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Hyundai Motor and LG Chem To Build $1.1 Billion EV battery Plant in Indonesia
Hyundai Motor and LG Chem have announced they will build a battery plant for EVs in Indonesia. The investment of $1.1 billion will be shared equally. The plant will mass produce batteries in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest reserves of nickel, and supply them to Hyundai Motor and Kia’s complete vehicle plants around the world. The new plant will be established on a 330,000 square meter site in an industrial park in the Karawang region, about 65 kilometers southeast of central Jakarta. Construction will begin by the end of this year and mass production will begin in 2024.
The plant will have an annual production capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours, enough to supply batteries for 150,000 EVs. Hyundai and Kia have a plan to launch a total of 23 new EV models in the next five years. In order to expand the range to include sedans, SUVs, and the Genesis luxury brand, stable procurement of batteries, a key component, has been an issue. The company’s first joint venture plant will lead to a long-term shift to EVs.
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COVID-19 Variant Disrupts Supply Chain
Akihiro Komuro In Southeast Asia, where the delta variant of the COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, business activities are becoming stagnant. In response to government regulations and the rapid increase in the number of infected people, major Japanese companies such as Toyota and Panasonic have suspended production at some of their plants. In addition to the decline in local sales, the disruption of the supply chain has also affected production in Japan.
Toyota has sequentially shut down all three of its plants in Thailand since July 20. The company has not yet decided when to resume operations because it has been unable to procure parts due to an outbreak of infection at one of its customers’ plants. Honda also shut down one of its plants in Thailand from August 3 to 5.
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Honda Staff Seek Early Retirement Amid EV Shift
Over 2,000 employees at Honda Motor have applied for early retirement, as the Japanese automaker restructures its workforce to gear up to make more electric vehicles.
Honda’s move is the latest in the trend among automakers to move away from the production and sales of internal combustion engines. Those employees account for around 5% of Honda’s full-time staff in Japan. Although Honda had not set a target, the number of applications has far exceeded its initial estimate of 1,000.
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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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Sony Joins Komatsu’s DX Alliance
On July 1, Komatsu launched EARTHBRAIN, a new company for the digital transformation (DX) of construction sites. The new company will provide services that will lead to significant cost improvements by digitizing and analyzing data from construction sites.
The parent company of the new company is LandLog, an IoT (Internet of Things) open platform company established by Komatsu in 2017. The investors will be substantially replaced, and some members of Komatsu’s digital unit will be transferred to the new company.
After approval by overseas authorities, Komatsu will provide 54.5%, NTT DoCoMo 35.5%, and Sony Semiconductor Solutions and Nomura Research Institute (NRI) 5% each. The company is well capitalized with more than 15 billion yen. Newly added to the list are Sony and NRI. Sony has an advantage in image sensors. NRI will provide its expertise in developing digitalization solutions.
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SK Plans To Develop Hydrogen Base in Ulsan
South Korea’s SK Group has announced plans to build a 140,000 square meter hydrogen fuel base in Ulsan. A liquid hydrogen production plant will be built, and a hydrogen-fueled power plant will also be constructed.
With the participation of Lotte Chemical, the project aims to promote the accumulation of hydrogen-related industries in the city. SK Gas will be the main proponent of the project. The company plans to invest 2.2 trillion won (about 216 billion yen) over the next five years to build infrastructure for the generation, storage, and transportation of hydrogen energy in anticipation of its widespread use, and has also announced plans to build 100 hydrogen filling stations in South Korea by 2030.
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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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Doosan To Produce Hydrogen from Waste Plastic
Akihiro Komuro Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction (DHIC) announced on May 6 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Libotec, which has a continuous pyrolysis technology for waste plastics, to develop hydrogen production technology using waste plastics.
Libotec will produce gas from waste plastic through continuous pyrolysis, while Doosan Heavy Industries will be in charge of developing equipment to reform the pyrolyzed gas into hydrogen and building the plant. Doosan Heavy Industries has developed a hydrogen reformer capable of producing about 300 kilograms of hydrogen per day, which will be installed and operated at Libotec’s plant. The company plans to conduct demonstrations and commercialize a technology that can produce more than three tons of hydrogen per day from waste plastic.
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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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New System To Be Established for Rating of Ship Fuel Efficiency
Akihiro Komuro A new international system for rating the fuel efficiency of ocean-going vessels will be established under Japanese leadership, it has been announced. A draft amendment to the relevant treaty will be adopted at an international conference in June, and the system is expected to be introduced in 2023.
The fuel efficiency rating system will be applied to large ocean-going vessels such as container ships, oil tankers, and cruise ships. Once a year, ship owners and operators will submit fuel efficiency data to the government where the ship is registered and rate it on a five-point scale (A-E). CO2 emissions are converted from the distance traveled, the weight of the ship, and the amount of fuel consumed and compared. The lowest E, or three consecutive D’s, will require the owner to submit an improvement plan to the government where the ship is registered. They are required to add devices to improve fuel efficiency or reduce the speed at which they sail. If the ship cannot be improved, it will not be allowed to sail.
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