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Protests Affect Columbia Vehicles Market
Sales of vehicles in Colombia were affected by protests and roadblocks in May. Because of the protest, dealers were closed and vehicles are blocked at the ports of Cartagena and Barranquilla. Even with the reduction from April to May, when 14,700 units were sold, below the 18,000 in April, the YTD result in 2021 is 50.2% better than 2020.
Source: AutoData Read The Article
PSR Analysis: The recovery of the Colombia economy, seen in light of the vehicle market, is faster than expected, even with…
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Goods Transported in Brazil Increases in 2021
From January to April, the amount of total of goods transported in Brazil was R$ 2.9 trillion, while in the same period of 2020 it was R$ 2.1 trillion, an increase of 39%. This metric is used as a baromometer for the Brazilian economy.
Source: M&T Read The Article
PSR Analysis: This result is aligned with what we see in the sales of new trucks and trailers and confirms our increase in FY 2021 sales and production. Part of the increase is due to inflation in local currency, but part is due to…
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Mercedes Grows in EV Bus Market

Emiliano Marzoli While smaller players are struggling to remain competitive in the EV bus space, Mercedes-Benz is targeting more clients and more volumes.
Mercedes-Benz has handed over one eCitaro G electric articulated bus with solid-state batteries each to Hamburger Hochbahn and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein. The two new electric articulated buses each have seven battery packs with solid electrolyte and an energy content of 441 kWh, allowing up to 200km range, depending on operational conditions.
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Edge Computing Brings Data Closer To Home

John Krzesicki It’s often said that there’s nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing old things. That may be especially true in how we handle data.
Ever since Power Systems Research began tracking global production of engines and powertrains in 1976, its analysts have been alert to new trends surrounding power and data movement.
Today, as three essential metrics in data handling change— cloud costs, volume and processing time—, the structure of data networks also is changing. In many cases, it’s not practical to send vast amounts of data to the cloud to be processed and then wait for the results. Now, it’s often necessary to have smaller data centers located near the activity, at the edge of the action, if you will.
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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Happenings in Europe

Chris Fisher We have heard during the past few years that battery electric commercial trucks will ultimately replace the diesel-powered internal combustion engine for commercial trucks. At some point in the future this might be true for short and regional haul freight carriers, but what about the long-haul heavy truck segment?
Currently, the lack of charging infrastructure, range anxiety and the extreme weights associated with the batteries will be a significant deterrent to mass adoption of long-haul battery electric trucks.
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DATAPOINT: NA Skid Steer Loaders, 2021 Production Forecast: 95,100 Units
95,100 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Skid Steer Loaders to be produced in North America (Canada and the U.S.) in 2021.
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 36% of total units produced, Bobcat leads in production of Skid Steer Loaders in North America. In second and third positions are Case New Holland and Deere with 21% and 15%, respectively.
Exports: Collectively, up to 25% worldwide
Trends: In 2020, production of skid steer loaders in North America decreased 18% to 87,400 units from 106,500 units in 2019. Production is expected to recover about 9% in 2021 to 95,100 units. The decline in 2020 was caused mostly by COVID-19-related factors plus the new equipment saturation in the market and a slight drop in construction related activities.
The gain in 2021 is attributed to the need for new construction equipment and the overall stabilization of the economy, especially regarding the construction industry. As the construction industry continues to recover, construction will continue to be a key driver in overall industry growth.
Some softness in sales comes from the American agriculture industry that is sluggish as it continues to battle low commodity prices. The Agriculture Segment accounts for 29% of all Skid Steer usage in the market today. Expect production of Skid Steer Loaders in NA to increase up to 7% over the next 3-5 years. PSR
Carol Turner is Senior Analyst-Global Operations, at Power Systems Research
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CTT Bauma Moscow Shows Growing Optimism in Russian Construction Market

Maxim Sakov The CTT Bauma trade show is main event of construction industry in Russia. Since 2017 it’s owned and operated by Messe Munich. The show was conducted this year in Moscow May 25-28 in its usual place, the Crocus Expocenter. Last year, the fair was off because of the COVID pandemic, but this year we saw that both the exhibition and construction industries are showing a growing trend. The fair’s indoor exposition was restored to three pavilions, and the outdoor exposition also grew in size versus 2019. There were 351 exhibitors from 17 countries, somewhat better than last time. A total of 184 brands were represented.
Here is, however, one unpleasant factor. Most of the international OEMs did not participate in the fair this time. Wirtgen, Volvo, Cummins, Caterpillar, Ammann, Hyundai, Renault, Komatsu machines were missing from this fair. John Deere, Doosan, Kato, and some other brands were limited, having only small booths, set by the local dealers. Many Russian machine makers, who usually participate in the fair, also ignored the event. Among them – GAZ, Chetra, DST-10, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, YAMZ.
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GAZ Increased LCV Production by 19% in Q1 2021

Maxim Sakov The GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod has made 11,300 LCVs in Q1 2021, according to the Trade Ministry of Russia. That’s 18.7% higher than the same period of last year. HD truck production by the GAZ Group increased by 29% in Q1 2021, from 1,700 to 2,200 units.
In total, according to the Russian Statistic bureau “Rosstat”, production growth of Russian on-highway vehicles increased by 13.7%. OEMs have made 402,800 units. LCV output has grown by 37.7%, trucks by 27.1%, and passenger cars by 1…
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Russian AG Machinery Exports Double in Q1 2021

Maxim Sakov Exports of Russian AG machines more than doubled in Q1 2021 versus the same period in 2020; exports have reached US$ 53 million (3.9 billion rubles).
Rosspetsmash, the Russian Association of Manufacturers, notes that Russian OEMs showed record high figures for 2020, reaching US$ 214 million (15.9 billion rubles). For Q1 2021, Russian AG machines were shipped to 23 countries. Exports of AWD tractors are up by 2.8 times, and combines, by 46%. The exports to Germany have increased by five times, to Bulgaria by 65%, and to Poland by 49%.
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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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