Availability of engines is one of the key market drivers today

Pankaj Jha, General Manager – Sales, Perkins, and Abhinav Gupta, Regional Marketing Manager – South Asia, Perkins, in interview with EPR Magazine.
Briefly explains the smart features of the diesel engines. Further explaining the key aspects towards maintaining the efficiency and durability of these engines.
Can you brief us about your latest range of engines and their smart features?
The Perkins® 404D-22, a small engine with numerous operations; the Perkins® 1104D-44TA, well-known for its smooth and silent interface; the Perkins® 1206J-E44TA, which gives a strong performance; and the Perkins® 4006E were recently projected during Excon 2021. We have two production facilities in India, one in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, and the other in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, both of which are well equipped to meet the needs of the Indian market. The engines are mostly used in the industrial sector and for export markets. The way we really present the product is that the worldwide distribution network is now quite robust. So, whenever Perkins engine maintenance is necessary, or aftermarket components are required, among other things. We, at Perkins, have a network of more than 90 distributors with 3,500 touchpoints. Having that sort of network allows us to go out and tackle any kind of need, whether it’s for service or aftermarket.
What are the longevity and durability aspects of these engines?
Engine architecture is important since it is the component that determines how well they act. It also calculates their durability and life duration by defining their wear and tear patterns and elements in the coming years. Our engines can run for up to 15,000 hours, which is an impressive amount of time for any engine. We undertook some engine R&D and made significant expenditures in the product development programme based on these estimations. As a result, the engines may be used for another 15,000 hours, and the process can be repeated for a total of 60,000 hours.
How does the choice of oil and lubricants impact the engine’s durability?
It will have the greatest influence on the engine service life of customers who use oil and lubricants. It will have more wear and tear if the service life expectation is 300–500 hours (depending on the engine platform). Perkins Diesel Engine Oil, often known as Perkins DEO, provides a unique lubricant for engine applications thanks to its speciality constituents. These lubricants have the capacity to extend the life of the engine.
Oil, coolant, and oxygen are the three cornerstones of engines. Mixing these fuels will cause your system to break down more quickly. Hence, combining these fluids is never a good idea, as it might lead to a catastrophic breakdown and system failure. The client will be responsible for the operational costs as a disadvantage.
How do you define the buying patterns that have been driving the market’s demand?
Buying patterns have both external and internal factors. Some external factors are government regulations and socio-economic policies, among others, with price being the secondary factor. To be more specific, the availability of engines is one of the key market drivers today. Internal factors depend on the customer’s choice of application, whether it will be rigorous or fuel efficient as it will be for industrial applications. For stage-V engines, the amount of urea in them is essential along with the use of oil in them, which further determines the total cost of ownership. So, the CAPEX cost is less than the cost of ownership.
Can you talk about the manufacturing facilities in India?
The Perkins Aurangabad Engine Facility, located in Maharashtra, India, is a Greenfield project. More than $150 million has been invested in this world-class facility, which will manufacture and supply the powerful 4000 and 5000 Series engines to a growing Asian customer base, providing reliable power solutions to hospitals, airports, universities, real estate, data centres, and large manufacturing industries.
Our Hosur factory, on the other hand, is the most recent production site, producing the popular 1100 Series and 2000 Series ElectropacK engines. It’s a major business centre with outstanding manufacturing and distribution capabilities. It’s a valuable advantage since it allows us to bring our production base closer to our consumers.
Our Hosur plant was built to produce medium-sized engines for the Asian market. Currently, this factory produces 3 and 4 cylinder Perkins@ 1100 Series engines with a production capability of up to 16,000 units per year. It’s a multi-service facility with an onsite machine shop that manufactures engine components including cylinder blocks and heads. The Hosur plant provides major benefits to us and our clients in the Asia Pacific Region and the Indian subcontinent, including speedier delivery times and improved ease of doing business in a tremendously dynamic and expanding market.
We’ve made major long-term investments in our manufacturing capabilities and facilities. Customers expect Perkins to meet high quality and innovation criteria in both the product and the manufacturing process. We use standard production methods throughout our global locations to ensure that all of our clients obtain reliable Perkins engines. Our facilities in Aurangabad and Hosur are no exception.
By manufacturing closer to our customers, we will be able to provide customers by offering them engines tailored to their custom requirements.
Abhinav Gupta, Regional Marketing Manage, Perkins