Rural Economy Helping Ride Out COVID Impact

With extended lockdowns in most parts of India, the production of all non-essentials was at a halt or at minuscule levels in April and May until the economy was unlocked. This move reduced demand in the short-term, but owing to intrinsic domestic demand, we are optimistic about future business expectations

Aditya Kondejkar

Better Outlook of Rural Economy

However, hope has arisen from India’s rural part as the agriculture sector appears to have been relatively less impacted by the lockdown. This part of the country never truly went into a harsh lockdown, and thus procurement, harvest, and consumer activities have remained unaffected. Farming continued during the lockdown, especially for rice and wheat cultivation. The return of migrant workers caused a surplus of agricultural labor. This resulted in the fact – more land was brought under cultivation than ever before. As a result, the country has witnessed a good season of rabi harvest.

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Volvo Unveils Electric Concrete Mixer Truck

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

Best known for its world-class transport solutions, Volvo unveiled its first commercial electric truck –the Volvo FL Electric – in 2019, this was followed by the Volvo VNR Electric in 2020. Volvo introduced three 44-ton electric trucks this past September, some of the heaviest in its line up, bringing its portfolio to six commercial EV trucks, designed to cover everything from city distribution and handling to construction transport and regional hauling.

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Global Economy Seeing Modest Growth with Positive Outlook

GLOBAL REPORT
Jim Downey

SUMMARY. Many factors are pointing to modest growth in Q3 2023. This should lead to total production globally growing at +2.4% in 2023 vs 2022 (it was 2.6% in Q2 2023), and the outlook for the next few years remains positive with growth accelerating from 2025.  Apart from Russia and Ukraine, the main countries to show a decline are South Korea, Slovakia, Netherlands. However, the segment picture shows some differences.

Several drivers are influencing the global economic picture.

  • Fuel prices eased earlier this year, recently they have grown slightly and are no longer showing signs of easing. This remains a serious issue.
  • Supply chains remain constrained and show no signs of improving.
  • The war in Ukraine shows no sign of a speedy conclusion, despite recent successes by Ukraine.
  • Ukrainian exports of wheat, other grains and fertilizer have declined massively following Russia’s ending on the Grain Deal. Alternative routes (overland, and via the Danube) simply don’t have the necessary capacity.
  • Inflation is easing, but it continues to be a major concern for central banks as they consider raising their interest rates. This will pose a risk to economic growth in all regions. Inflation and price increases are putting OEMs in a difficult situation.
  • Risk of recession continues in the background for several countries, notably China, USA and Germany, and this could drag other countries into recession.
  • Covid is still lingering with global deaths now at over 6.9 million, and a new variant has the medical world concerned.
  • Latent demand for machinery keeps building, which is a positive sign.
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Global Economy On the Path To Economic Recovery, Despite Increased Uncertainty

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

The global economy is on a healthy rebound trend, but issues with supply chain, logistics and the re-surgency of COVID-19 during Q3 2021 remained.  Power Systems Research witnessed a strong economic recovery globally in H1 2021; however, many challenges still remain.  The rebound will continue to vary widely among different regions/countries, but a complete recovery is not expected until the global pandemic is under control.   With some minor changes among regions and market segments globally, our overall forecast from last quarter remains in place, and that is good news to our industry players, OEMs, powertrain, and component suppliers.

The global economic performance last quarter was in line with our initial projections from earlier this year.  As we projected last quarter, we did not expect any rapid economic recovery in H2 2021, however, we continued to witness a steady increase in economic activities.  During the last quarter of 2021 Power Systems Research expects this trend to remain in place.

Government support in the form of fiscal policies and public health management are driving the economic rebound and largely explain variations in performance across countries. With the targeted monetary support to consumers and certain industries, the demand for products and services globally is coming back, and we expect this trend to carry over into Q1 2022.

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U.S. Economy Faces Multiple Problems

NORTH AMERICA REPORT
Jim Downey

SUMMARY. Many of the biggest challenges facing the U.S. economy in 2022 are continuing into 2023. These problems include supply chain disruptions, the migration of production and use of internal combustion engines to alternative drive types, uncertainty of inflation and rising interest rates, and the war in Ukraine.

There were also positives which came out of 2022, including a return to more face-to-face business transactions and meetings. Trade shows made a big comeback in 2022, and this trend will continue in 2023 as the huge CONEXPO-CON/AGG will be held in March in Las Vegas.

The push towards electrification is not all negative either. Innovation and action around alternative drive types will continue to grow.

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Volvo Tests Renewable LNG Truck

BRAZIL/SOUTH AMERICA REPORT  
Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

Volvo plans to test trucks fueled by vegetable origin LNG, gas in liquid form. According to the president of Volvo Trucks in Latin America, Wilson Lirmann, gas from renewable waste makes more sense in the transport operation because it contributes to nullifying the emission of CO2 in the fleet of commercial vehicles.

In this sense, the brand should soon bring LNG-powered trucks to the region. Brazil is a focus market, but possibly these trucks will debut in other South America countries. That’s because the infrastructure is still under development in Brazil. Although Lirmann does not say which countries in the region will receive the brand’s first gas trucks, it is known that Argentina and Chile already have more developed technology and infrastructure. 

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The Impact of Coronavirus on China Society and Economy – A Personal Perspective

(ST. PAUL, Minn., USA) – Our team members in China face daily challenges as they navigate the myriad regulations and safety measures implemented by local authorities and the national government attempting to control the spread of coronavirus (COVID19).  

Confinement to home is the hardest part.  Schools have yet to re-open after the Spring Festival holiday.  Special IDs proving one is a local resident must be presented when going outside.  Store visits are restricted to one person per household every two to five days, depending on your location. 

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