At the end of the 1950s, Dr. Assar Gabrielsson, one of Volvo´s founders, became interested in the opportunities electronic computer systems could offer Volvo. In 1961, the P1800 sports car hit the market. That same year, Volvo’s very first computers, an IBM 7070 and an IBM 1401 were installed. Volvo became the first engineering company in Sweden with plans to use computers for all administrative data management.

In 1962 Volvo´s first computer system was launched. The system made spare parts management more effective. Another milestone was passed when a system to manage part and product structures was introduced in 1969. The system was an early predecessor to Volvo´s modern solutions for PLM, product lifecycle management.

In the 70s and 80s, Volvo acquired its first personal computers, and also launched its own e-mail system. It was called MEMO, and became widely used by other companies as well.

In the 1980s the introduction of Computer-Aided Design systems made the product design process at Volvo faster and more accurate.

During the 1990s personal computers replaced all the old computer terminals at the office. Volvo started using Internet technology. For several years now, hand held computers have been used to increase productivity.