Day 1, CONEXPO 2020
Electrification is a hot topic at CONEXPO 2020





100% Electric Forklift concept vehicle by Gehl powered by 12 lithium ion batteries.
2020-03-10





100% Electric Forklift concept vehicle by Gehl powered by 12 lithium ion batteries.




EDITOR’S NOTE: Eric Best, engine research analyst at Power Systems Research, is walking the floor at CONEXPO 2020, looking for new engine and power train products. Here is his report on two innovative companies.

FPT Industrial
FPT has bought out a methane/natural gas company, a battery company, and a hydrogen company, and my contact has no worries about the future of electrification or alternative fuels.
2020-02-25
This is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Wheel Loaders to be produced in the United States 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.
Market Share: With combined plant totals of 47%, Caterpillar leads in production of Wheel Loaders/Dozers in the United States. In second position is Deere with 22%. Third, is Case New Holland with 8%.
This article initially appeared in the February 2020 issue of PowerTALK News.
SUMMARY. The North American economy remained stable in 2019 and pure economic conditions as well as fundamentals in the region were favorable. Most industries performed very well, and the short-term outlook remains stable to flat for most market segments. However, we see many new developments that could suggest a shift in the trend.

Consumer confidence declined slightly in December, following a moderate increase in November. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index stood at 126.5 in December, 1.4 points higher than in September 2019.
Per Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board: “While consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved, their expectations declined, driven primarily by a softening in their short-term outlook regarding jobs and financial prospects. While the economy hasn’t shown signs of further weakening, there is little to suggest that growth, and in particular consumer spending, will gain momentum in early 2020.”