December 1, 2011

Resources

Cat Mining Equipment Expansion: Indonesia + U.S.

Diesel Progress Magazine
Continuing its helter skelter pace in the global mining industry, Caterpillar Inc. has announced plans to build a mining truck facility in Indonesia and to invest to increase capacity at the company’s large mining truck facility and large track-type tractor facility in the United States.

Caterpillar plans to open a new mining truck facility in Batam, Indonesia to produce a range of mining truck chassis and bodies to mining customers throughout Asia\Pacific. The company plans to invest about $150 million in the new facility, which is expected to be operational in 2012 for truck bodies, with the first trucks produced in the third quarter of 2013.

OEMs Uncertain About Cuts in U.S. Spending on Defense

Transport Topics Magazine
Truck and component manufacturers who also build military products say they are confident they will be able to hold on to much of that business even as the U.S. armed forces face potential slashes in their future budgets.

Defense Department officials have made numerous statements in recent months that they expect budget cuts as the federal government seeks to reduce the overall budget deficit.

Hitachi, Nissan to Merge Forklift Units

Diesel Progress Magazine
Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to integrate their forklift businesses into a new company.

UniCarriers Corp. will be operated mainly by INCJ, which is a public-private partnership that provides financial, technological and management support for next-generation businesses. INCJ, Hitachi Construction Machinery and Nissan are aiming to enter into a definitive and legally binding agreement promptly and, subject to receiving the necessary approvals from government authorities, the subsidiaries of Hitachi Construction Machinery and Nissan will be integrated and operated under the new company by spring 2012.

American Axle & Manufacturing Announces Expanded Joint Venture with JAC Group Subsidiary in China

DETROIT, Mich. -- American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. (AAM), which is traded as AXL on the NYSE, announced the expansion of its existing joint venture with Hefei Automobile Axle Co., Ltd. (HAAC), a subsidiary of the JAC Group (Anhui Jianghuai Automotive Group Co., Ltd.) to include 100 percent of HAAC`s light commercial axle business.

The existing joint venture, Hefei AAM Automotive Driveline & Chassis System Co., Ltd. is currently a key supplier of rear beam axle, rear drive modules (RDM), power transfer units (PTU) and suspension corners for China independent brand passenger cars, SUVs and MPVs. By adding the light and medium duty commercial axle business, this expanded joint venture will supply front and rear beam axles to several leading Chinese light truck manufacturers, including JAC and BAIC Foton, making AAM the second largest axle supplier in China `s light commercial truck segment.

Report: Zoomlion Says China Crane and Excavator Growth to Slow

Diesel Progress Magazine
China’s Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co. said demand for cranes and excavators will continue to slow in China next year because of slowing economic growth and cutbacks in railway building, according to Bloomberg.com.

“Demand for construction machinery has shrunk drastically and growth will no doubt continue to slow next year,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Zhan Chunxin said in an interview with Bloomberg

Companies Need to Constantly Evolve to Cope with Change, Says Ashok Leyland’s VC Seshasayee

The Hindu Business Line
It is the task of the leader to ensure that the organization changes itself in response to the “discontinuous” changes in the market and society, said Mr. R. Seshasayee, Executive Vice-Chairman, Ashok Leyland.

“Volatility and unpredictability are big challenges in the market today. Organizations need to be constantly jumping up and changing, rather than having a smooth curve,” said Mr. Seshasayee, at the leadership conference organized by the Chennai Business School.

The Global Economic Landscape to be Presented at HD Dialogue ‘12

Distinguished economist, Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig, Director of the Global Perspectives program for the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University and founder of Globalguru.com will lay a foundation for the day's discussions by opening with a discussion on global, macro-economics. He will cover facts, forecasts and outlooks pertinent to the rest of the conference program, as a benchmark for data that will impact the commercial vehicle industry, as well as manufacturing and transportation.

From a global macro-economic discussion, to strategic considerations on the future of the On and Off Highway, Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicle Industry; Heavy Duty Dialogue will include rare appearences from highly sought after thought-leaders with advanced forecasts, predictions and trends for the industry for the next three to five years.

Caterpillar Boosting India Operations

Transport Topics Magazine
Caterpillar Inc. said Wednesday it will build a $150 million engine manufacturing facility in India to produce engines and will invest $62 million in its existing off-highway truck manufacturing facility there.

The engines will branded by Perkins, a Caterpillar subsidiary.

SORL Europe Inauguration on December 14, 2011

Dow Jones Global Press Release Wire
ZHEJIANG, China -- SORL Auto Parts, Inc., a leading supplier of brake and control systems to the global commercial vehicle industry, announced today that SORL Europe, a subsidiary of SORL established in July 2011, will hold a celebration for the opening of its regional headquarters office at "La Maison de l'Automobile", Brussels, Belgium, on December 14, 2011.

The following members of the senior management team of SORL and its subsidiaries will attend:

Navistar Adds New Truck Line at Springfield, US Assembly Plant

Just-Auto
Navistar International has shifted production to the Springfield plant from one of other Navistar plants that closed in 2011.

According to Steve Schrier, Navistar spokesperson, there is no prediction as to how many trucks will be added to production also there no immediate plans to offer new jobs.

Fuel Economy GHG Emissions Hit China's Passenger Vehicle Fleet

EnCompass
Passenger vehicles are the main consumers of gasoline in China.

We established a bottom-up model which focuses on the simulation of energy consumptions and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions growth by China's passenger vehicle fleet. The fuel conservation and GHG emissions mitigation effects of five measures including constraining vehicle registration, reducing vehicle travel, strengthening fuel consumption rate (FCR) limits, vehicle downsizing and promoting electric vehicle (EV) penetration were evaluated.

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