German engine maker Deutz AG plans to invest more than 100 mln euro ($158 mln) in the construction of new plants, in the expansion of its services and in product development in 2008, CEO Helmut Leube told news conference on March 27.
In the first place, the company intends to build a factory for replacement engines in Chiemgau, Bavaria, southeastern Germany, and to expand its production capacities in Cologne, western Germany, and in Spain. Furthermore, Deutz will decide by the end of 2008 whether to produce engines for construction machines or fork-lift trucks in the USA.
US-based Cummins and China's Beiqi Foton Motor have officially launched China's biggest engine production joint venture. The two partners hold equal shares in Beijing Foton Cummins Engine Company, which will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 units. Investment of more than CNY2bn (US$285mn) has been directed to the plant, which will produce 2.8- and 3.8-litre engines based on Cummins technology. All engines will meet Euro IV emissions standards, as Foton is looking to sell its vehicles, powered by the engines, overseas.
The plant will become operational in September 2008 with commercial production of the 3.8-litre engines to begin in May 2009 and the 2.8-litre versions to follow in September 2009. The company expects to achieve sales of between 800,000 and 1mn units by 2010. Around 20 percent of sales will be exports and a spokesperson for Foton commented that the partnership with Cummins will expand the Chinese firm's international presence. For Cummins too, the new joint venture is the company's largest light diesel engine plant outside of the US.
With just a single online application, users of a new EPA SmartWay web site can apply to multiple lenders for loans to buy SmartWay certified tractors and trailers, as well as SmartWay approved equipment such as idle reduction systems. The new site offers access to a pool of private lenders with the capability of writing loans for as little as $2,000 or as much as $50 million, according to EPA SmartWay.
Although the loans are not federally guaranteed, borrowers may benefit by having a network of 300 lenders compete for loans, according to SmartWay’s Paul Bubbosh. It takes about 10 minutes to fill out the free online application, and borrowers can decide which lenders get to see their data, he said during a press conference at the Mid-America Trucking Show. A toll-free telephone number (877-767-8875) has also been set up for anyone without web access.
After announcing its subsidiary Detroit Diesel will deploy selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment—which uses urea—to meet EPA 2010 emissions rules, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) sought this morning to dispel what it regards as misinformation about SCR that it believes is confusing North American fleet owners.
“We will be utilizing Daimler’s BlueTec technology for our Detroit Diesel engines beginning in 2010,” said Chris Patterson, president & CEO of DTNA (which produces Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star trucks), speaking at a media briefing before the opening of the Mid-America Trucking Show . “The technology…is the only means of meeting the stringent 0.2 g/kWh NOx standard for heavy-duty diesel engines in 2010 while actually reducing diesel fuel consumption in comparison with the technology used in 2007 engines.”
Manufacturers and suppliers here at the Mid-America Trucking Show say they are starting to see some positive economic signs indicating better days may not be so far off. However, that doesn’t mean major business challenges – especially high fuel prices – are going away any time soon.
“It’s not smooth sailing in the economy right now, with fuel prices at $4 a gallon for diesel and housing starts down,” said Carsten Reinhardt, president of the commercial vehicle systems division at ArvinMeritor. “But there are signs the industry is coming back. We’re more bullish than most about that.”
The 2009 Heavy Duty Dialogue will be held in Orlando, Florida on Monday, February 16, the day prior to the opening of Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW). HDD will again focus on the global commercial vehicle industry and the forces that shape its future.
With a theme of Insight: The Global Commercial Vehicle Industry, the 2008 HD Dialogue conference was an exceptional event by all accounts with over 300 industry leaders in attendance.