Category: Industry trends

Recently, Schneider Electric successfully held the 2023 Metallurgical Industry Customer Exchange Conference in Tianjin. It held in-depth discussions with many industry insiders from design institutes, general contractors and steel companies on the challenges and development trends faced by the metallurgical industry in the context of the “dual transformation” of digitalization and low carbonization. It also comprehensively interpreted Schneider Electric’s full-scenario solutions and application practices for the metallurgical industry, covering digital intelligent technology, automation systems, and upgrading and transformation services, to jointly promote the high-quality development and green and sustainable transformation of the industry.

China, as the world’s largest metallurgical industry country, has a steel output close to half of the world’s total, but the uneven level of intelligence and backward energy management methods also restrict the industry’s development in a high-quality and green direction. Therefore, actively promoting digital upgrading and in-depth implementation of energy-saving and carbon-reducing technology changes have become the current industry priorities.

“Trinity” creates full-scenario solutions

After years of deep cultivation in the metallurgical industry, facing the future development direction of automation, unmanned, intelligent and low-carbon in the metallurgical industry, Schneider Electric relies on the EcoStruxureTM architecture and platform to integrate cutting-edge digital intelligent technologies, advanced automation control systems, and full life cycle services to create full-scenario solutions to help metallurgical enterprises significantly improve automation control, efficient operation, safety and reliability, energy saving and carbon reduction, and escort green and intelligent transformation:

Digital intelligent technology: By accelerating the integration of IT and OT, and comprehensively innovating in three aspects: interconnected products, edge control, application, analysis and service, Schneider Electric can provide users with complete solutions covering digital material yards, intelligent logistics, integrated management and control, energy management, asset management, etc., to achieve unmanned and intelligent operations in a way that is more in line with actual scenarios, maximize the guarantee of safe operation, reduce energy consumption, and improve investment returns.

Automation system: Based on its profound experience in automation, Schneider Electric has a full range of leading products including Modicon M580 PLC control system, ATV1200C series medium voltage inverter, Yucheng series low voltage inverter, EcoStruxure Triconex safety instrument system, etc. Among them, the classic Modicon M580 is completely based on industrial Ethernet for connection and communication. It has advanced components, flexible architecture and excellent performance, which can make the production process more flexible, transparent and safe. When used in combination with the software platform, it can also integrate process management and energy management, so that users can understand energy data in real time, improve factory operation efficiency, and reduce energy consumption. In addition, the EcoStruxure Triconex safety instrument system, which complies with the IEC 61508 standard, has passed the German TÜV certification, and the ISASecure® Embedded Device Security Assurance (EDSA) Level 1 certification, can meet the metallurgical industry’s strict requirements for functional safety, information security, risk reduction and continuous operation, thereby protecting the safety of customers’ assets, personnel and environment while creating greater benefits.

Full life cycle service: Combining comprehensive industrial software, strong technical capabilities and teams, and relying on professional services such as green intelligent manufacturing consulting, energy management consulting and sustainable development consulting, Schneider Electric can integrate digital transformation and low-carbon transformation into all aspects of consulting, planning and implementation, and provide metallurgical enterprises with consulting, transformation, upgrading, commissioning, training, acceptance and other full life cycle services, while improving digitalization and sustainability capabilities.

So far, Schneider Electric’s automation systems and digital intelligent products have been successfully deployed in 511 ironmaking projects and 24 steelmaking projects of more than 155 steel companies, covering a wide range of scenarios such as raw material fields, sintering, pelletizing, coking, blast furnaces, steelmaking, and power energy, to ensure efficient, safe and green production for customers.

Practice first, achieve industry transformation demonstration

With the above advantages and all-round capabilities, Schneider Electric has helped many domestic steel companies achieve green and intelligent transformation and accumulated rich practical experience. Since 2016, Schneider Electric has been cooperating with Baosteel in all aspects, including the unmanned driving of hot rolling workshops, which has not only successfully promoted the overall digital upgrade and intelligent management innovation of the enterprise, but also provided many references for the comprehensive transformation of the steel industry. In addition, for a certain ironmaking centralized control system, Schneider Electric provided AVEVA system platform and AVEVA Intouch human-machine interface and other products to help customers effectively cope with the challenge of the centralized control system to aggregate the massive data of ironmaking, steelmaking and dynamic environmental protection, thereby realizing the centralized management and operation of 258 automation systems, more than 330,000 monitoring points, 282 on-site operation tables, and 114 operation rooms in the whole plant.

In addition, for a certain hot-rolled slab warehouse unmanned upgrade project, Schneider Electric helped customers promote the internal IoT integration of the enterprise by providing solutions such as warehouse management system, driving automation system and ground system, and realized the efficient automatic operation of driving with advanced dynamic algorithms, and ensured the safety of personnel and facilities while achieving the linkage effect of ground equipment.
Liu Changsheng, Metallurgical Industry Manager of Schneider Electric Industrial Automation, said: “In the context of dual transformation, intelligence and greening have become the only way for traditional industries such as the metallurgical industry to move towards the future. Schneider Electric will always maintain its innovative momentum and launch products and systems that are more in line with modern metallurgical usage scenarios and meet actual domestic needs. It will also further expand its cooperation with partners in the industrial chain, continue to use digitalization as a starting point and low carbonization as a goal, and help more metallurgical companies achieve dual improvements in energy efficiency and quality, and ultimately achieve a smart and green vision, and jointly promote the high-quality and sustainable development of the industry.”
Related product recommendations:
UNS4681V511 BHE004074R0511
VMIVME-5565–010000
IS200AEPCH1ABC
IS200BPPBH2BJD
IS200AEPCH1ABC
6DD2920-0AB0
6DD2920-0AL0
6DD2920-0AM0
6DD2920-0BB0
6DD2920-0AJ0
121T9685P0010
362A1052P306
05701-A-0502
05701-A-0301
05701-A-0451
05701-A-0327
05701-A-0283
05701-A-301ISS
05701-A-0288
05701-A-0294
05704-A-0123
05704-A-0146
More……

DETROIT — General Motors’ latest all-electric vehicle is a three-row SUV in Cadillac’s luxury lineup that the brand is calling a “baby Escalade.”

The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq will be the final model in the brand’s new lineup of electric vehicles, with production set to begin and arrival in dealer showrooms in 2025.

The SUV will start at $78,790. Its price slots between the roughly $63,500 Lyriq and the upcoming $130,000 Escalade IQ EV.

Cadillac marketing chief Brad Franz said the new car is closer to a “baby Escalade” than a larger version of the Lyriq, the brand’s first electric vehicle, due in 2022.

“It’s a great platform, and it’s much more similar to the Escalade than it is to the Lyriq,” he said at a media event.

The interior and exterior design of the Vistiq are consistent with Cadillac’s existing and upcoming electric vehicles, including the Lyriq and Escalade IQ. The interior features a long screen that stretches across the dashboard, while the exterior includes stylish vertical and horizontal headlights and an illuminated grille.

The car has a 102-kWh battery pack that delivers 615 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Cadillac estimates the car has a range of 300 miles on a full charge.

The Vistiq will be sold globally, including in the United States and Canada, and will go into production at GM’s Spring Hill manufacturing plant in Tennessee in early 2025. At launch, the Vistiq will be available in three trims: Luxury, Sport and Premium Luxury. The top-of-the-line “Platinum” trim will be available starting in summer 2025.

Cadillac’s all-electric vehicle portfolio is expected to include the entry-level Optiq crossover, the midsize Lyriq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ full-size SUVs. It also offers a custom $300,000 Celestiq.

Cadillac previously said it would offer exclusively electric vehicles by 2030, but the brand later backed off that goal, saying it would be guided by customer demand.
Model recommendation:
IS200ESELH1A
 IS220UCSAH1A
IS200AEPGG1AAA
IS200TSVCH2AED
IS215UCCCM04AB
IS220PDIOH1A
IS220PPROS1B
IS200EPMCH1
IS215UCCAH3A
IS200JPDGH1A
IS420UCSBH1a
IS415UCVHH1A
IS215UCVHM06A
IS415UCVHH1AB
IS420UCSCS2A-B-V0.1-A
IS41ySUAAH1A
IS410BAPBH1A
IS41yJPDEG1A
IS41yJPDDG4A
PPC907BE101
PPC907BE101 3BHE024577R0101
PPC905AE101
PPC905AE101 3BHE014070R0101
PPC380AE01 HIEE300885R0001
PPC380AE01
PPC380AE02
PPC380AE02 HIEE300885R0102
PPC380AE102 HIEE300885R0102
UFC718AE101
UFC719AE01 3BHB000272R0001
UFC718AE101 HIEE300936R0101
UFC719AE01 3BHB003041R0001
UFC719AE01 3BHB003041R0001
UFC719AE101 3BHB003041R0101
UFC719AE101 3BHB00072R0101
UFC719AE101
UFC721AE
more……

DETROIT — Volkswagen Group increased its planned investment in a joint venture with electric vehicle startup Rivian Automotive to $5.8 billion as the two companies aim to work together more broadly than initially announced.

The details of the deal impressed investors, pushing Rivian shares up 13% in Wednesday trading.

The joint venture will provide VW with the next-generation electrical architecture and software for its electric vehicles across its brands, while providing Rivian with a needed infusion of capital and new opportunities for future revenue and earnings growth.

The funding is expected to help Rivian expand production of its small R2 SUV at its plant in Normal, Illinois, starting in 2026, as well as production of its midsize electric vehicle platform at its plant in Georgia, where Rivian paused construction earlier this year.

The companies said the joint venture is expected to have about 1,000 employees.

But VW’s investment in Rivian is not certain, and neither is the success of the deal. The electric car maker must achieve some goals first.

The auto industry has seen many large mergers and joint ventures that have not led to long-term success. Many mergers and joint ventures fail before they bear significant fruit.

Both Volkswagen and Rivian have experienced similar failures with Ford Motor in recent years. Two years after Ford acquired a 12% stake in the startup in 2019, Rivian and the Detroit automaker canceled plans to jointly develop electric vehicles. Around the same time, Volkswagen also announced a $2.6 billion autonomous vehicle deal with Ford that fell through.

Volkswagen is also in the midst of a restructuring that could affect the automaker’s future plans, including large layoffs amid declining sales and profits.

Both Volkswagen and Rivian have high hopes for the joint venture, which will be named Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies LLC.

Volkswagen’s investment will be allocated to Rivian in a variety of forms, including convertible bonds, equity and debt. Rivian will receive $2.3 billion this year and up to $3.5 billion by the end of 2027 or early 2028, depending on negotiated milestones, as detailed below.

2024: $2.3 billion

Rivian received $1 billion in funding after the deal was announced in June. The money came in the form of convertible notes that are expected to convert into Rivian equity on December 1.

Of the $1 billion, $500 million will convert at $10.84 per share. The other $500 million will convert based on the stock’s 45-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) before conversion.

Once the deal is completed and the joint venture is established, Rivian will receive $1.3 billion in cash this week, including “consideration for background [intellectual property] licenses and 50% equity in the joint venture.”

2025: $1 billion

If Rivian achieves two non-consecutive quarters of $50 million in gross profit or two consecutive quarters of gross profit, the company will receive $1 billion in investment in the form of equity, a premium of 33% over the 30-day volume-weighted average price at the time of issuance. That won’t happen earlier than June, according to the companies.

Rivian has five years to reach the milestone, which will be measured on its GAAP versus profit basis and excludes any impact of the joint venture on Rivian’s financials.

Rivian CFO Claire McDonough said the company will update the expected financial impact of the joint venture when it releases fourth-quarter results next year.

2026: $2 billion, including loan

Rivian will receive $1 billion in equity if it successfully tests the joint venture’s technology on one or more vehicles during winter testing. The equity investment will be based on the 30-day VWAP prior to the investment.

Rivian also has the option of taking out a $1 billion loan in October 2026, which would be collateralized by its equity in the joint venture.

The loan would need to be prepaid over 10 years, but the principal would not need to be repaid until 2029. The loan rate will be equal to Volkswagen’s seven-year cost of debt plus 25 basis points.

2027/early 2028: $460 million

Rivian will receive $460 million in equity for the production of the first saleable Volkswagen vehicle using the joint venture’s technology.

The equity investment will be priced at an 84% premium to the 30-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) until milestones are reached.

Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume said at a press conference on Tuesday that the German automaker expects to use Rivian’s technology across a range of price points, international markets and brands.

Other details

VW said it will finance 75% of the costs of shared platforms within the joint venture through 2028, while Rivian will provide 25%.

Starting in 2029, VW will add $100 million per year to the joint venture’s shared costs, which will reduce Rivian’s shared costs.

In addition, Rivian expects to save on material costs by purchasing shared parts such as electronic control units from suppliers.

Boeing said more than 32,000 striking machinists must return to the plant no later than Tuesday, but getting the factory running again will take weeks.

Boeing machinists approved a new contract last week that includes a 38% wage increase over four years and other improvements, ending a more than seven-week strike that halted production of most Boeing aircraft. They first walked out on Sept. 13, rejecting a proposed 25% pay increase.

The company said Tuesday it delivered 14 jetliners in October, the fewest since November 2020, at the height of the pandemic and at the tail end of the global grounding of the Boeing 737 Max following two fatal crashes. Nine of the planes delivered last month were 737 Max. A spokesman said workers not affected by the strike performed the delivery procedures.

Boeing’s woes have put it further behind Airbus this year. So far this year, the U.S. manufacturer has delivered 305 planes, while its European rivals have delivered 559.

As workers return, Boeing must assess potential hazards, reiterate mechanics’ duties and safety requirements and ensure all training qualifications are up to date, a spokesman said.

“It’s much harder to start this program than it is to shut it down. So we have to get it right,” Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg said on the company’s quarterly conference call last month.

The company is resuming production of the 737 Max, 767 and 777 programs, as well as military aircraft, in Washington state and Oregon. Production of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has continued during the strike because the planes are built at a non-union plant in South Carolina.

Despite the strike pause, Boeing continued to sell dozens of planes in October, with orders totaling 63, two fewer than the September total. Of those, 40 were 737 Max 8s from Avia Solutions Group. The company also delivered 10 787 Dreamliners to LATAM Airlines.