Volvo Group today launched CampX in India, its first site outside Sweden. CampX by Volvo Group India (VGI) is its global innovation arena for technology and business transformation.
The facility in Bengaluru was inaugurated by the Swedish Ambassador Klas Molin in the presence of Volvo Group’s senior leadership in India.
With a long history of innovations for customers and society Volvo evolved CampX; it works on three pillars – Discover, Develop and Launch, hoping that there is potential in bringing more sustainable and efficient transport solutions to market.
The centre’s objective is to invite partners including customers, startups, suppliers, academia and authorities to collaborate with the group’s experts to develop future transport solutions. The startup can approach the centre and work their idea for successful commercialisation. They can also get funding support if needed.
Volvo chose India as its second location for CampX because of the way the VGI operates, building competence and adding value to the global products. Besides, the global company is also aiming at leveraging the growing startup ecosystem in India.
Couple of years ago, when the team from Gotenberg, the headquarters of Volvo Group, visited India, they were impressed by the startups that they met. It changed their view on India as they realised that there was a vast startup ecosystem. So the team pursued it further to leverage it and go deeper in the areas CampX Gotenberg is working on, such as automation, electromobility and connectivity. These were the compelling reasons for the Volvo Group to start CampX in India, Kamal Bali, President & MD, Volvo Group, India, told Mobility Outlook.
CampX in India will, in addition, focus on the new-age business models and technologies that are transforming the future of the transportation industry.
“The credibility of the team in India and what it delivered on the ground has also given the confidence for the global company. I have seen that the multi-national companies always believed in India. The country has huge potential, but in terms of performance, it fell short. The reverse has happened here as Team India delivered more than what was expected. This is the trigger point for the Group to zero in on India for the second CampX facility,” Bali said.
According to him, the global concept for innovation and collaboration will further strengthen the Group’s position in the emerging future.
Bali said the concept aims to speed up the pace of innovation. Partners to the new centre in Bengaluru would come from within and around India.
CR Vishwanath, Vice-President, Volvo Group Trucks Technology, said the centre looks forward to co-creating and testing new ideas using the labs, workshops, start-ups, and other external stakeholders, in close collaboration with subject matter experts from Volvo. The CampX site in Sweden has already gathered nearly 1,000 of its technical and business experts. “We plan to replicate the same environment in Bengaluru,” he added.
Volvo has made its 2040 Sustainability commitments clear to move towards 100% fossil-free, safe and more productive offerings. The future needs to deploy new technologies, new business models, and a work culture marked by intense collaboration. CampX will be a crucial driver in this future, Bali added.
Klas Molin said that with innovation and collaboration at its core, CampX is a great example of how Sweden and India bring together key players, including start-ups and industry leaders, to transform the transportation sector and create a fossil-free future.