With a global manufacturing footprint and presence in markets worldwide, the Volvo Group drives prosperity through transport and infrastructure solutions – offering trucks, buses, construction equipment, and power solutions for marine and industrial applications, along with financing and services.

At the heart of its global production network, logistics plays a crucial role in keeping manufacturing efficient, sustainable, and on schedule to ensure that every product reaches customers around the world on time. Now imagine one of Volvo’s eleven (11) Swedish factories facing a potential production stop – a missing component halting the line. The loss in time and money would be immense.

That’s why every second counts for Frida Thomsen, Head of Express Transport to Sweden, and her team. They step in when normal logistics networks aren’t enough — making sure critical components reach the right factory, at the right time, to keep production running.

– “Our job is to solve the unsolvable. Fast, efficiently, and without deviations,” Frida says.

Automating express logistics with Logivity Loadboard

To continuously improve their ways of working and strengthen efficiency and control, Frida and her team turned to Logivity and its digital logistics platform. What began with road transport has now expanded to air freight to support the most time-critical deliveries to Volvo production facilities. While Logivity also supports sea shipments, this is rarely an option for express deliveries.

– “Primarily, we use the service Loadboard – it’s both simple and smart, and we’ve significantly reduced our cost per transport,” Frida explains.

Here’s how it works:

1. When a Swedish production site needs an urgent delivery, the team activates Loadboard.
2. A transport request is sent to a predefined set of carriers, who receive all shipment details and have an hour to respond.
3. Once bids are in, the system automatically books the best offer based on the criteria set by Volvo.
4. During transport, Frida’s team monitors progress in real time and receives alerts for any deviations.

The result is a faster, more transparent process that lowers costs, strengthens quality, and helps Volvo deliver its products on time and within budget.

From intuition to data-driven decisions

Today, the Express Transport teams in Sweden and Belgium use Logivity’s platform together, serving factories across Sweden, Belgium, and France. Frida says:

“Most importantly, we now have far better data to analyze and act on. We’ve gone from acting on gut feeling to acting on facts”

Key benefits include:

• Lower freight costs – reduced price per transport and dramatically lower overall costs.
• Time savings – far less administration thanks to automated workflows.
• Full overview – clear visibility into ongoing orders, enabling focus on what really matters.
• Transparency – fact-based insights into delivery precision, costs, and sustainability.
• Simplicity – standardized responses from partners make comparisons easy.
• Stronger partnerships – data-driven insights create better dialogue with carriers, improving both collaboration and quality of service.

Partnerships built on trust

The transformation from manual processes into automated workflows has required courage and collaboration — both in relationships with carrier partners and within the internal team. Some partners were initially skeptical but soon saw the benefits of a transparent, data-driven approach.

Frida explains why the upside is clear from their perspective:

• “Joint performance reviews highlight the partner’s strengths, helping them improve — not just with Volvo, but in the wider market — which strengthens competitiveness.
• A user-friendly, time-saving tool gives them instant visibility of ongoing orders.
• Carriers that excel on one route are given chances on new ones, meaning growth opportunities.
• With Logivity at their side, partners have fast, reliable system support — an invaluable resource”.

Also, among employees there were some initial concerns – which soon shifted into a sense of positive anticipation. With automation and transparency, the team eliminated inefficiencies and built trust, both internally and externally.

– “The transparency and clarity we now have allow us to hold fact-based, constructive meetings that drive greater value for everyone involved,” says Frida, and she continues:

“Trust has been key. Our work requires precision — we can’t take chances. Logivity has been with us every step of the way, providing fast, reliable support whenever we need it.”

Looking ahead

The transport and logistics industry is evolving rapidly.

– “It’s hard to predict, but I believe we’ll see even higher demands for transparency in the transport chain,” Frida predicts. “New regulations, professionalization, and data-driven insights will shape the next era.”

Artificial intelligence and new technology will play a central role.

– “With new technologies, we’ll be able to predict and prevent issues in completely new ways. And for us, sustainability also includes social aspects — like driver working conditions. That’s an area we’re eager to keep developing.”

Frida concludes:

“Logistics will continue to grow as a strategic capability, and I’m excited to be part of that journey.”

Credits:

Input, references and images kindly provided and approved for Logivity use by Volvo Group