News: Industrial

2020-08-23

Briggs & Stratton Files Chapter 11, Sets Sale Agreement

Briggs & Stratton (B&S) one of the  largest producers of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, and a manufacturer of power generation, pressure washer, lawn and garden, turf care and job site products, has filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

The company has obtained $677.5 million in financing, with $265 million committed by KPS and the remaining $412.5 from the company’s existing group of lenders.

B&S also announced it has entered into a definitive stock and asset purchase agreement with KPS Capital Partners. Under the terms of the agreement, an affiliate of KPS formed for purposes of this transaction has agreed to acquire substantially all the company’s assets and assume certain customer, employee and vendor liabilities.

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2020-08-16

DATAPOINT: 2020 Production of NA Off-Highway Trucks Forecast at 1,200 Units

The 1,200 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Off-Highway Trucks to be produced in North America (Canada and 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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2020-07-26

On-Highway Batteries Serve as Emergency Backup Power

Audi and the utility EnBW are pioneering an energy storage facility built on retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries. This partnership is being billed as the solution to a major problem in each industry.

Tyler Wiegert
Tyler Wiegert

For automobile manufacturers, the question of how to recycle retired batteries has been pressing for some time. Utilities have been struggling with the perverse problem that excess generation from renewable sources has been slowing adoption, as surges from those sources can disrupt the stability of power grids.

EV batteries have a functional life of 3-10 years after they are retired from vehicle use, making them a ready tool for use by utilities.

Portland General Electric Company (PGE) also is seeking to create a more resilient grid for the utilization of renewable energy sources. They are launching a pilot program to incentivize the installation of home battery systems to act as a virtual power plant.

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2020-06-29

Kamaz Introduces First Mining Truck

KAMAZ says it has developed and built KAMAZ 65805 – first truck in its new mining truck portfolio. The product line will consist of dump trucks with wheel formula 8*4 and 10*6 and cargo capacity from 45 to 70 tons. The dimensions of the new truck will allow driving on regular automobile roads.

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The new KAMAZ is powered by a 12-liter inline KAMAZ R-6 engine of 500 hp, and hydromechanical transmission with retarder.

The truck is introduced as “Autonomous ready,” and can be converted to a driverless vehicle by installing sensors and a decision-making chip.

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2020-05-24

Southeast Asia: COVID-19 Stalls China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Southeast Asia’s infrastructure development has begun to stall. China, which has been supporting the project, has been unable to proceed with its Belt and Road initiative for a broad economic zone due to restrictions on movement caused by the new coronavirus.

Akihiro Komuro
Akihito Komuro

Southeast Asian countries also are prioritizing infection control and curbing the funds and human resources they invest in development. A major delay in the construction of infrastructure, which is the foundation of growth, could force foreign investors to reconsider their investment plans.

In Indonesia, work on a high-speed railway (about 140 kilometers) linking the capital Jakarta with the major city of Bandung was recently halted. The project is financed by a Chinese bank, and the state-owned company is involved in the construction. The opening is expected to be postponed from the scheduled 2021.

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2020-04-25

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
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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2020-03-22

2020 NA Utility Vehicle Production: 436,700

This article first appeared in the March 2020 issue of PowerTALK™ News

This is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Utility Vehicles to be produced in North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States) in 2020.

DataPoint

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 32%, Polaris leads in production of utility vehicles in North America. Polaris has plants in Mexico and the US. In second position is Honda with 13%, followed by Deere with 12%.

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2020-03-21

A new Era in EU Industrial Strategy

This article appeared in the March issue of PowerTALK News.

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The European Commission has released a document showing how they are going to support the European Industry in the challenging transformation required in the coming years. 

Emiliano Marzoli
Emiliano Marzoli

The strategy is made up of three pillars designed to give European companies the opportunity to grow and strengthen their position in the global market. The pillars focus on global competitiveness, “green” development, and development of digital infrastructures.

The green and digital transformations are critical to develop new skills and capabilities to retain Europe as an innovation leader.

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