Volvo FM 4th genPicture 952 of 1948 |
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Volvo FM 4th gen | Picture made by Alex Miedema
Driver Kees Zuidema of SimmereN Schroot in Groningen got a new Volvo FM420 with VDL skip arm body after 18 years. He drove over a million kilometers with his old FM especially in and around the city of Groningen and for him there was only one possible successor, a new Volvo FM. Again a Globetrotter version, but this time with 420 hp, an I-Shift transmission and air suspension! SimmereN in Groningen is best known for metal recycling, but the company also does dismantling, demolition work and the supply of new plasma & oxycut steel. Managing director Stefan van der Leij: ,Besides collecting scrap metal and metals, we also supply new, cut-to-size sheet metal. This completes the circle, because at many customers we deliver to, we also collect the residual material again for recycling. For this work we deploy three of our own vehicles that serve customers throughout the Northern Netherlands. The Volvo FM that Kees Zuidema was driving was taken over a few years ago from a company that does a lot of driving for us, including the driver. Kees has been with us ever since, but he still drove in the old colors. With the new Volvo FM420 he now drives in our own house style''. In-house craftsmanship The VDL portal arm superstructure was provided by Been Hydrauliek from Groningen but with a personal touch from SimmereN. Indeed, the logo in the headboard was cut out in-house with a computer-controlled plasma cutter. In doing so, SimmereN itself signed for a fine piece of craftsmanship on its own new Volvo truck. Like its predecessor, the new Volvo FM420 is equipped with a spacious sleeper cab. Driver Kees Zuidema was allowed to indicate his preference and after all those years he chose the Volvo FM. I've worked with it all this time and I especially like the low entry and the overview. And of course the spacious sleeper cab, because although I never sleep in it, it is pure comfort," says Zuidema. Stefan van der Leij chose the Globetrotter cabin mainly for its appearance. ,,I just think this looks nicer. We attach a lot of value to our own house style and with the light bar on the roof it has become a very tough vehicle. So you arrive at the customer's door with something beautiful and I think that's important''. Environmental requirements For Van der Leij, the new Volvo is the first major investment since he took over the company a year ago. An investment that did not happen overnight. ,,After an inventory, we first sat down with the driver and then with Volvo dealer Nijwa here in Groningen. We have had an excellent relationship with Nijwa for years, also for repairs and maintenance. Together we came to this concept with the VDL remote-controlled body and with the Volvo FM420 Globetrotter as a basis. With this new acquisition we meet the strictest environmental requirements, which means that environmental zones are no longer an obstacle.
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