After 50 years of production, the Elnesvågen plant outside Molde in Norway, where the Doosan range of articulated dump trucks (ADTs) is produced, is this month celebrating the 10 000th machine to be built at the plant. According to plant manager, Jan Roger Lindset, the Doosan ADT with production number 851951 is to be delivered to Rental Group in Norway.
Production began at the plant in 1972 when the business was called Glamox. Since then, the brand has had a number of names such as Moxy, Moxy Industrial, Brown Engineering, Moxy Trucks, Moxy Engineering and in 2008, the name changed to Doosan when the South Korean manufacturer bought the factory and the product. In 2021, Hyundai Heavy Industries bought the Doosan construction equipment range including the ADT line, and the name of the business was changed to Hyundai Doosan Infracore (HDI).
There are currently 150 employees at the Elnesvågen plant, but with both Doosan and Hyundai ADTs now being produced at the factory, the workforce is expected to expand to meet an expected 40% growth in production.
The Doosan ADT range comprises two 6×6 models, the DA30-7 and DA45-7. The DA30-7 has a payload of 28-tonne (t), with the DA45-7 coming in at 41 t. The range was extended at Bauma 2022 with the launch of a new 4×4 version, the DA45-7 ADT, intended to compete with rigid dump trucks (RDTs) in the 40-t class.
Like all Doosan ADTs, the DA30-7 and DA45-7 models feature an articulation hinge positioned behind the turning ring to provide equal weight distribution to the front axle even during maximum steer articulation. This combined with a free-swinging rear tandem bogie ensures equal distribution of weight to each wheel and guarantees permanent 6-wheel contact and drive for equal power distribution and excellent performance particularly on difficult terrains such as soft ground, uneven surfaces, very steep slopes, tight turns or a combination of all of these difficult conditions.
