VOLVO Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has inaugurated a news 20,660 sq m excavator factory in Kaluga, Russia. The SEK 350 million ($52 million) facility is Volvo CE's first factory in Russia, its seventh to produce excavators and is one of 16 production plants worldwide. According to Volvo, Russia is the second largest equipment market in Europe (after Germany). The plant will manufacture excavators spanning the 20 to 50 tonne weight classes, with the first models to be produced being the EC250, EC300, EC380 and EC480 D-Series machines. In a further effort to expand Volvo CE's distribution footprint in the Russian market, the company's authorised Russian dealer, Ferronordic Machines, has announced plans to expand its branch network by opening a major new facility in the Moscow region.