The Cat® Product Link fleet-management solution is being expanded in 2010 to boost user benefits. Additional hardware options enabled with cellular technology and a new user friendly web based application with enhanced features and new capabilities will improve overall fleet-management effectiveness.

The VisionLink™ Application
The VisionLink application will replace Product Link’s current user interface with powerful tools and features for processing and conveying information to users and dealers. Essential tools to manage your entire fleet of equipment include mapping, working and idle hours, fuel level and more. Keep machines in peak operating condition with timely notification of system events and diagnostic codes, and other machine health indicators. New utilization features will assist machine owners in using equipment more efficiently by supplying information that details working time and idle time, with trends and graphs for fuel-usage associated with each. This basic information can be applied across a fleet to draw inferences about machine efficiency and under-utilized assets.

Cellular technology
Today, hardware is available that utilizes Low-Earth-Orbit satellites to transmit data from (and to) the machine. The new generation of Product Link will have the capability to communicate on the cellular network (GSM) adding to the family of enabling hardware and providing contractors the ability to select the right fit option for the location for which their fleet operates.

Cellular communication’s primary advantage is its wider bandwidth, which means simply that the signal can accommodate more data more frequently. Existing satellite-based hardware however, can easily be upgraded to use the new cellular technology.

Mixed-fleet compatibility
Cat Product Link is as much a part of the modern Cat machine as the engine or transmission. However, this expanded capability is extended to the entire fleet, regardless of make or model, allowing all equipment to be monitored in one secure web-based application eliminating the need to visit different applications with varying functionality.

The VisionLink application has been developed by VirtualSite Solutions, a Caterpillar and Trimble joint venture company. VirtualSite Solutions is responsible for developing solutions to transform the way owners of mixed-fleets can efficiently and safely manage their equipment fleets, reduce operating costs and improve productivity in the area of fuel consumption, maintenance, worksite productivity and fleet logistics.

With the new VisionLink application, owners of equipment from any manufacturer can use solutions available from Caterpillar technology partner, Trimble.

Ultimate value
The Cat dealer network, with its worldwide strength and capability, is an integral aspect of the Product Link solution and expands the value for the customer in terms of quality service and rapid parts support.

Machine owners, partnering with the Cat dealer and the resources of Caterpillar, have the capability through Product Link to effectively manage both their equipment and their business. Included in the ultimate payoff for machine owners are reduced operating costs, more efficient application of machines to jobsites, increased machine utilization and cost savings that accrue from maintaining machines in good health.

Integrated monitoring capability
Product Link is available for all Cat machines and included as standard equipment on approximately 75 Cat models delivered to customers in over 50 countries around the world.

< P>Source:http://deutschland.cat.com/cda/layout/more?f=387165&pcId=2231861&x=7

Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. and Airbiquity Inc. today announced a partnership to provide telematics services for electric vehicles (EVs) globally.

Today’s market is focused on commercializing EVs to achieve zero-emission mobility and reduce overall levels of carbon dioxide. EVs require a range of connected support services, including advising drivers on when to take their vehicle to a charging station, locating nearby stations, using mobile phones – including smart phones – to check battery condition, determining optimum routes and other applicable services.

Through this partnership, Hitachi Automotive Systems and Airbiquity will be able to establish a common system infrastructure for global services, providing vehicle connectivity and delivering essential EV-oriented services and other common applications. These services can be tailored to the needs of the EV manufacturers, and combined and delivered via a global, cooperative system.

With the Hitachi Automotive Systems- and Airbiquity-created platform forming a central hub in the smart-grid network, the partnership paves the way for creating gateway infrastructures that can be linked with smart-grid systems. This will increase the footprint of both companies in the field of global connected vehicle services, and also help automotive manufacturers worldwide quickly implement EV solutions, creating efficiencies and optimizing the costs of their service operations.

“We are excited for the opportunity offered by this alliance with Hitachi Automotive Systems to support the creation of next-generation services for advanced vehicles,” said David Jumpa, Senior Vice President of Global Business Development at Airbiquity. “We are confident that our reliable, vehicle-oriented solutions can provide the systems infrastructure required for the exchange of mission-critical information for Hitachi Automotive Systems.”

“As both social awareness of traffic and transportation efficiency and the importance of contributing to the protection of the environment rise, Hitachi Automotive Systems continues to focus on providing connected vehicle service providers with intelligent, advanced solutions,” said Masamori Kashiyama, General Manager of the Next-Generation Telematics Center of Hitachi Automotive Systems’ CIS Division. “Combining these with Airbiquity’s specialized technology and extensive operational experience in the area of vehicle connectivity will make it possible for vehicle manufacturers to operate and maintain their services with more speed and efficiency than if they were operating on their own.”

Source: http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/100420a.html

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has completed development related to floating production, storage and offloading units for liquefied natural gas (LNG-FPSO), and has obtained two kinds of approval in principle (AIP) from major international ship classification societies. In tandem with intensified activity in medium- and small-scale offshore gas field development, demand for LNG-FPSOs, a new method of gas production offering movable capability, has been increasing globally. Boosted by the new recognition of the safety and reliability of its proposed units, MHI will now begin aggressive marketing activities toward construction of the world’s first LNG-FPSO.

The first AIP is for an LNG-FPSO concept that adopts MOSS type spherical storage tanks, whose safety and reliability have already been confirmed through wide use in LNG carriers; it was obtained from Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (LRS) of the UK. MHI plans to propose LNG-FPSOs incorporating the MOSS type tanks to medium-scale gas-field development projects with 1 to 2 million tons per annum (MTPA) production capacity, a sector where large demand is expected.

The MOSS type tank has been generally considered unsuitable for LNG-FPSOs due to its hemispherical shaped dome, which impedes providing enough space for the topside plant on the deck. MHI has solved this problem by enlarging the tank size and reducing the number of tanks required so that enough flat deck space for the topside plant can be secured.

The other API is for an independent prismatic tank categorized as International Maritime Organization (IMO) Type B*1, which satisfies international rules applied to gas carriers (IMO Gas Code); it was obtained from three classification societies: LRS, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) of Japan. MHI expects solid demand for this type of LNG-FPSO mainly for gas fields with more than 3 MTPA production capacity. Although the independent prismatic tank type B LNG-FPSO is considered costly than the MOSS type or membrane type, in which the ship hull itself functions as the tank’s supporting structure, it is capable of providing more deck space for the topside plant than the MOSS type. Like the MOSS type, independent prismatic tank type B is free from possible liquid sloshing inside the tank, a potential problem with membrane type tanks, where impact pressure can generate liquid motion, or traveling waves, inside the tank, resulting in the damages to the tank.

An FPSO is a floating unit equipped with facilities for production, storage and offloading of oil and gas. Although oil FPSOs have already been built and delivered by MHI and other companies, winning solid acclaim for their reusability due to their ability to be moved from one oil field to another, to date the construction of LNG-FPSOs has remained in the planning stage.

Generally, LNG has been produced from large-scale gas fields on land or near shore and production has been handled by a gas liquefaction facility on land. However, as the development of such gas fields approaches the saturation level, development of large-scale sea-bottom offshore gas fields and small- and medium-scale offshore gas fields has been drawing attention. “Stranded” gas reserves, i.e. natural gas fields that have been discovered but remain untapped, are said to account for 40 to 60% of confirmed recoverable gas reserves, and it is for this reason that the LNG-FPSO has come into the spotlight.

Leveraging its expertise garnered through its experience in constructing oil FPSOs, numerous LNG carriers and offshore structures, and boosted by collaboration with BW Offshore Limited, one of the world’s leading FPSO contractors, for the MOSS type LNG-FPSO, MHI will actively engage in business expansion in the ocean resource development and exploration field, especially LNG-FPSOs including the larger size ones utilizing independent prismatic tank type B as well.

Source: http://www.mhi.co.jp/en/news/story/1004201348.html

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it has received two orders for a total of five shield machines to be used in constructing the second stage of the Singapore mass rapid transit system’s Downtown Line Stage_2 (DTL2). Korea-based SK Engineering & Construction placed an order for three shield machines while an order for an additional two shield machines came from another Korean company, GS Engineering & Construction. All five shield machines are scheduled for delivery between September 2010 and January 2011.

These slurry shield machines (with a diameter of 6.63 m) will be used to complete Singapore’s DTL2, a 16.6-km subway line now being built by Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA). The machines will excavate a seven-kilometer stretch of the DTL2 consisting of project C915, which runs from Beauty World to Hillview Stations, and project C913, which runs from the Hillview to Cashew Stations. Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.

The slurry shield machines harness both the shield tunneling technology used in the excavation of soft ground as well as the tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology employed in carving out rock and gravel layers to burrow through mixed layers of rock and soil. Designed to excavate virtually any geological strata, the shield machines are outfitted with Kawasaki’s proprietary replaceable cutter bits as well as an articulated steering system that enables them to excavate curved sections. Kawasaki will also supply various auxiliary equipment to go with the shield machines, including a slurry treatment system.

Kawasaki has supplied more than 1,400 shield machines and TBMs around the world, including 11 in Singapore. These latest orders are a testament to Kawasaki’s outstanding technological capability as well as the proven track record and reliability of its shield machines that can excavate any type of soil.

Kawasaki expects to see additional orders for shield machines coming from Singapore as the country goes ahead with plans for more underground construction work including the LTA’s ongoing subway project. Demand is expected to remain steady for the medium and long-term throughout Asia with subway construction projects scheduled in major Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Harbin, Wuhan, and Chengdu, as well as Vietnam and Indonesia. Kawasaki is moving steadily ahead to expand its shield machine and TBM sales throughout the world.

Some features of the shield machines to be used in the Singapore subway construction project are summarized below.

Source: http://www.khi.co.jp/ba/2010data/ba_c3100414_1.html

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp., U.S.A. (KMM), reached a new milestone as the 1000th rail car rolled off the production line at its rail car plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. This 1000th rail car is a PA-5 railcar for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The KMM Lincoln plant was built in 1974 as Kawasaki’s U.S. production base for motorcycles. The plant’s operations were expanded in 2001 to include rail car manufacturing. Since then, it has continually focused on keeping Kawasaki ahead of the pack in the rolling stock industry. The plant is the only facility in the U.S. designed for integrated mass production of railcars. The Lincoln plant has produced subway cars for MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) and bi-level commuter cars for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The plant built its 500th railcar in February 2008 and now just two years later has completed its 1000th. This momentous achievement coincides with peak production to fill orders KMM had received between 2005 and 2008 for PA-5 as well as R160B NYCT subway cars.

The Lincoln pant plays a significant role in Kawasaki’s rolling stock operations. This vital production base in the U.S. enables Kawasaki to save shipping costs, improve productivity, and ensure compliance with the “Buy America” regulations that requires manufacturers to buy domestic components for use in production. KMM has earned an excellent reputation in the local market, supplying quality “Made in the U.S.A.” rail cars at low cost.

The U.S. currently has plans on the drawing board that include a wide spectrum of rail cars ranging from high speed rail cars to light rail vehicles. America is moving to expand its railway system, using freight lines for passenger rail services and replacing its large aging rail fleet with a brand new one.

Kawasaki is leveraging the superior technological capability and reliability of its KMM Lincoln plant, a key Kawasaki production base in the U.S., to take its rolling stock business to new heights.

Source: http://www.khi.co.jp/ba/2010data/ba_c3100413_1.html

Hitachi Europe Ltd. (hereinafter Hitachi),and GREEN DATA SYSTEMS (hereinafter called GDS) have agreed to enter into a strategic partnership for the collaboration and deployment of highly energy efficient data centres.

As part of this partnership, Green Data Systems B.V., a co-founder of Eco2dc, will launch a highly energy efficient data centre based in Deventer, The Netherlands in July 2010.

GDS is one of the investors to Eco2dc initiative, which is planning to develop the most energy efficient European data centre in The Netherlands. Hitachi’s modular type data centres are thought to be an effective solution for energy efficiency in data centres; therefore a partnership between Hitachi and GDS has been established to initiate the development of these highly energy efficient data centres.

In 2007, the Hitachi Group launched its energy efficient data centre project. This project was initiated as Hitachi became aware of the increasing demand for IT equipment in data centres and the need to lower the environmental impact of this technology.

Hitachi later developed a modular data centre solution, which has been available in Japan since January 2009. The solution optimises the configuration of the cooling units to obtain the highest level of power efficiency in a high-density arranged data centre. This enables data centre operators to boost the utilisation of space to the highest potential, while reducing CO2 emissions considerably.

GDS pursues energy efficiency in data centres and provides customers with optimal Data Centre Capacity, Cooling, Managed Services, SAN, Security, Server, Software and Data Storage Technology as well as services for green data centres and resellers in European countries such as Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. Eco2dc is a leading Data Centre Services provider aiming to build and operate the most energy efficient Data Centre in Europe.

Wessel Graatsma, CEO of Green Data Systems, said: “We are very enthusiastic about the potential of this strategic partnership with Hitachi. We believe Hitachi’s cooling technology and operating know-how for data centres contributes to our green data centre business. It has potential to increase energy efficiency, which is a key requirement for our customers.”

Akira Shimizu, Managing Director of Hitachi Europe Ltd., said: “We are very pleased to enter this strategic partnership with Green Data Systems. GDS is one of our excellent distributors in the EMEA region and the contribution for greenness is remarkable. As part of this partnership, we will contribute to society by decreasing our customers’ ecological footprint. Further progress in our data centre technology will enable the expansion of Hitachi’s modular data centre business in Europe.”

Hitachi’s cooling system, which is based on the modular data centre, will be housed in Deventer, The Netherlands. Hitachi will obtain operating data from the data centre for research purposes to further improve energy efficiency. The site will also be a showcase of Hitachi’s technologies for energy efficient data centres to customers throughout Continental Europe.

Source: http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/100409.html

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has agreed to license its crane and material handling equipment technology for large-scale ports, including container cranes, to Anupam Industries Limited (ANUPAM), India’s largest overhead crane builder. The two companies signed a licensing agreement in India today. Through licensing MHI aims to capture India’s rapidly expanding market and also seeks to develop markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With establishment of a joint venture in India also in its sights, MHI looks to accelerate business expansion in these regions in a quest to boost its overall ratio of overseas sales.

Under the agreement, initially the licensed products will be sold in India’s domestic market only. Specifically MHI will provide ANUPAM with technology licensing for quayside cranes such as container cranes and transfer cranes, material handling systems such as loaders and unloaders, and steel plant logistics systems. MHI and ANUPAM are already collaborating in several business negotiations within India. MHI is also considering strengthening the two companies’ collaborative relationship through establishment of a joint venture company in India. The geographical areas of collaboration will be progressively expanded to the entire Asian region, the Middle East and Africa.

ANUPAM, which was founded in 1973, is based in Anand, Gujarat, India’s westernmost state. The company has completed numerous deliveries of various cranes to the steel, power, construction, cement, shipyard, fertilizer, petrochemicals, and heavy and general engineering sectors.

Thanks to the success of its economic deregulation policy introduced during the 1990’s, India achieved over 9% economic growth for three straight years from fiscal 2005 through 2007. The country continues its strong growth despite the global economic crisis, maintaining a high growth rate. Along with infrastructure improvement and industry growth, local demand for large-size cranes and material handling systems is in a rising trend.

MHI’s material handling sector, which includes cranes, has recently been recording annual sales near 20 billion yen, of which overseas sales account for less than 10%. Through collaboration with ANUPAM, MHI looks to increase sales initially in the rapidly growing Indian market and in future the entire Asian, Middle East and African regions. The company is also mulling the establishment of a production base in India to accommodate demand if business expands as expected, and to expand sales channels for these regions. In tandem with these initiatives, MHI will further strengthen its aggressive marketing activities, aiming to lift its overseas sales ratio of cranes to near 50%.

Source: http://www.mhi.co.jp/en/news/story/1004131345.html

The project to expand the Paiton Thermal Power Station (Paiton III project) in Indonesia, in connection with which Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has received an order for an 815 MW supercritical-pressure coal-fired power generation plant, will now launch full-scale construction work following the signing of a project financing loan agreement. The new power plant, to be delivered to PT Paiton Energy, an independent power producer (IPP) jointly established by companies in Japan, the UK and Indonesia, will be the largest and most efficient coal-fired power plant in Indonesia. It is slated to start a commercial operation in 2012.

The new supercritical-pressure coal-fired power plant will be constructed at a site adjacent to an existing power plant in the Paiton complex, approximately 150 kilometers southeast of Surabaya, the provincial capital of East Java. The new plant is aimed at easing the region’s increasingly tight electricity supply. The power generated at the plant will be sold to PT PLN (Persero), Indonesia’s state-owned power utility company, for 30 years based on a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). MHI’s Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works will manufacture and supply the steam turbine and boiler. Civil construction work will be undertaken by TOA Corporation of Japan. Mitsui & Co., Ltd. will handle the trade particulars.

On March 8, PT Paiton Energy signed a US$1,215 million project financing agreement with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and eight commercial banks. Although construction work at the Paiton complex has been already partially started, conclusion of the loan agreement will now accelerate the expansion project, getting construction under way on full scale.

PT Paiton Energy is a special purpose company (SPC) established in Indonesia in 1994. Equity is owned by Mitsui & Co.; IPM Eagle LLP, a joint venture between International Power of the UK and Mitsui & Co. Ltd.; The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated (TEPCO); and PT Batu Hitam Perkasa of Indonesia.

Supercritical-pressure coal-fired power generation has higher power generation efficiency than subcritical-pressure power generation and is capable of reducing coal consumption relative to power output, which results in lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Going forward MHI will continue to conduct aggressive marketing activities for high-efficiency and environmentally friendly supercritical and ultra-supercritical pressure power generation systems in Japan and abroad.

Source: http://www.mhi.co.jp/en/news/story/1004141346.html

Kobe Steel, Ltd. has decided to establish a company in China to produce and market aluminum forgings for automotive suspensions. Plans call for the new company to be established in June in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Following construction of a plant, Kobe Steel anticipates that production will begin in August 2012.

Provisionally called Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products (China) Co., Ltd., the new company will be located in the Suzhou New District. The facility, with a floor space of 7,000 square meters, will be built on a 30,000 square-meter property. It will be equipped with a 6,300-metric-ton mechanical forging press and heat treatment equipment.

The new company, to employ 50 people, will be capitalized at 1 billion yen. Total investment is expected to be approximately 2.5 billion yen.

Aluminum forgings for automotive suspensions are increasingly used in luxury cars to reduce weight and meet environmental regulations. Kobe Steel has a high share of the Japanese market for aluminum forgings for suspensions and manufactures the high-end product in the company’s Daian Plant in Inabe, Mie Prefecture, Japan. In 2005, Kobe Steel’s U.S. subsidiary, Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products, LLC, began operations in Bowling Green, Kentucky to supply automakers in North America.

In the current economic situation, China is an important manufacturing location for both Japanese and Western automakers. With auto production steadily rising in China, Kobe Steel anticipates demand will increase for aluminum suspensions in that country.

The global procurement of materials and parts for automakers is expected to accelerate. Sourcing parts for world strategic cars, automakers need a local structure that can supply their production systems at each location. Kobe Steel concluded that it was essential to establish a production site in China to meet growing orders from automakers in China.

After starting up the Suzhou plant, Kobe Steel will have production facilities in three world markets - Japan, the United States and China. The Suzhou operation will enable Kobe Steel to expand its marketing activities in China. Kobe Steel will consider increasing production capacity in the future as the need arises to meet demand from automakers around the world.

Source: http://www.kobelco.co.jp/english/topics/2010/04/1183155_10463.html

Komatsu Ltd. (President & CEO: Kunio Noji) has developed a new diesel engine technology which is compliant with new emission regulations in Japan, North America and Europe. While present emission regulations in effect are very stringent on nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) in Japan, North America and Europe, upcoming regulations require further reduction of NOx and PM down to about 10%, which calls for a very advanced level of technologies on the part of manufacturers.

To reduce NOx, we need to lower the combustion temperature, which will, in most cases, increase the amount of PM and worsen fuel economy. Therefore, the development of diesel engines necessitates reduction of both NOx and PM at the same time, while improving fuel economy. In addition, construction equipment engines are also required to generate high performance, always at maximum power output and torque due to the nature of demanding use.

Komatsu has engaged in integrated production of diesel engines for construction equipment from R&D. Ranging from 3.3- to 46-liter emission engines*, they are mounted on PC120 hydraulic excavators and other medium-sized equipment to large haul trucks. Furthermore, by taking advantage of in-house development and production of engines, hydraulic units, control systems and major components, we have designed engines and equipment structures as an integrated whole and introduced engines which generate best possible performance under all kinds of conditions. By integrating leading-edge technologies into our proprietary engine technologies accumulated over the years, we have developed new engine technologies capable of reducing environmental impact while improving fuel economy.

*including some engine models which are jointly developed and manufactured by Cummins Inc.

[Technologies Applied to New Engine]

1. Variable Geometry Turbo System

2. Diesel Particulate Filter

3. Heavy Duty HPCR* System

*High-Pressure Common Rail

4. Heavy Duty Cooled EGR* System

*Exhaust Gas Recirculation

5. New Combustion System
We have improved the design of the combustion chamber located above the piston in order to further reduce not only NOx and PM but also fuel consumption and noise.

6. Electronic Control System
The electronic control system performs high-speed processing of all signals from sensors installed in the equipment body and engine to ensure total control of the equipment according to all kinds of conditions of use. It reduces fuel consumption and noise in addition to NOx and PM.

Source: http://www.komatsu.com/CompanyInfo/press/2010040618303024011.html