Background: Netgroup was entrusted to collaborate with Volvo Trucks to develop the Volvo FM Low Entry, an electric truck with high driver comfort that ensures the best possible direct visibility. To enhance the ergonomic working environment, the cabin is lowered for easier entry.

Challenge: The project goal was to lower the cabin to make it more ergonomic for users to enter and exit. The challenge was to build a completely unique front chassis that allows for lowering while meeting the 5-star visibility requirement to drive in cities after a legal requirement introduced in 2026 in London. Additionally, the project required smart cost-effective solutions as it is based on adapting an existing product. A functional collaboration with rapid loops between the various areas of expertise within Netgroup, construction, CAE, GAE, and subcontractors was necessary to meet the tight schedule. The project was a fixed-price commitment involving multiple areas of expertise running from 2021 to 2024.

Goals: To achieve approval with 5 stars regarding visibility requirements and to develop a construction that functions without making significant investments in production. This way, creating a truck that improves the lives of both drivers and the environment.

Results: Volvo FM Low Entry has started production in week 21. This means that the project will be completed according to schedule. We are pleased that, together with Volvo Trucks, we have successfully completed the project within budget constraints.

Key to Success: Netgroup once again demonstrated that by engaging the right expertise from our specialized companies together with the project owners Volvo Trucks, we have a successful recipe that is perfect for this project. Collaboration is the keyword throughout the project. Clear work methods, responsibility, and trust made discussions both open and smooth. The broad specialist expertise within Netgroup is a prerequisite for succeeding with the challenges throughout the project.

Qualified members: Cross Design, Conmore, FS Dynamics, Forma, and PE Geometry.

The university of Gothenburg and Nationalpark of Kosterhavet needed a better way of understanding the situation in the sea and how to help the environment in the best possible way. Meassurements were exteremely difficult to make under water, with moving objects, several species and massive amounts of images and data to go through manually. They contacted Combine. Combine used AI and Machine Learning to process images, create algorithms and present tangible results in form of object data. 

This expertise and the same methods are applicable to and beneficial for many other areas as well, for instance autonomous driving, medical scanning, traffic planning and so on. 

Challenge: To perform regular investigations of the seas and to compare the environment, the distribution of species and the development over time takes enormous amounts of manual work, time and money. With the old solution, it was not possible to monitor the seas in a satisfying way, and therefore not possible to really understand how to help the environment in a specific place. 

Objective: Create an intelligent end-2-end solution where data in form of underwater pictures is put in and data of the specific area comes out. The solution should be self-learning and continue to improve with every piece of data that is put in. 

Solution: Combine used a machine-learning system and built algorithms that detected certain objects in all the pictures that were fed into the system. By using the algorithms, the machine learned how to separate and count certain species and present a direct result, the algorithm then improves itself as a result of the calculations and results. 

Result: It is now possible to make more frequent investigations, compare data year-over-year, get results much quicker and free up a lot of time for the scientists to make conclusions and improvements instead of gathering data. This is a massive improvement compared to years of manual studies.

Key to success: Combine has thorough expertise in the area of image processing and building algorithms. These experts worked together with the scientists and end-users in a tight team to secure that the solutions were not only good from a technical perspective, but also exactly what the users needed to create value for them.

As a brand, Lynk & Co is working to promote sustainability at every stage. Which is why the company wished to develop solutions that help drivers to drive more sustainably. The assignment fell to Annevo, one of the niche-expertise companies within Netgroup. 

Challenge: As early as 2016, Lynk & Co were striving towards ensuring total sustainability. This included providing drivers of Lynk & Co vehicles with aids to allow them to minimize their climate imprint. 

Goal: To create a method of helping the driver to drive more sustainably. 

Solution:  A scalable gamification platform in which the driver creates an avatar. The object is to activate, motivate and challenge the driver to drive sustainably in fun and engaging ways.

Result: Lynk & Co chose to repurpose several functions from existing products. This demonstrated that Lynk & Co, like Netgroup, realize the importance of working towards sustainability, as well as the opportunities to do so using modern technology.

The key to success:  At that point in time, the automotive industry wasn’t very advanced in terms of gamification and vehicle software development, but we realized that emergent technology presented the opportunity to develop something completely new. Understanding how to reach and engage the client, applying cutting-edge software development expertise and having the courage to create all-new solutions were all key to the success of this project. 

Netgroup was entrusted with the development of a completely new instrument panel for use in two of Volvo’s largest truck models. “Netgroup won the assignment due to our fantastic capabilities, not only as cutting-edge tech specialists, but also through the smooth way we cooperate, both with the client and within Netgroup itself. We combined the required competences from several specialist group companies to ensure efficient delivery through optimal resource utilization”, says Anders Grahm, project manager at Netgroup company Forma. 

The challenge: Engineer and develop new instrument panels for Volvo Trucks models FH and FM. The assignment included Design, Geomertry Assurance, Calculation, Simulation, Measurements and Trimming. 

The goal: A facelift as well as a new HMI of the instrument panel, including new displays, buttons, decor and a visual update for a more modern look.

The solution: Smooth and efficient cooperation between specialist companies Forma, PE Geometry, FS Design and GOT Design, all qualified members of Netgroup. 

The result: Volvo Trucks are very pleased with the delivery, both in terms of product, timing and cost. 

The key to success: Netgroup demonstrated that by engaging relevant specialists from our group of niche companies at the right time during this extensive project, we were able to deliver on schedule and on budget. Cooperation between Netgroup members and working as a single team was at the core of the project, resulting in excellent efficiency in both decision-making and project progress. Clear areas of responsibilities and mutual trust ensured smooth discussions. And of course, our extensive competence within each relevant area was absolutely necessary to achieve this impressive result.

CHALLENGE

Creating the next generation navigation solution for the new Volvo XC90. How? By developing user-friendly features and an interface for a large integrated touchscreen.

INSIGHT/GOAL

• Improve user-friendliness in the navigation system – such as an easier way of finding a new route, better placement of ”waypoints” along the route, etc.
• Start with basic navigation and map design – add more features in stages
• Ensure continuity and concordance between the navigation system and other car features and applications
• For reference, we had access to user data from Volvo customers, previous navigation systems and the systems of competitors

SOLUTION

• The new navigations system is a result of close collaboration between interaction designers, feature owners and graphic designers
• The features were constructed in layers, from the most basic to the more complex
• We made use of prototypes early on – both stationary and in-car – in order to test and improve the interface and functionality
• Solutions and ideas were constantly being improved until we had a finished product

CHALLENGE

Our task was to help our client transition the development of their climate control systems from document-based development, ”black box” systems and experience-based setting of parameters, to model-based development, ”grey box” systems and setting of parameters based on measured data. The client had limited expertise and capacity in control engineering, modelling, statistical experimental design and had little knowledge of quantifiable requirements on a system and feature level.

INSIGHT/GOAL

• Make it possible for the client to make a choice between buying the navigation software or developing it in-house
• Improve perceived quality and extend system features (number of climate zones, etc.)
• Significantly reduce the time for setting of parameters when introducing it in a new car
• Integrate auto-generated code on an existing built-in system, eventually Autosar
• Skills transfer that enables the client to set parameters by themselves, and eventually also develop the control system.

SOLUTION

• We made use of the latest technology and tool chains for modelling, simulation, control, rapid prototyping and continuous integration with automatic testing
• Clear ”added value” for the customer was available in the form of transfer of the skills they needed to conduct maintenance and develop in-house
• The customer response on the finished system was ”world class”

CHALLENGE

Netgroup was trusted with staffing the cockpit development project for the new V40 and XC40.

SOLUTION

The project operated out of Netgroup’s premises under the project management of Volvo Cars.

– We were all questioning the constellation of this project somewhat, but the answer we got was the most appreciated and perfect project in some time, concludes Björn Andreasson and Jan Edlind, Volvo Cars.

CHALLENGE

Developing Volvo’s first purely electric car C30 Electric. For that purpose, we formed a consortium with Volvo Specialvagnar in 2009, and applied for funding from Vinnova. Our application was granted and our responsibility was to manage the lion’s share of all the electricity software development, including telematics. A challenge both in terms of technology and in terms of managing a very offensive schedule.

SOLUTION

• The work started W4 2009 and on Friday W23, the first test drive was conducted.
• The project started with a C30 in which the powertrain was replaced with a fully electric powertrain with a range of 150 km
• Large parts of the electrical system in the passenger compartment could be retained, but all the electronics and software pertaining to propulsion and climate control had to be developed from scratch
• Considerable efforts were spent on achieving an extremely high safety level and several advanced crash tests were conducted
• We also developed a revolutionary telematics system for remote diagnoses as the project grew and it was decided that the car would be supplied in several different markets
• Two versions of the C30 Electric were built and a total of around 400 cars were manufactured
• Netgroup’s contribution to the project amounted to over 100,000 hours