Episode 110: Talking Safety, Sustainability & Giving Back with Volvo

Meet Martin Mattsson, director of Key Accounts at Volvo Construction Equipment — and a 2017 Waste360 40 Under 40 Winner. We spoke with Mattsson about innovations in heavy machinery for the waste industry, the impact of the pandemic on business, his work with EREF, what the future may hold and more.

Here is a sneak peek into the Waste360 NothingWasted! discussion:

Waste360: How do you ensure Volvo’s offerings are designed to keep up with the needs of your customers and the industry itself?
Mattsson: We work very closely with the fleet, maintenance, and operations teams at the various waste and recycling companies, and we’re very good at listening to the needs of the market. For us, waste and recycling is a very tough and demanding application for heavy equipment, and we take that very seriously. We are also trying to make it as easy as possible for these customers, and we try to look at our products full-circle, which has been well received by the industry.

Waste360: What has been happening since we last chatted with you, and what’s on the horizon?

Mattsson: We’re really transparent within the Volvo Group on where we see things are heading. But yes, since our last call, we’re pleased to have launched a landfill compactor. We’re still learning a lot, but that’s a perfect of example of something that came out of customer demand. Looking ahead, we have some electric machines being launched this year and next and we’re also working on research projects on autonomous solutions. A lot of those discussions have started with the waste and recycling companies.

Waste360: You are leading the EREF Auction committee; could you tell me more about that and how it’s going?

Mattsson: I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the committee quite a few years, and I’m now going on the third year as chairman. For me, it’s a great way to give back to the industry and to be involved. The mission and values of EREF perfectly align with the mission and core values of the Volvo Group. Our values are quality, safety, and care for the environment. So when I look at what we’ve done at Volvo, it’s a no-brainer for us to be involved with EREF and it’s important to do so.

Waste360: How has the pandemic affected your work?

Like many in the industry, I was used to traveling each week, which obviously didn’t happen during the pandemic. Actually, it turned out to be okay. At Volvo we have very strong relationships and partnerships with the larger waste and recycling companies, as well as the regional companies, and they were under the same restrictions I was — so in some ways, we could get a hold of each other easier and work through it. We also wanted to make sure we continued to service our customers, especially seeing as waste is an essential business.

We look forward to meeting our customers and friends at WasteExpo in Las Vegas.

Read the transcript here.

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