Refurbishing, overhauling or rebuilding your Perkins engine
just got easier and more sustainable

Diesel powered equipment users are facing a number of challenges today. At the top of most lists are the rapidly increasing cost of replacement machines and the need to meet Environmental, Social and Governmental (ESG) goals for more sustainable programmes and environmentally friendly operations.

Caught between the economics of upgrading existing fleets and a desire to reduce their carbon footprint many businesses are seriously looking to refurbish or rebuild the engine of their existing equipment for the first time. The engine is a relatively small part of the cost of a piece of equipment, yet it can have a large influence on both efficiency and the environment.

In many cases, simply returning an existing engine to original performance and emission standards is an effective, and often lower cost, choice. Moreover, reusing major components in the refurbishment or overhaul process also reduces the environmental impacts related to production of new products and disposal of existing ones.

As the trend continues to accelerate, Perkins has consolidated the production of cylinder block assemblies from several different locations into a newly commissioned 600 square metre facility inside Perkins’ Peterborough, UK, manufacturing complex. The ultimate goal for the new facility is to provide Service Replacement Engine (SRE) support for a third or more of the 4.6 million Perkins engines currently in the field.

Perkins, of course, has a long history of supplying short and long blocks as well as rebuild and overhaul kits to support users who want to refurbish or rebuild their engines. However, this new facility marks the first time all these functions have been combined in a single location. That is important for several reasons.

First, it enhances efficiency by allowing the new facility to leverage many of the standard processes used literally across the aisle to produce new engines. Technicians building SRE products can easily access the knowledge and expertise of those who originally designed and/or built them when questions arise.

The new facility also allows Perkins to significantly broaden the number of products included in the programme and secures that supply for the future. Equally important, it reduces environmental impacts by eliminating a lot of movement of parts between locations thereby making the operation more sustainable.

A Perkins distributor is the best source of advice and assistance in selecting the most efficient option for a particular situation, but even with their expert support identifying the optimum choice can be a challenge. That process will be significantly simplified because distributors now will have direct access to the SRE lookup tool via the online Perkins^® Hub.

The distributor can enter a production build list for the customer’s engine and see all the options available for that particular engine. A reverse look up feature is also available that identifies applicable production build lists based on the customer’s engine details.

The actual builds are performed by experienced technicians in individual cells equipped with a Benco stand that provides full rotation for easy access to the engine. A workstation provides individual build instructions using the same instruction system used in a production engine build and also monitors the technician’s progress. Each cell also includes a comprehensive complement of power and hand tools.

“I believe this facility represents the future of SRE,” Matt O’Sullivan, general manager Perkins aftermarket said. “It’s efficient, sustainable, and flexible enough to meet changing demands as they develop.

“A diesel engine is a significant investment and effective use of the options made possible by this new programme and facility will help end users maximise the productive return on that investment. By making it easier to specify, build and deliver an appropriate SRE solution this investment will pay dividends to Perkins, our distributors and end users while helping all of us build a more sustainable future.”