News

2021-05-24

Russian AG Machinery Exports Double in Q1 2021

Maxim Sakov
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
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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Mahindra To Set Up New Plant for Farm Equipment

Aditya Kondejkar

Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd (M&M), market leader in the Indian tractor industry, is betting on farm equipment because of increasing demand. The decision is greatly influenced by the healthy agricultural output, record sales for tractors and reverse migration since last year.

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PSR Analysis: The company is trying to enter the untapped farm mechanization segment in the country. According to Mr. Hemant Sikka (President Farm Equipment Sector Mahindra) this market has very high potential as India has only 1% share of the global farm equipment market vs. 10% of the global tractor market. 

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Vinfast Begins Taking Orders for EVs

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Vinfast, an emerging Vietnamese automaker, has started taking orders for its first EV, the VFe34. The VFe34, a C-segment SUV crossover type, uses a 42kWh battery and can travel 300km on a full charge. The domestic sales price is VND 690 million(about 3.31 million yen). The battery will be provided on a subscription basis (fixed fee service). The monthly fee is set at VND 1.45 million, the same level as the cost of running on gasoline. When the battery’s charge performance drops below 70%, it can be replaced with a new one. This is said to reduce the initial cost for customers and at the same time guarantee the quality risk of the battery.

As a promotion until the end of June, the company will offer a discount of VND100 million and a free battery subscription service for one year. In addition, customers who replace their gasoline-powered cars will receive VND30 million per car from the Vin Group’s Green Future Fund. If they cancel the purchase, the deposit of 10 million dong will be fully refunded. According to Vinfast, 3,692 orders were recorded in 12 hours after the start of orders on the 24th.

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Komatsu Unveils Concept of Fully Electric Compact Excavator

Akihiro Komuro
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
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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Parched Taiwan Prays for Rain as Sun Moon Lake Hit by Drought

Erik Martin
Erik Martin

TAIWAN — Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake is so low that parts of it have dried and turned to grass. Jetties that normally float are sprawled awkwardly on dry land, and tour boats are crowded at the tail ends of pontoons still in the water.

Usually one of the island’s most famous tourist destinations, the lake has recently become a star of a different kind. Following the worst drought in 56 years, it is now famous for all the wrong reasons. These days, Instagram influencers photograph themselves posing in a dust-colored, dinghy half-buried in a cracked and cratered lakebed…

But away from the quirky headlines, the situation is dire. Other reservoirs across central and southern Taiwan are effectively empty, down to 5% or less.

Taiwan has had drought before, but observers are hoping the severity of this one – which has lasted 18 months and threatens Taiwan’s economic lifeblood of semiconductor production – is enough to prompt real action on climate change.

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Müller Launches Rigid Off-Highway Truck MDT430 in Brazil

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

The Brazilian group that acquired Randon Veículos, the division of Randon group that produced OH Trucks and Construction Equipment, at the end of 2020 launched the first model under the Müller brand. It has a 350 HP Turbo Intercooler produced by Scania and an Allisson Automatic Transmission.

Source: M&T     Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Whether lucky or visionary, Müller is well positioned to produce positive results in coming years. While mining activity in Brazil is growing with record commodities prices and public bids for new exploration areas are expanding, competitors are mostly imported and suffer from exchange rate effects. PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business, Development-South America, for Power Systems Research

VWCO Exports Grow 130% in First 4 Months of 2021

VWCO reported exports of 2527 trucks and buses from January to April 2021, versus 1084 units in the same period of 2020. Most of the growth came during April; the month was very negatively affected by the pandemic in 2020.

Source: Automotive Business      Read The Article

PSR Analysis: As with other OEMs, the export volumes of VWCO have been better than expected considering only Q1 2021 vs. Q1 2020, period without pandemic effect in 2020. During our forecast planning in Q4 2020, we expected a lower recovery of exports because of a slower recovery from the pandemic effects in 2021. However, the currency depreciation in Brazil, and special variables in each market caused the positive effect. PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director, Business Development-South America, for Power Systems Research

GM Announces LCV To Be Produced in Brazil

This pickup truck will be produced at the São Caetano plant using the GEM platform, the leader in the compact car segment with Chevrolet Onyx. This vehicle will be smaller than the GM S-10, produced in São José dos Campos, Brazil, and bigger than the old Montana. It should compete with Fiat Toro, leader in sales ant he Pick-up segment.

Source: M&T      Read The Article

PSR Analysis: GM hopes to follow the success history of Stellantis in Brazil with a smaller, yet not compact pick-up. The successful history of GM with pickups in Brazil, since the 70’s  with the C-10, D-10,  D-20 and more recently with the S-10, in addition to sales leadership and brand recognition puts GM in a good position to get market share from Stellantis. In addition, the use of the GEM platform is a competitive advantage. The volume forecast in our databases will be about 50,000 units per year for this model.   PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director, Business Development-South America, for Power Systems Research