Page 32: of Marine News Magazine (July 2016)

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PROPULSION: TEST DRIVE

The Rescue PAF/PTA81

Credit: Volvo Penta ver since the global ? nancial meltdown of 2008 brief- ent way,” said Carlsson. “This helped bring us back to ly crippled the world leisure boat market, Volvo Penta pro? tability, and last year we saw the full effects of this adopted a strategy to increase its commercial market strategy – focusing on marine commercial, focusing on

E share with its family of innovative propulsion systems the industrial business.” and controls. Last month off the west coast of Sweden, Cracking into the rigorous commercial market is easier

MarineNews got up close and personal with the new D8 said than done, but backed by the Volvo name and with diesel and IPS15 pod, as well as the full range of command perseverance and a steady expansion of product and ser- and control products courtesy of a day of test drives at vice, Volvo Penta now offers a compelling argument as a

Krossholmen, Volvo Penta’s Global Marine Testing Center. one-stop-shop for a variety of vessels workboat sectors,

In the middle of a ? nancial storm such as the one that “able to supply everything from the prop to the helm” swept the globe in 2008/2009 it is not easy to see a ‘silver said Carlsson.

lining.’ However Stefan Carlsson, Volvo Penta’s Marine

Diesel segment head said that the collapse in the marine The D8 Diesel Engine leisure business in 2009 set the company in a new strategic Well-engineered products with a solid support infra- direction, determined to maximize ef? ciencies while diver- structure are mandatory in the workboat sector, and last sifying its business into the commercial sector. month Volvo Penta effectively broadened its product range “In 2009 we saw a dramatic drop in the marine leisure to compete more ef? ciently. The company introduced the business, and as a result we took a loss. But it allowed D8 engine – which will replace the D9 – built to U.S. Tier us to restructure and reshape the company in a differ- III and IMO II speci? cation and available in 450, 510 and

July 2016

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