FPT Industrial and a very busy spring

FPT Industrial and a busy spring, on the eve of Iveco’s 50th anniversary. We briefly review what happened after the spin-off and the uphold of the feeling for the sea. We attended the CNH Industrial Capital Markets Day, on Wall Street, in September 2019, for the official announcement of the spin-off separating the on-road business-IVECO truck and bus applications, plus FPT itself-from the industrial one (CNH).

Meanwhile, IVECO and FPT Industrial…

The two companies have continued to intensify their technological partnership (the Cursor engines family, and beyond, remain among the crown jewels of the X-Way trucks range), investing in the widespread adoption of natural gas in freight transport. LNG has proven a popular solution with owner-operators, large transport companies, and manufacturing firms. This shared direction has also been confirmed as they approach the crossroads of electrification (see the e-plant in Turin and the cooperation with the Chinese company Foton).

With spring, FPT rediscovers the fascination of the sea

During this partnership, FPT Industrial has actively championed marine conservation. One example is is the involvement with Slow Fish.

On June 8th, FPT Industrial participated in World Oceans Day alongside One Ocean Foundation. Now, let’s delve into FPT Industrial’s narrative of the Blue Forest project. This initiative focuses on the Mediterranean Sea, a biotope vital for the endemic marine plant, Posidonia oceanica. The Blue Forest project focuses in particular on the Mediterranean, which is the sole growth area for a particular endemic marine plant: Posidonia oceanica, which forms extensive underwater forests that play a fundamentally important role for the marine ecosystem, comparable to that of plants on dry land. The Posidonia oceanica meadows dissipate the energy of the waves, preventing erosion of sandy coastline; they stabilize the sea floor; provide habitats and breeding areas for a huge variety of organisms – over 350 species; and, above all, play a significant role in mitigating climate change through their carbon sequestration capacity. It is indeed estimated that one square meter of these meadows can absorb 130 kg of CO₂ in a year, around fifteen times more than the Amazon rain forest. This leads to its name of “the lungs of the Mediterranean”, with the ability to emit up to 20 liters of oxygen per square meter of meadow per day, thus becoming the most important oxygen source supplied by coastal waters. At the same time, the Posidonia oceanica ecosystem is a fragile one, with recovery times of centuries, as the plant has a very slow growth rate of just 1-2 cm per year.

Since the 1950s, the Posidonia oceanica meadows have suffered considerable regression, in some cases as much as 90% from their original extent, primarily due to pollution of the waters, indiscriminate anchoring, and bottom trawling. This has given rise to the goal of One Ocean Foundation: to identify sections of degraded sea floor in order to implement restoration projects with sowing of new plants, through the creation of an international network of universities, NGOs, institutions and authorities to promote the implementation of protection and reforestation projects at a global level, alongside education activities and research programs.

FPT Industrial has decided to provide the use of a boat powered by two N60 motors to the One Ocean Foundation for its reforestation activities. A symbol of the reliability and durability of NEF engines for marine applications, built in the Turin Industrial & Marine plant with a tailor-made approach to satisfy every customer requirement, the N60 offers high power output, with maximum torque available at low engine speeds, and low fuel consumption and maintenance costs. FPT Industrial’s engines for marine applications also offer support to the company’s customers thanks to their connected solutions, which optimize engine uptime through remote monitoring and real-time notifications, key in both commercial and recreational fields.

ADR Power Systems ins the new marine dealer for the Southeast of US

And, since we’re talking about the sea, NEF and nautical applications, FPT Industrial announced a new marine distribution partner in the Southeastern USA, ADR Power Systems. Based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the company was founded in 2015 by David Arata and Richard DeBord, has grown to over six facilities across three states. ADR Power Systems will provide FPT Industrial marine engine distribution across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

For FPT, spring has a birthday coming up

The half-century anniversary will be celebrated at ‘50xBeyond’, organised by IVECO Group at the Officine Grandi Riparazioni-OGR in Turin, from 12 to 15 June. The year was 1975 when Fiat Industrial Vehicles, which included Officine Meccaniche and Lancia Special Vehicles, Unic and Magirus-Deutz, decided to form the Industrial Vehicles Corporation. We will let you know what happens next.