Caterpillar and NMG Sign Circular Supply Chain Deal

Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (NMG) and Caterpillar Inc. have signed agreements to provide a zero-exhaust emission fleet, supporting infrastructure, and service for NMG’s Matawinie Mine. Caterpillar will supply heavy mining equipment to transition from traditional models to Cat zero-exhaust emission machines.

Additionally, a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the two companies to advance commercial discussions targeting NMG’s active anode material.

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DATAPOINT: NA ATVs, 2023 Production

288,000 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of ATVs to be produced in North America in 2023.

ATV is a short term for All Terrain Vehicle. It commonly has 4 wheels and is designed to be driven off road. It seats one person, or sometimes two, one in front of the other.

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 28% of total units produced, Polaris leads in the production of 4-wheeled ATVs in North America.  In second position and third position are Honda and Yamaha Motor with 22% and 18.5%, respectively.   PSR

Carol Turner is Senior Analyst-Global Operations, at Power Systems Research

Fras-le Acquires Juratek in UK

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

Fras-le announced plans to acquire the operations of AML Juratek, the parent company of Juratek and BettaParts, which operate in the UK and European aftermarket, with lines of braking products such as discs, brake pads, calipers and actuators. Fras-le said it intends to invest about US$ 22 million (£ 18.2 million) in the acquisition.

Fras-le will continue to work in the European market with the Juratek and BettaParts brands and will receive the reinforcement of the other iconic brands of the company in the global market, such as Fras-le and Fremax, expanding business possibilities. In 2022, AML Juratek recorded revenues of approximately £25 million.

The acquisition is added to Fras-le’s global structure of operations, currently present with industrial units in Brazil, the United States, China, Argentina, Uruguay and India, as well as distribution, technology and development centers and commercial representations to serve customers in more than 120 countries on five continents.

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240 Ton EV Mining Truck Can Charge in 30 Minutes

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

A 240-ton mining haul truck is being fitted with a 1.4 megawatt-hour (MWh) prototype battery system that global green energy company Fortescue has developed with equipment maker Liebherr.

UK-based engineering company WAE Technologies, (acquired by Fortescue in March 2022), completed and delivered the battery system to Fortescue’s workshop in Perth, Australia. The battery will be assembled and installed in the mining haul truck before it’s transported to the Pilbara in Western Australia for onsite testing this year.

The battery system marks several firsts for an electric mining haul truck battery: In addition to having energy storage of 1.4 MWh, it also has the ability to fast-charge in 30 minutes, and it can regenerate power as it drives downhill.

Source:Electrek: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: This is a good view of the potential for all mining trucks, but it should be noted that a lot of these huge mining trucks are diesel-electric to start with, (a diesel generator powering electric drives), so this is a matter of replacing the generator with the battery pack. They also can recharge on the way down, so the battery size can be relatively smaller.     PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

John Deere Plans Construction Equipment Plant

Fabio Ferraresi
Fabio Ferraresi

John Deere has just announced an investment of US$ 35 million (R$ 190 million) in the production facilities for its Construction Division, two manufacturing units located in Indaiatuba, in the interior of São Paulo. The goal is to expand capacity to meet the growing demand for machines and to implement its Smart Connected Factory program, or Industry 4.0, which encompasses technologies to increase efficiency, quality in processes and reduce operating costs.

Source: Investe São Paulo  Read The Article

PSR Analysis: John Deere is reaching production capacity with the huge growth of demand for Construction Equipment in Brazil in recent years. This demand should continue and should keep increasing with the planned Infrastructure Investments and the continued expansion of the Mining business. Moreover, the strategy of localization, making products in Brazil rather than importing, making Brazilian plants a hub for exports, needs continued investment.   PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director Business, Development South Americafor Power Systems Research

DATAPOINT: North America Terminal Tractors

Estimated 2022 Production: 3,800 Units

3,800 units is the estimate by Power Systems Research of the number of Terminal Tractors to be produced in North America (United States) in 2023.

Terminal Tractors are specialized heavy duty vehicles designed to move loads at container ports and container terminals. Generally, they are slow moving (under 30km/h) and employ a high torque diesel engine and 4×4 wheel drive which enables them to move very heavy trailer loads, sometimes up to 200 or 300 tons

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JCB Unveils Mobile Hydrogen Refueler

Guy Youngs
Guy Youngs

JCB has unveiled a mobile hydrogen refueler which it says will allow on-site refueling of hydrogen powered machines in the same way that fuel bowsers are used for diesel powered equipment.

The mobile hydrogen refueller is designed to provide an easy way to refuel machines, the vast majority of which have fuel delivered to them while working on site, said the company. JCB said customers are already used to a transportable fuel system.

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Hydrogen Truck To Help Decarbonize Mining Industry

A new hydrogen fuel truck is being tested by the mining industry in hopes of helping to decarbonize activities that have been exceptionally challenging to mitigate. The mining industry contributes 7% of the world’s total carbon emissions per year, (according to McKinsey). This represents more than twice the carbon emissions from the global shipping industry, for example.

The hydrogen-powered vehicle is meant to replace typical mining haul vehicles, which pollute heavily.

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Liebherr Hydrogen Excavator Leads Bauma Innovators

iVT was a major winner at Bauma in Munich when it was recognized in the hotly contested Climate Protection category in the Bauma Innovation Awards. The hydrogen-combustion machine is the first ever Liebherr hydraulic excavator to be powered by a hydrogen engine

The machine’s prime power source is the H966 hydrogen combustion engine, which has six cylinders and uses port fuel injection (PFI), which Liebherr employs along with direct injection (DI) for its hydrogen engines

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