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SOUTH KOREA REPORT: Doosan Infracore Hikes Sales Promotion with SNS in China
Doosan Infracore announced on March 24 that “the share of product marketing and customer support using live content broadcasting on SNS is growing in China.” The company has conducted more than 20 live machine maintenance training sessions through SNS, and the total number of users has reached about 7,300, with 140,000 followers on WeChat.
More than 1,200 machines were sold through such online marketing, and the sales of parts sold on WeChat reached 10 billion won.
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JAPAN REPORT: The Impact of COVID-19 on Manufacturers
Japanese OEMs are struggling to adapt to the COVID-19 problem. Plants are being temporarily shut down and production adjustments are being made.

Akihiro Komuro While domestic plants are generally operating quietly, overseas bases are being affected in various ways, depending on the country. Here is a summary of announcements by the major companies.
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TAIWAN REPORT: No New Coronavirus Cases
April 17, 2020–Taiwan reported no new coronavirus cases on April 14, 2020, marking the first-time authorities there have reported zero new cases in more than a month. It’s also the latest achievement for a health system that first acted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in December.

Erik Martin With a population of around 23 million, Taiwan has only 393 confirmed COVID-19 cases; six people have died from the disease. The last time Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center announced no new cases was on March 9 – 36 days ago.
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Coronavirus Has Major Impact on Global Production of Off-Highway Equipment and Medium & Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Download Your PDF Copy of the Presentation
ST. PAUL, MN–A team of international analysts from Power Systems Research (PSR) analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on the global production of Off-Highway Equipment and MH-Duty Vehicles in several regions today.
The team examined the impact of the coronavirus in North America, Europe, Asia, India, and South America for the remainder of 2020 and into Q1 2021. Download your copy of the presentation here.
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Dealing With Coronavirus
At Power Systems Research our business is based on being informed: Globally, and in several important industry segments.
Even as the coronavirus affects markets and industries and companies worldwide, we’re continuing to work effectively for our clients. We’re adjusting our operations hourly to meet the changing needs caused by coronavirus. Our IT staff has adapted PSR systems so our analysts around the world can work at home and communicate easily and effectively with each other and with the home office.
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Komatsu Launches SMARTCONSTRUCTION Retrofit Kit
This article appeared in the March 2020 issue of PowerTALK™ News
March 23, 2020–Komatsu has launched the SMARTCONSTRUCTION Retrofit kit, the add-on kit to offer ICT capabilities, such as 3D machine guidance and payload measurement, to conventional construction equipment in Japan in late April through LANDLOG Ltd.

Akihito Komuro Conventional construction equipment with no ICT capabilities account for over 98% of all construction equipment working on construction sites in Japan. When the SMARTCONSTRUCTION Retrofit kit is added to conventional equipment, it will enable the equipment to use ICT functions, such as 3D machine guidance and payload measurement, about on par with ICT-intensive equipment.
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SOUTH KOREA REPORT, March 2020
Three South Korean EV Battery Manufacturers Grab Share
This article appeared in the March 2020 issue of PowerTALK™ News
Based on the capacity of EV-equipped batteries sold in January 2020, the three largest Korean battery companies (LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation) have a combined share of 30.8%, exceeding 30% for the first time. In the ranking of total power consumption of EV batteries, China’s CATL is in the top place for the third consecutive year, LG Chem is in third place, Samsung SDI is in fifth place, and SK Innovation is in tenth place. For the first time, SK Innovation has joined the Top 10.
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EV Postal Delivery Motorcycle Is Honda’s New Opportunity
This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.
JAPAN–Honda plans to introduce 200 electric motorcycles for postal delivery services by March 2020, and around 2,000 units are expected be introduced in FY2020. Approximately 85,000 postal delivery motorcycles are running in Japan today, and all are made by Honda. There are also three-wheel models, but most are Super Cubs, which has a reputation for reliability. At first, these EV bikes will be deployed in Tokyo, where the driving range is small, and in other local ordinance-designated cities.

Akihito Komuro The base unit is the electric motorcycle for business use, the Benly e-series. Honda will start selling it to corporations in April 2020. This is a 96V system in which two lithium-ion batteries with a voltage of 48V are connected in series. Charging is performed by removing the battery from the vehicle and using a special charger; it takes about four hours to reach full charge from zero.
Honda says the bike has a maximum output of 3.8PS and achieves a 12-degree slope uphill performance with maximum load capacity. The cruising range is 87km for Benly e: I and 43km for Benly e: II. According to Honda officials, the bike can be operated for one day considering the delivery range, but in most cases it will return to the post office during lunch break, and a battery can be replaced at that time.
Source: Response
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Thailand Auto Industry Brakes Sharply
This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.
THAILAND–Vehicles produced in Thailand are exported to the world, including Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Europe. However, the automobile industry is in trouble because of the double punch of the global economy slowing down due to the US-China trade friction and the spread of the new coronavirus.

Akihito Komuro Exports, which account for half of Thailand's automobile production, where Japanese and other automakers such…
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Isuzu Agrees To Buy Volvo’s UD Trucks Unit
PSR Analysis: Isuzu has agreed to form a business alliance with Sweden’s Volvo in the Truck field and to acquire Volvo’s UD Trucks subsidiary. The amount of the acquisition depends on the negotiations, but Isuzu sees UD Trucks as a business size of 250 billion yen.