Supply Side: Ballard, Harting, Navis, Siemens, Wabtec
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Wabtec has issued a 2021 Sustainability Report, highlighting progress toward key Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives.
Ballard Power Systems has acquired Arcola Energy for $40 million. In addition, Harting has earned a product innovation award for its har-modular® series; Navis has recognized six customers with 2021 Inspire Awards; Siemens Mobility and RazorSecure have teamed to provide enhanced rail cybersecurity monitoring solutions; and Wabtec Corp. has published a 2021 Sustainability Report.
PEM fuel cell engine manufacturer Ballard Power Systems reported that it has acquired Arcola Energy, a systems engineering firm specializing in hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and vehicle systems integration, for “total upfront and earn-out cash and share consideration of up to US$40 million, based on the achievement of certain performance milestones” over a two-year period.
Arcola has more than 10 years of experience integrating Ballard fuel cell engines into powertrains and heavy-duty vehicles, including trains, buses and refuse trucks, and has approximately 90 employees based in the U.K.
“With the acquisition of Arcola, we will make it easier for existing and new OEM customers globally to offer FCEVs [fuel cell electric vehicles] by providing stronger support for the integration of our fuel cell engines into their vehicle platforms, including powertrain integration, vehicle integration and application engineering,” Ballard President and CEO Randy MacEwen said.
Elgin, Ill.-based Harting’s har-modular® series has received a gold IDEA! Award in the “Machines & Components” category from Machine Design and Hydraulics & Pneumatics magazines. Honorees were selected by “engineers from all over the world who voted on the product innovations released in the last year that they felt best fulfilled the promise of greater operational effectiveness,” according to the company.
The har-modular series is a PCB connector system that offers “over a billion combination possibilities for data, signal and power,” Harting said.
“The har-modular® series combines the well-known DIN 41 612 footprint with the megatrend of modularity offering engineers complete flexibility in a familiar package,” said Phill Shaw, Senior Product Manager for Harting’s board level products. “In addition, we have also developed an intuitive online configurator tool so engineers can build their custom connector quickly and easily.”
Navis honored eight customers at the Navis World 2021 virtual event, held earlier this month. Six received 2021 Inspire Awards for demonstrating “excellence in the industry and innovation across the six categories over the past two years.” The categories include: Digital Transformation, Performance and Capacity Optimization, Sustainability, Collaboration Across Workers in the Cargo Flow, Automation, and Dynamic Solution in the Pandemic. Navis also presented two Individual Achievement Awards.
“Our customers met the multitude of supply chain challenges spurred by the pandemic head on,” Navis Chief Strategy Officer Andy Barrons said. “We are proud to acknowledge our terminal, ocean carriers and other partners around the globe, and celebrate an industry that kept the supply chain functioning and the flow of goods moving during a tumultuous time for the global community.”
The 2021 Inspire Award winners are:
• Performance and Capacity Optimization category: APM Terminals (Port Elizabeth Port, N.J.), for its implementation of a gate appointment system and a new gate operating system to “provide a consistent truck driver experience, and improve yard planning to better allocate equipment and cut wait times,” Navis said.
• Sustainability category: CentrePort Wellington Ltd. (Wellington, New Zealand), for rebuilding and revitalizing the port after the Kaikoura earthquake. “By transitioning its mode of container operation from Straddle & Reach Stacker to fully electric trailers, it has achieved efficiencies across the board while already diverting up to $100,000 NZD worth of fuel costs and $65,000 NZD worth of rental costs for diesel tractor-trailer operations (forecasted annually), and is projected to offset its carbon emissions by 5.2% of its 2019 footprint,” according to Navis.
• Collaboration Across Stakeholders in the Cargo Flow category: DP World Ecuador, for the collaboration of DP World Logistics and DP World Posorja using N4 to “provide a full repertoire of supply chain services, including depot and container transport, an offering not available under one entity anywhere else in Ecuador,” reported Navis.
• Automation category: Tianjin Port (China), for converting a manned yard into an automated yard. “In addition to equipment automation, they implemented process automation, and now the port has built a fully automated terminal with a parallel layout in their Terminal C and they did so in record time,” according to Navis.
• Dynamic Solution in the Pandemic category: Haifa Port (Israel), for working with Navis to move from a multi-facility structure to single facility, to implement PRT, and to manage an N4 upgrade.
• Digital Transformation category: APM Terminals Tangier (Morocco), for minimizing mainliner and feeder time in the terminal and optimizing work processes through the implementation of TPS principles.
Navis’ Individual Achievement Awards were presented to Joe Schofield, Chief Operations Officer at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), who “has driven the adoption of disruptive digital solutions at his terminal” and increased collaboration across stakeholders; and Dayu Zhang, Executive Director and Managing Director of COSCO Shipping and Ports, who “has pushed for standardization of the TOS across COSCO terminals to achieve operational excellence, high performance and cargo visibility.”
Siemens Mobility and U.K.-based RazorSecure have signed an agreement to provide enhanced rail cybersecurity monitoring solutions. Siemens reported that the two companies will “pool their know-how to secure complex transport systems.”
“Real-time monitoring and the earliest possible detection of irregularities in the IT and software structure of our trains are the only way to ensure 100% fleet availability while maintaining the highest level of cybersecurity,” Siemens Mobility CEO Customer Service Johannes Emmelheinz said. “RazorSecure can help us achieve this goal with their expertise and proven solutions.”
“By partnering with Siemens Mobility, we are able to collaborate and build on our product portfolio with the rail cybersecurity expertise, to offer the best comprehensive solutions that enhance the protection of rolling stock,” RazorSecure CEO Alex Cowan said.
Wabtec has released its 2021 Sustainability Report (download below). It highlights company progress toward key Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives, such as:
• Completing Wabtec’s first comprehensive ESG Materiality Assessment.
• Publishing a Green Finance Framework, supported by Sustainalytics, a Morningstar Company and globally recognized provider of ESG research, ratings and data.
• Aligning Wabtec strategies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Receiving third-party verification of Wabtec’s Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions data, as well as water consumption data in water-scarce areas, for the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020.
“Despite the disruptions of the past year, we realized significant growth in several key areas, from the eco-efficiency of our product portfolio to reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions intensity,” Wabtec President and CEO Rafael Santana said. “Driving sustainable improvements is a journey that requires dedication and focus. We are committed to mitigating the impacts of climate change within our products and operations, doing more to create a diverse workforce, and empower our people to bring the best innovations to every customer we serve.”
