest distribution centre, in Älmhult, consists of two warehouses a few hundred metres apart. Between them, goods are transported by five vehicles in two shifts between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. every day. Every vehicle makes about 50 transports per shift, or 500 per day.
The truck fleet in Älmhult consists of one road tractor, two flexi-trucks and two vehicles operating in the warehouse area. The road tractor and the flexi-trucks are Scanias equipped with fully automatic Allison 3000 SeriesTM transmissions. The new special trucks feature a moved forward, low-entry cab. The bodies on the flexi-trucks can be swapped.
“Over the next few years, we are updating our truck fleet and replacing the existing warehouse tractors with considerably more effective and comfortable road tractors and flexi-trucks equipped with Allison transmissions,” said Heléna Persson, an internal hauler team leader at the IKEA distribution center in Älmhult.
“We have been very satisfied with fully automatic transmission-equipped vehicles throughout the years. The oldest Euro 3 truck has been in service in our fleet for 14 years,” said Persson. “With that one, and all other Allison-fitted vehicles, we never experience transmission-related failures. Other than regular oil and filter changes, there is nothing else they require. Fully automatic transmissions are a perfect solution for our kind of transports.”
Globally, IKEA’s logistics operation is handled by its 33 distribution centers. The two facilities in Sweden deliver products to 37 stores in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.
Andreas Gustavsson, a driver and fork truck operator, says the increased comfort with road trucks and flexi-trucks comes from softer and more efficient acceleration thanks to the transmission and more comfortable compartments. With low turnover at the facility, the crew of 19 drivers appears to agree.
IKEA was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad in the Swedish town Älmhult. Today, the company is headquartered in Leiden, the Netherlands, and is still operated by the Kamprad family. The IKEA brand can be found in the top 100 list of the world’s most valuable brands.
About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission (NYSE: ALSN) is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including refuse, construction, fire, distribution, bus, motorhomes, defense and energy. Founded in 1915, the company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA and employs approximately 2,700 people worldwide. With a market presence in more than 80 countries, Allison has regional headquarters in the Netherlands, China and Brazil with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Hungary and India. Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. For more information, visit allisontransmission.com.