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Singapore’s First Driverless Urban Transit System Turns 20

December 8, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

In 1996, Bombardier Transportation pioneered a new mobility solution for Singapore’s first light rail transit system – the driverless BOMBARDIER INNOVIA APM 100 automated people mover. This fully automated transit system went into service in 1999 on the revolutionary Bukit Panjang LRT line to improve the quality of life for residents by connecting outlying residential areas with the high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) rail network as well to schools, retail, community and healthcare centers.

2019 marks the 20^th anniversary of the first APM’s entry into service, a historic milestone for Bombardier. The INNOVIA APM system embodies the evolution of automated transit operations over many years at numerous locations around the globe, from London and Guangzhou to Phoenix and San Francisco – the INNOVIA APM is in use in many of the world’s busiest international airports and city districts. Currently, Bombardier has 32 APM vehicles circulating Bukit Panjang with an annual ridership of 24 million passengers, bringing residents closer to their homes.

Singapore’s Bukit Panjang LRT line

Singapore’s Bukit Panjang LRT line, runs on a fully-automated people mover system based on the INNOVIA APM 100 automated people mover system. Already in service in many of the world’s busiest cities and biggest airports, this proven passenger mobility solution provides safe, swift and seamless connectivity between the outlying residential areas and the city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slMxgFzVzjs&feature=emb_title

The suburban town

The iconic Bukit Panjang LRT line is an 8-km automated guideway transit solution intended to serve the residential town located in the West Region of Singapore, acting as a replacement to the many buses deployed through the town, especially during rush hour. With an estimated population of 140,000, half of Bukit Panjang’s residents rely on the LRT for their daily commute. A complete loop journey takes 28 minutes, serving 13 stations, providing a feeder service to connect residents to the two high-capacity North-South (red) and Downtown (blue) MRT lines, moving them to the city.

Operating on a dedicated elevated guideway at a speed between 20km/h to 65 km/h, this arrangement ensures consistent service that provides shorter waiting times for the passengers without interfering with surrounding road traffic. The current BOMBARDIER CITYFLO 550 rail control and signalling system and wireless communications supports the system’s operation while ensuring seamless integration into the city’s existing infrastructure.

Upgrading Bukit Panjang

In 2018, Bombardier signed an asset replacement contract to upgrade the Bukit Panjang LRT system by supplying a fleet of 19 BOMBARDIER INNOVIA APM 300 vehicles, retrofitting 13 existing INNOVIA APM 100 vehicles, as well as upgrading its current CITYFLO 550 technology to the advanced CITYFLO 650 CBTC solution for a smoother ride for commuters. Other works include power rail enhancement and condition monitoring through Train Control Management System.

Working hand-in-hand with the Singapore Land Transport Authority to design a next-generation train with modern aesthetics, the new features incorporated advanced technology for improved performance and functionality, as well as enabling interchangeability with existing APM 100 vehicles. From 2022, the asset replacement is set to improve rail reliability, safety and availability for optimal performance of the Bukit Panjang LRT line.

The ride ahead

After two decade of services, the system achieved an improved performance and for the period of October 2018 to September 2019, it reached a rail reliability performance of 64,000 train-km before a delay of more than five minutes occurs on the system. Along with the Bukit Panjang LRT system upgrade, Bombardier will support a ten-year maintenance and spare part supply agreement to provide reliable services, ensuring that the authority and operator gain the maximum value from their assets over the lifetime of their system with proven competence. The renewed APM system will continue to set the high urban mobility standards for the Bukit Panjang LRT line and globally in the frame of Bombardier’s urban transit innovation.

Singapore LTA’s target is to expand its urban rail network to 360km by 2030, which creates demand and opportunities for rail manufacturers while driving innovation towards Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. Bombardier’s full spectrum of rail solutions, combining technology and performance with empathy, from driverless metros to automated people mover, helps deliver sustainable mobility and reduces energy consumption to create substantial benefits for operators, commuters and the environment.

Investing in Singapore for the last twenty years, Bombardier has delivered 276 driverless BOMBARDIERMOVIA metro cars for Singapore’s Downtown Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line and 32 INNOVIA APM 100 cars for the Bukit Panjang LRT system. In 2018, two asset replacement contracts were awarded to supply 19 new INNOVIAAPM 300 cars for the Bukit Panjang LRT line and 396 MOVIA metro cars for the two high-capacity North-South and East-West MRT lines. Bombardier is committed to designing better trains, customizing solutions and creating better ways to move residents across Singapore, making sure Bombardier’s mobility solution works for the community and providing for the future.

Bukit Panjang LRT line APM — The renewed INNOVIA APM system will continue to set the high urban mobility standard for the Bukit Panjang LRT line and globally in the frame of Bombardier’s urban transit innovation.

Amazon’s Rising Air Shipments Fly in the Face of Climate Plan

November 6, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc <AMZN> Chief Executive Jeff Bezos has plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions from the online retailer’s delivery operations.

Yet the company’s use of airplanes – the most climate-damaging mode of transportation – is on the rise, according to data provided to Reuters.

Amazon Air’s U.S. volume has risen steadily since its 2016 launch, according to an analysis of Department of Transportation data by Cargo Facts Consulting https://www.cargofactsconsulting.com, a Luxembourg-based advisory firm with a global staff and more than four decades of history.

It crunched data from Air Transport Services Group Inc <ATSG> and Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings <AAWW>. Both supply planes and pilots for Amazon Air.

In July, Amazon Air flew 136 million lbs of goods in the United States, according to the data. That was up 29% from the year earlier and just 9 million lbs short of December 2018, when the peak holiday shipping season was in full swing.

For a graphic on more Amazon Air flights, click the link below:

https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/AMAZON-AIRPLANES/0H001QXH999X/eikon.png

Bezos has said Amazon will cut its use of airplanes as it builds more local warehouses and fills them with goods that it can deliver to customer doorsteps in one day, or even one hour.

But for the time being, Amazon’s air shipments are climbing as it speeds up deliveries to lure customers and pressure rivals like Walmart Inc <WMT> and Target Corp <TGT>.

In April, Amazon started offering no-minimum purchase, one-day free shipping to members of its Prime subscription service.

In the latest quarter, it saw delivery costs soar, and warned the holiday quarter would see costs for one-day shipping alone spike to $1.5 billion.

The Seattle e-retailer, which sends 10 billion packages a year, declined to say what percentage of its shipments travel by plane or give specific examples of how the latest drive to shave time off its standard two-day shipping affected air transport.

Last month, Amazon said its CO2 emissions in 2018 were 44.4 million metric tons and set a goal to be net carbon neutral by 2040.

“We expect the percent of total shipments to customers utilizing air transportation to reduce from year to year as we significantly increase one and same day shipments,” Amazon spokesman Sam Kennedy said, when asked about Cargo Facts’ data.

DELIVERY WARS

A standard package flown on a plane in the United States creates an estimated 6-10 times more CO2 emissions than one traveling by truck, said Jacques Leonardi, a senior research fellow in freight, logistics and sustainable distribution at the University of Westminster in London.

Amazon Air leases 47 planes and is expected have 50 by the end of the year. It operates roughly 110 daily flights in the United States and around 20 per day in Europe, according to Cargo Facts.

In June, shortly after FedEx Corp <FDX> said its planes would stop shuttling packages for the online retailer, Amazon Air announced plans to have 70 planes on lease by 2021.

But Amazon says it is getting closer to customers with an expanding network of well-stocked warehouses. Those local fulfillment centers underpin the company’s one-day and same-day delivery services.

In a news release issued Monday, Amazon said those options were “better for the planet” because there aren’t many miles in the trip to customer doorsteps.

Because those time windows are so tight, “you are eliminating the possibility of air transportation,” Amazon’s Bezos said in September. “Even though it’s counterintuitive, the fact of the matter is that shorter delivery times end up being less carbon-intensive than longer delivery times.”

Products from most of Amazon’s 158 U.S. distribution centers can be shipped to 65% of the population in one day, said Marc Wulfraat, president of supply chain consultancy MWPVL International.

Items like footwear, jewelry, auto parts and niche electronics come from 23 distribution centers that span the country – and will likely need to be moved by air for next-day delivery, Wulfraat said.

Amazon also depends on United Parcel Service Inc <UPS> for air shipments. The Atlanta-based delivery company has seen a bump in that business since Amazon began expanding free one-day delivery this spring, UPS executives and analysts said.

Domestic next day air volume at UPS surged more than 30% in the second quarter and was up nearly 24% in the third quarter – fueled by faster e-commerce shipping speeds and rival FedEx’s breakup with Amazon this summer.

“It’s not all from FedEx,” said Satish Jindel, the founder of logistics advisory firm ShipMatrix, noting that express and deferred air services revenue at UPS surged $852 million in the second and third quarters.

Amazon’s business was worth about $900 million to FedEx prior to their split, Jindel said. Express, which includes air shipments, accounted for roughly $540 million of that, he said.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Mark Potter)

Pentagon And Lockheed Martin Reach Agreement Reducing F-35A Cost By 12.8 Percent

November 2, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters from the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla. perform an aerial refueling mission with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 336th Air Refueling Squadron from March ARB, Calif., May 14, 2013 off the coast of Northwest Florida. The 33rd Fighter Wing is a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing that trains Air Force, Marine, Navy and international partner operators and maintainers of the F-35 Lightning II. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/Released)

FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) finalized a $34 billion agreement for the production and delivery of 478 F-35s at the lowest aircraft price during the history of the Program. This contract includes all U.S., International Partners and Foreign Military Sales aircraft in Lots 12, 13 and 14.

In the agreement, the F-35 Enterprise meets and exceeds its long-stated cost reduction targets for each variant – and the F-35A unit price, including aircraft and engine, is now below $80 million in both Lot 13 and Lot 14, the F-35A unit cost represents an estimated overall 12.8 percent reduction from Lot 11 costs for the conventional landing variant, and an average of 12.7 percent savings across all three variants from Lot 11 to 14.

“Driving down cost is critical to the success of this program. I am excited that the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin have agreed on this landmark three-lot deal. This agreement achieves an average 12.7 percent cost reduction across all three variants and gets us below $80 million for a USAF F-35A by Lot 13 – one lot earlier than planned,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, F-35 Program Executive Officer. “This $34 billion agreement is a truly historic milestone for the F-35 Enterprise.”

The agreement includes 291 aircraft for the U.S. Services, 127 for F-35 International Partners, and 60 for F-35 Foreign Military Sales customers. Price details include:

“With smart acquisition strategies, strong government-industry partnership and a relentless focus on quality and cost reduction, the F-35 Enterprise has successfully reduced procurement costs of the 5th Generation F-35 to equal or less than 4th Generation legacy aircraft,” said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin, F-35 Program vice president and general manager. “With the F-35A unit cost now below $80 millionin Lot 13, we were able to exceed our long-standing cost reduction commitment one year earlier than planned.”

The sub $80 million unit recurring flyaway cost for an F-35 represents an integrated acquisition price for the 5^th Generation Weapon System. With embedded sensors and targeting pods, this F-35 unit price includes items that add additional procurement and sustainment costs to legacy 4^th Generation aircraft.

Program Progress

With more than 450 aircraft operating from 19 bases around the globe, the F-35 is playing a critical role in today’s global security environment. More than 910 pilots and 8,350 maintainers have been trained, and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 220,000 cumulative flight hours. Eight nations have F-35s operating from a base on their home soil and seven Services have declared Initial Operating Capability.

In addition to strengthening global security and partnerships, the F-35 provides economic stability to the U.S. and International Partners by creating jobs, commerce and security, and contributing to the global trade balance. The F-35 is built by thousands of men and women in America and around the world. With more than 1,400 suppliers in 46 states and Puerto Rico, the F-35 Program supports more than 220,000 direct and indirect jobs in the U.S. alone. The Program also includes more than 100 international suppliers, creating or sustaining thousands of jobs.

United Lifts 2019 Profit Target on Strong Travel Demand

October 15, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Oct 15 (Reuters) – United Airlines on Tuesday topped Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit, boosted by higher fares and lower fuel costs, and lifted its 2019 profit target despite the continued grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Chicago-based United is one of three U.S. airlines that have each had to cancel more than 2,000 monthly flights through the end of the year as Boeing Co’s 737 MAX remains grounded following two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

The flight cancellations have weighed on airline profits and costs, but strong travel demand, despite concerns of a global economic slowdown, continued to offset MAX headwinds and disruption in Hong Kong and China.

As a result, United raised its 2019 adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance to $11.25-$12.25 versus $10.50-$12.00 previously.

United shares, which closed up 1% at $87.88 before the earnings release, were about 1% higher in after-hours trading.

Total operating revenue rose 3.4% to $11.38 billion, underpinned by the airline’s three-year strategy to build up flight connections through its main U.S. hubs.

But closely watched unit costs excluding fuel and profit-sharing expenses, a concern for investors, rose 2.1%.

The airline, which is in talks with Boeing over 737 MAX compensation, did not provide any details on the estimated financial impact of the grounding.

Adjusted net income rose to $1.05 billion, or $4.07 per share, in the third quarter, from $834 million or $3.05 per share a year earlier.

Analysts on average had forecast $3.95 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

United management will host a conference call to discuss results on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT).

Fellow U.S. MAX operators Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, which have both warned of a pretax profit hit from the MAX grounding, are due to report quarterly results next week.

United, Southwest and American are all scheduling without the MAX until early January.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Matthew Lewis)

Record U.S. Tariff Award Over Airbus Aid Could Fuel Trade Tensions

September 29, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) – Transatlantic trade ties face renewed disruption this week when global arbiters are expected to grant the United States a record award allowing it to hit European imports with billions of dollars of tariffs in a long-running aircraft subsidy dispute.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has found that both European planemaker Airbus <EADSY> and its U.S. rival Boeing <BA> received billions of dollars of illegal subsidies in a pair of cases that have run for 15 years.

Both sides have threatened tariffs after the Geneva body found neither adhered fully to its findings. However, the United States has a head start, with the European Union having to wait until early in 2020 to hear what level of retaliation it can exact over Boeing.

The WTO is expected this week to reveal the amount of EU goods the United States can target. People familiar with the case say the three-person tribunal is expected to award it around $7.5 billion, a record for the 24-year-old watchdog.

Such retaliation rights are rarely granted by the WTO – most parties reach settlements – and in many cases complainants do not exercise their rights. The United States though has indicated it will target EU goods to the fullest extent.

It has already published a $25 billion list from which it will pick items to target from aircraft and aerospace parts to wine, cheese and luxury goods.

The WTO award in the world’s largest corporate trade dispute could fuel already strained trade tensions, diplomats say.

EU manufacturers are already facing U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and a threat from U.S. President Donald Trump to penalize EU cars and car parts. The EU has in turn retaliated.

Trade talks between the two, designed to ease tensions and ward off the threat of a tit-for-tat tariff war, have not gone well. The two sides have made some progress on regulatory cooperation, but a proposed deal to reduce duties is stuck, with Washington saying agriculture should be included and Brussels insisting it cannot.

The Trump administration has concluded that tariffs were effective in bringing China to the negotiating table over trade, and in convincing Japan to open its agricultural market to U.S. products. Washington is unlikely to skip the opportunity to implement tariffs in the case over aircraft subsidies, according to current and former U.S. officials.

Airbus has said this would lead to a ‘lose-lose’ trade war.

Some U.S. airlines have urged the administration not to go ahead with the tariffs, saying they could lead to layoffs.

NO SETTLEMENT IN SIGHT

The parties could still theoretically resolve the issue and stave off sanctions, but both sides accuse the other of failing to respond to invitations to reach a negotiated settlement.

U.S. officials say the decision about next steps will be up to U.S. President Trump.

The EU cannot retaliate immediately to any tariffs as it did following the U.S. imposition of metal tariffs in 2018.

It can either wait until a pronouncement in the parallel Boeing case or possibly revive an existing right to hit $4 billion of U.S. imports in a WTO dispute over U.S. tax breaks for exports, even though the two sides settled in 2006. Such a move would likely be strongly contested by Washington.

EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom has urged Washington to hold off sanctions and seek an overall deal on aircraft support, but Washington has shown no sign it wants to talk.

A U.S. government official said Washington has been willing since the very beginning to negotiate a solution, but that the EU gave more support to Airbus rather than fixing the problem.

EU-U.S. trade relations are likely to be a major focus in Brussels during a parliamentary hearing of the next trade commissioner, Irishman Phil Hogan, on Monday, and of national trade ministers meeting on Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington, reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

Record U.S. tariff award over Airbus aid could fuel trade tensions
FILE PHOTO: Boeing Co’s logo is seen above the front doors of its largest jetliner factory in Everett

Mitsubishi Aircraft Signs MOU for 100 SpaceJet Planes

September 5, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp and Mesa Airlines Inc, a regional airline operator, entered into a memorandum of understanding to begin talks on purchase of 100 SpaceJet M100 aircraft.

The aircraft is a revamped version of Mitsubishi’s smaller jet MRJ70, designed to carry 65 to 88 people.

Under the MOU, the companies target 50 firm orders and purchase rights for an additional 50 planes.

The deliveries to the unit of Mesa Air Group <MESA> would begin in 2024, Mitsubishi said in a statement.

(Reporting by Soundarya J in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

Saab Signs Contract to provide Belgium with a Combat Training Centre

August 19, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Saab has signed a supply contract with the Belgian MoD for the deliveries of training systems to the Belgian Army. The order value is approximately SEK 160 million and deliveries will take place in 2021.

The contract includes providing a complete training centre with infantry simulators, anti-tank simulators, vehicle systems and communication systems for controlling, monitoring and collecting training data to enable detailed analysis of exercises. The support contract will be negotiated separately later on.

One of the requirements was interoperability with NATO, and with Saab’s training system Belgium will be capable of participating in multinational exercises.

“This means Belgium will share the same standards as members in the Interoperability User Community (IUC). They can therefore take part in multinational exercises together with, among others, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK and the US 7thArmy,” says Åsa Thegström, head of the business unit Training & Simulation within Saab’s business area Dynamics.

“The Belgian Army has used our training systems for the last four years and have clearly seen the benefits of realistic training. This order strengthens our position as one of the world’s leading suppliers of solutions for combat training,” says Henrik Vassallo, head of the country unit France & Benelux within Saab’s market area Europe.

The business unit Training & Simulation develops, manufactures and markets advanced military training equipment, such as laser simulator systems, instrumented training systems and target equipment. It also provides service and maintenance for delivered systems.

Cathay Pacific Shares Rise After CEO Hogg Resigns

August 18, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Shares of Cathay Pacific Airways rose more than 2 percent early on Monday after CEO Rupert Hogg resigned in a shock move, as the carrier grapples with the involvement of some of its employees in the city’s anti-government protests.

Cathay’s shares rose as much as 2.3 percent to HK$10.84, their highest in two weeks. The carrier has emerged as the highest-profile corporate target as Beijing looks to quell protests in the territory that have gone on for 11 straight weeks.

Cathay Pacific was blindsided this month when China’s aviation regulator demanded it suspend staff supporting the anti-government protest movement.

(Reporting By Anne Marie Roantree and Donny Kwok; editing by Richard Pullin)

Tesla Stock Drops For Sixth Straight Session

May 22, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Tesla shares extended their recent sell-off on Wednesday after Citi cut its price target on the struggling electric car maker, leaving buyers of its recent share offer, including Chief Executive Elon Musk, $175 million in the hole.

Tesla’s stock dropped 5.5% to $193.88, on track to close below $200 for the first time since late 2016. It has lost a fifth of its value since the company sold a $1.84 billion convertible bond and almost $900 million of stock on May 2 to raise fresh capital and give it more time to stop losing money.

Citi analyst Itay Michaeli, who has a “sell” rating on Tesla, cut his price target to $191 from $238. He pointed to a an email Musk sent to employees last week, telling them he would increase cost-cutting, and that the $2.7 billion in recently raised capital would give Tesla just 10 months to break even at the rate it burned cash in the first quarter.

“The recent reported internal memo, which seemingly called into question prior guidance, didn’t help the risk/reward calculus. The implications can be serious, since an automaker’s balance sheet is always subject to the confidence ‘spiral’ risk,” Michaeli wrote in a client note.

Consumer Reports warned on Wednesday that a recent update to Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistance software does not work well and could be unsafe.

“It doesn’t appear to react to brake lights or turn signals, it can’t anticipate what other drivers will do, and as a result, you constantly have to be one step ahead of it,” Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ senior director of auto testing, said in a news release.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On April 22, Musk told investors that driverless Tesla “robotaxis” would be available in some U.S. markets next year, a claim met by skepticism by some self-driving experts.

UPPING HIS STAKE

Musk is battling to convince investors that demand remains high for the Model 3, the sedan targeted to propel Tesla to sustainable profit, and that it can be delivered efficiently and swiftly to customers around the world. Tesla lost $702 million in the first quarter and warned that profit would be delayed until the latter half of the year.

On Monday, Musk exercised options to buy 175,000 Tesla shares at $31.17 per share, increasing his indirect stake in the company to 34,102,560 shares, according to a filing. With Tesla’s stock down 41% year to date, Musk’s shares, including 102,880 he bought in this month’s capital raise, were worth $6.6 billion on Wednesday.

Tesla’s debt has stalled at lows hit earlier this week. Its recently issued convertible bond due in 2024 priced at 89.09 cents on the dollar, a record low. Its $1.8 billion junk bond traded at 82.5 cents on the dollar, slightly up from the all-time lows it hit on Monday and Tuesday.

The cost to insure Tesla’s debt, as measured by its credit default swap, edged up to roughly 28% of the face value of Tesla’s 2025 bond, from 27.6 % the day before.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich; additional reporting by Kate Duguid in New York and Vibhuti Sharma in Bengalaru; editing by Nick Zieminski and Jonathan Oatis)

Singapore’s Bukit Panjang LRT line

The suburban town

Upgrading Bukit Panjang

The ride ahead

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