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Sany Challenges Komatsu’s Grip on Indonesian Construction Machinery Market

Akihiro Komuro The battle between major Japanese and Chinese construction machinery companies is intensifying in Indonesia. As the growth of the Chinese market slows, China’s Sanichi Heavy Industries is accelerating its overseas expansion in search of new sources of revenue.
Komatsu, which has a stronghold in Southeast Asia, is responding by introducing mid-priced machines and expanding its maintenance bases. Who will dominate the growing market following China will also affect the power structure of the construction equipment market in Asia.
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Komatsu and Honda Plan To Jointly Develop Electric Excavator
Komatsu has announced that it plans to develop an electric excavator in cooperation with Honda and bring the product to the market during FY2021. The two companies will also jointly develop electric excavators up to the 1-ton class and will also collaborate on services such as battery replacement for construction equipment.
Source: The Nikkei
PSR Analysis: As mentioned in the April issue of PowerTALK™ News, four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, have agreed to share…
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CTT Bauma Moscow Shows Growing Optimism in Russian Construction Market

Maxim Sakov The CTT Bauma trade show is main event of construction industry in Russia. Since 2017 it’s owned and operated by Messe Munich. The show was conducted this year in Moscow May 25-28 in its usual place, the Crocus Expocenter. Last year, the fair was off because of the COVID pandemic, but this year we saw that both the exhibition and construction industries are showing a growing trend. The fair’s indoor exposition was restored to three pavilions, and the outdoor exposition also grew in size versus 2019. There were 351 exhibitors from 17 countries, somewhat better than last time. A total of 184 brands were represented.
Here is, however, one unpleasant factor. Most of the international OEMs did not participate in the fair this time. Wirtgen, Volvo, Cummins, Caterpillar, Ammann, Hyundai, Renault, Komatsu machines were missing from this fair. John Deere, Doosan, Kato, and some other brands were limited, having only small booths, set by the local dealers. Many Russian machine makers, who usually participate in the fair, also ignored the event. Among them – GAZ, Chetra, DST-10, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, YAMZ.
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Komatsu Unveils Concept of Fully Electric Compact Excavator

Akihiro Komuro On May 13, Komatsu announced that it had developed a fully electric compact excavator equipped with lithium-ion batteries. This is Komatsu’s first excavator that does not use cylinders or other hydraulic equipment in the drive unit. In addition to emitting no exhaust gas, the new excavator can be operated remotely and can be used in dangerous places.
Komatsu, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding on May 13, announced this concept model as a response to a decarbonized society.
For the time being, the company does not plan to sell it to the general public. This model is connected to the outside world via wireless LAN, and the driver can operate it remotely without boarding the machine. The remote operation makes it suitable for indoor demolition, disaster rescue, and other dangerous work sites.
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Uralmash Sets Deal of US$ 322 Million with India
Uralmash (a subsidiary of UZTM-Kartex) has signed its largest deal in the last 30 years. UZTM-Kartex and Coal India Ltd Binay Dayal have signed a contract totaling US$ 322 million for walking excavators, according to the company.
Under the contract, the Uralmash plant will deliver five electric-powered walking excavators of increased power – ESH24.95 and will perform assembly of the equipment on the customer’s site. The OEM also will service machines for 11 years.
PSR Analysis: ESH24.95…
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Komatsu Targets CO2 Zero Emissions by 2050
Komatsu is aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions to virtually zero by 2050. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions to zero not only from its own production of construction equipment, but also from the use of construction equipment by its customers. The company aims to achieve this goal by promoting the electrification of construction equipment, improving fuel efficiency, and encouraging customers to use their construction equipment more efficiently, etc.
The company will respond to the fact that ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) investors are emphasizing the reduction of emissions, including those of customers.
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Komatsu to Sell Electric Construction Equipment in Europe

Akihiro Komuro Komatsu plans to release a battery-powered compact excavator that emits no exhaust gas in Europe in 2022. The company will also promote the quietness of the product and expects to use it in residential areas. Hitachi Construction Machinery will also double orders for electric excavators in fiscal 2021 compared to the previous year. Following the trend in the automobile industry, competition in the field of electric construction machinery is now in full swing.
The compact excavator to be launched by Komatsu will use lithium-ion batteries that are lightweight and can operate for a long time. It uses a motor instead of an engine, making less noise and emitting no exhaust gas. The company will first market the product in Europe, where environmental regulations are strict, and then consider launching it in Japan. Komatsu began renting several small excavators powered by lead-acid batteries on a trial basis in Japan in April 2020.
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DATAPOINT: US Excavators, 2020 Production Forecast, 17,125 Unit
The 17,125 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Excavators to be produced in the U.S. in 2020.
This information comes from industry interviews and from two proprietary databases maintained by Power Systems Research: EnginLink™ , which provides information on engines, and OE Link™, a database of equipment manufacturers.
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SOUTH KOREA REPORT: Doosan Infracore Collaborates with Game Developers
Doosan Infracore says it has signed an MOU with Unity Technologies Korea for mutual cooperation in the development of a construction process simulator.

Akihiro Komuro This is the first joint project with a game engine developer in the construction equipment industry, which is rare in the global construction equipment industry.
The game engine is regarded as very useful in various industries such as shipbuilding, logistics and construction. Doosan Infracore and Unity will work together to develop a simulator. It realizes various physical elements on a construction site where excavators and other equipment operate in a virtual environment. The simulator will be very useful in accurately predicting complex variables that may occur on a real construction site.
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Doosan Sells 10,000 Excavators in China in H1 2020
Doosan Infracore announced that it sold 10,728 hydraulic excavators in China in H1 2020. This is the company’s largest sales volume in nine years since it sold more than 12,000 units in the market in H1 2011. The company sold 1,320 excavators in June, a 23% increase in sales over the previous year.

Akihito Komuro China’s hydraulic excavator market suffered a slowdown in the first two months of the year due to COVID-19 but is now consistently showing signs of a rapid recovery. Overall sales in the Chinese hydraulic excavator market exceeded 155,000 units in H1 2020, significantly exceeding the 125,000 units sold nationwide in H1 2019.
Source: Kikai-News (The original article was partially revised by the author.)