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Near Term Recession Fears Recede in North America
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.

Yosyf Sheremeta 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.”
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Boot 2020 Wraps Up Successful Boat Show
Natasa Mulahalilovic is PSR MarineLink Product Manager
Emiliano Marzoli is Senior Business Development Manager – Europe
Dalibor Sablic is Senior Business Development Manager – Europe

SUMMARY: The general mood at Boot 2020 this year was very positive. Most builders said they had a very successful nautical 2018/2019 year, and most said they are looking forward to a good year in 2020. The show drew 240,000 visitors who had an opportunity to meet 1,900 exhibitors from 71 countries.
The Sailing boats segment is coming back on track, motorboats of all sizes are doing well, the super yachts segment remains strong, and inflatable boats and tenders have gained in popularity. The optimistic view for 2020 is based on good year-end results, continuous investments in new technologies, materials, equipment, design and exciting new boat concepts.

Natasa Mulahalilovic Modern designs, completely new looks, use of light and solid material, work on multi-functionality and openness of the boats is visible everywhere and in all segments. Boats are open more than ever, providing more space and light, and bringing riders closer to the water.
The environmental awareness is growing, and a new generation of boaters is looking for cleaner solutions, not just comfort. That’s why the sailing segment is gaining ground, electric boats are appealing to the general curiosity, and small and medium motorboats are more attractive than in last 10 years when the trend was towards bigger motor yachts and super yachts.
17 Halls of Boats, Boats and More Boats
Duesseldorf, Germany–The Power Systems Research (PSR) team spent several days exploring the 17 halls at this year’s Boot 2020 Show, reviewing products and talking with pleasure boat builders, traders and other industry professionals about the latest achievements, innovations and trends.
The 51st edition of Boot 2020, Europe’s largest boat show, wrapped up January 26, after drawing attendance of 240,000 for the nine-day event. People came mainly from Europe, but they came from all over the world, as well.
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Isuzu Agrees To Buy Volvo’s UD Trucks Unit
PSR Analysis: Isuzu has agreed to form a business alliance with Sweden’s Volvo in the Truck field and to acquire Volvo’s UD Trucks subsidiary. The amount of the acquisition depends on the negotiations, but Isuzu sees UD Trucks as a business size of 250 billion yen.
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Carlos Briganti To Participate in AutoData Commercial Vehicle Seminar

Carlos Briganti, managing director of South American operations for Power Systems Research, will discuss, trends and production volumes for the national market of commercial and off-road vehicles at a seminar on Commercial Vehicle Perspectives sponsored by Autodata Dec. 3, 2019.
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Winter is Coming and Consumers Are Ready
SUMMARY: Gen-set sales in Q3 2019 rose 7% from Q2 2019, due to a continued strong demand for standby power systems. Standby systems in both the residential and commercial sectors drove this growth (the highest QoQ growth of the year so far), with the 10-20kW range increasing sales by nearly 12% and the 21-50kW, 51-100, and 101-300kW ranges growing 5-7%.
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John Deere Wins Innovation Award at Agritechnica 2019
HANNOVER, Germany– The impressive Gold Award for Innovation at the Agritechnica 2019 Show was awarded to John Deere for its electro-mechanical power split gearbox.

Stepless transmissions with a hydrostatic-mechanical power split have been used in agricultural tractors for over 20 years. Previously, additional generators for electric drives with a higher power requirement were installed on tractors (fan, compressed-air/air conditioner compressor, etc.) or on implements.
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Innovation Was the Name of the Game at Agritechnica 2019

HANNOVER, Germany–For many years, Agritechnica has been growing and strengthening its role as the top European agricultural trade show. Despite the struggles that the industry is facing, with declining order books and a less than enthusiastic outlook for 2020, Agritechnica 2019 held here Nov. 11-16, 2019, reaffirmed its position as the most important ag tech event in Europe. The show reported 2,820 exhibitors and 450,000 visitors, more than 130,000 of them from outside Germany.
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2019 GIE+Expo Posts Strong Growth. Battery Technology Continues Hot

GIE+EXPO is the annual gathering for all segments of the outdoor power equipment and lawn and landscape industry. The event is sponsored by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the Professional Grounds Management Society and the National Association of Landscape Professionals.
This year, the show drew more than 26,500 people from around the world. The indoor exhibit floor and the Outdoor Demonstration Area covered 24,000 net sq. ft. more than last year.
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2019 North American Personal Watercraft (PWC) Production
88,200
In 2018, production was 89,509 units, up 3,035 units or 3.5% from 2017.

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 53.3%, Yamaha leads in production of PWC in North America. In second position is Bombardier (BRP) with 39.5%; third is Kawasaki with 7%. Canadian-based BRP builds its Sea-Doo branded PWCs in Mexico. Tennessee Watercraft produces the jet drive boats for Yamaha.
Exports: Collectively up to 30% worldwide
Trends: In 2018, production of PWC in NA increased 3.5% over 2017. Year over Year, production is expected to remain flat, with a slight decrease of 1.3%, in 2019. Sales of these recreational vehicles depend on disposable income and leisure time. Industry revenue dropped during the recession and is still low; over the next five years continued disposable income growth will bring revenue back to its prerecession level. Expect the production of Personal Watercraft to gain up to 5% by 2025. PSR
Carol Turner is Senior Analyst, Global Operations, at Power Systems Research
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Power Systems Research Assists on Gen-Set Emissions Project

WHITE PLAINS, NY – The Pace Energy and Climate Center (Pace) has announced a new data analysis tool and research model in a report titled “Estimating the Air Emissions of Stationary Engine Generators under Two Megawatts,” both developed with support from Environmental Defense Fund.
The project drew upon data provided by Power Systems Research (PSR), a Minneapolis-based research firm, from its proprietary PartsLink database.
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