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South Korea’s SK and LG to Build EV Battery Plant in the U.S. Joint Venture in the Gap between U.S.-China Conflict
South Korean automotive battery giants are moving into the U.S. market, with SK Innovation teaming up with Ford and LG Chemical with GM to promote the construction of an automotive battery plant. SK plans to invest about 300 billion yen in the plant to produce 22 gigawatt-hours of automotive batteries, enough to power 220,000 EVs a year, and in a joint venture with Ford, the two companies will invest 600 billion yen to build a giant 60-gigawatt plant.
SK’s annual production capacity as of 2019 is only 5 gigabytes at its Korean plant. The capacity is expected to increase to 30 gigawatts in 2020 with the launch of plants in China and Hungary, to 85 gigawatts in 2023 with the addition of the US plant, and to exceed 185 gigawatts in 2025 with the addition of the joint venture with Ford. SK, a late entrant to the market, ranks sixth with a 5% share of the global market in 2020.
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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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ENGIE EPS Acquisition May Create Euro-Asian Powerhouse
Erik Martin TAIPEI–The acquisition of a 60.5% stake in ENGIE EPS by Taiwan Cement Corporation (TCC) was finalized and completed in July.
The deal, which was announced in April, saw the Italy-headquartered stationary storage and e-mobility solutions subsidiary of French multinational Engie taken over by TCC subsidiary Taiwan Cement Europe Holdings.
What both parties get out of the deal
In a press release, TCC said it has now become a “major player” in electric vehicle charging infrastructure as well as its newly acquired capabilities in building large-scale battery storage systems and microgrids.
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Tupy Developing Efficient Hydrogen Powered Engine
Fabio Ferraresi Brazilian Tupy is working with AVL and Westport Fuel Systems to develop a high efficiency ICE powered by Hydrogen, targeting long haul Trucks. Tupy supplies superior materials casting and high precision machining for high pressure injection engines designed and tested by AVL and Westport. First outcomes of the work are expected at the beginning of 2022.
Source: Automotive Business Read The Article
PSR Analysis: With the Zero Emissions target and the need for efficient…
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Strong Post-pandemic Growth Expected into 2022-23 for North America
Yosyf Sheremeta SUMMARY. After the GDP declined 3.5% last year, the worst performance in almost 75 years, the US economy is set for a strong comeback. There are many reasons to be optimistic about the economy for the next few years, including strong readings of macro-economic factors combined with the economic cycle reset backed by government initiatives and policies.
Our positive outlook is based on the reviews of key economic indicators, including GDP, unemployment, and inflation.
During H1 2021, we witnessed a strong level of activities and a rebound for many industries. As local governments eased lockdown restrictions, service-oriented industries gained traction and that translated to an overall increase of economic activities across many industries.
We expect this level of rebound to continue and we now expect even stronger overall growth for 2021. The US economy is on track to reach or even surpass the growth level of 1984 – the highest one since 1950s. In the near term, consumer spending will help drive demand and support the strong growth trend.
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DATAPOINT: NA Excavators, 2021 Production: 19,900 Units
19,900 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Excavators to be produced in North America 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 combined plant totals of 47.5% Caterpillar leads in production of excavators in North America. In second position is Doosan Bobcat with 22%; third, is Deere-Hitachi with 14.5%.
Exports: Collectively, up to 30% worldwide.
Trends: Excavators are heavy pieces of equipment designed for large scale projects for a variety of sectors that include construction, mining, and industrial activities. Despite the recent lull in production, excavators are a popular device for construction activities.
Production of excavators in North America decreased 9% in 2020, largely because the global pandemic made 2020 challenging across most industries. The off-highway segments (agricultural, construction and industrial) saw dramatic production drops in 2020 compared to 2019.
Another factor in the recent decline is the fact that purchasers are choosing backhoe loaders that are more versatile than excavators. Expect production to gain an additional 3% by 2025.
As fabrication has resumed, assembly is back on track for 2021 with an expected gain of 9% from last year to a total of about 19,900 units.
One example of the rebound: Doosan Bobcat North America, a global leader in the compact equipment industry, is celebrated the completion of a $26 million expansion at its manufacturing facility in Litchfield, Minn., in Q2 2021. The 15-month project nearly tripled the size of the facility, from 70,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space to nearly 200,000 square feet. PSR
Carol Turner is Senior Analyst, Global Operations, for Power Systems Research
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Edge Computing Helps Connect America
John Krzesicki Cities, nationally and globally, are embarking on innovative efforts to harness the benefits of rapidly emerging technologies to improve citizens’ quality of life, increase operational efficiency, and enhance economic vitality and sustainability.
These efforts often involve changing the nature of data storage and transfer, primarily by moving these steps from data storage “clouds” to local data centers closer to the application.
Since Power Systems Research began tracking global equipment manufacturers in 1976, its analysts have been aware of new technologies and electrification trends such as these which can affect future markets. Today, we’re closely following these changes in data transfer and storage.
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GWM Opens Smart factory in Thailand, Renovates GM’s Factory
Akihiro Komuro China’s Great Wall Motor (GWM) has announced the official opening of a plant in Thailand. The company acquired the plant from General Motors (GM) in 2020 and has been working to make it smarter by installing advanced AI-based equipment. It is the company’s first smart factory to be opened in Southeast Asia. The amount of investment for the renovation has not been disclosed, but the company has indicated that it plans to invest 22.6 billion baht (about 79 billion yen) in Thailand.
The production capacity is 80,000 units per year, and it is expected to produce HVs first. In the future, the plant will also produce EVs. The company plans to allocate 60% of the vehicles produced to the Thai domestic market and 40% for export to neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and Australia.
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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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