Perkins engine remain one of the famous engines in household. Even millions of people that are not too familiar about engine are aware about Perkins engines.
Especially when it comes to diesel generator, Perkins engine is a leading name.
But the name of the owner is not too pronounced that is why many people including you curious about knowing the man behind the scene.
In this article I will mention the name of the owner and other relevant things about Perkins engine.
On June 7, 1932 F. Perkins Limited was established. It was founded by Frank Perkins and Charles Wallace Chapman. Their intention is to produce high speed engine.
Chapman was the technical director and the company secretary. He was a design engineer by profession. After a while he left the company.
JM Richardson and George Dodds latter join Frank Parkinson and Charles Wallace with the same intention of producing high speed engine.
Before Chapman and Perkins, the diesel engine was a heavy and slow-revving workhorse, lacking performance, which is quit opposite to Chapman’s concept.
Before then, the available diesel engine was heavy and slow in rpm. But Chapman especially has the concept of producing a high speed dies engine.
His intention is to invent a diesel engine that can match the speed of petrol engine as at then.
In 1932, the first engine named vixen was produced, and by 1935, Perkins won their first award as the first high speed diesel engine.
This really boosts the sales and further engine series were produced named P4 and P6.
Sadly the war really had a negative effect on the company growth, but immediately after the war many licensees were issued out for local manufacturer and that actually brought the engine to the lime light.
Some good also happened in 1959, Massey Ferguson bought Perkins LTD. After the purchase, the company name still remains Perkins Engine.
In early part of 1994, it became the subsidiary of LucasVarity. Perkins makes a lot of improvement in their productions which includes meeting up with emissions requirement. They went ahead producing engines for trucks and other mechanical equipment such as forklift and generators.
In 1970, there is a little turn, Perkins start supplying engines to Caterpillar Inc. until 1998 when Perkins became a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.
with a sole aim of producing diesel engine for diversify markets such as power generation, agricultural, construction, material handling etc.
Presently, Perkins is among the largest diesel engine manufacturer with manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, India, etc.
These are little info I can gathered for you to know about Perkins. Hope you enjoy it? At least you can say something understand the genesis of Perkins engine.
But is Perkins a good engine? Why not read the next article to get answer for that.
IS PERKINS A GOOD DIESEL ENGINE?
There must be reasons for you to ask this question. Maybe you want to buy a Perkins engine and want to find out if really a Perkin engine is a good choice for you.
Or you are reading this article to clear an argument , or a friend tell you something about this brand, and you want to confirm it, then be rest assure that this article will surely be of help to you.
Since early 70’s when the Perkins engine burst into the market, it has been known for its durability, reliability, and affordable.
For you to be sure, do you know that since 1970, Perkins engine engines have been used by caterpillar?
We all belief that caterpillar is a strong machineries, so if caterpillar can accept Perkins to power their equipment, then that is a clear indication that Perkins is a good choice when it comes to diesel engine.
Another important point that must be considered is the spare parts availability. Perkins spare parts are available all over the world, and you can order any Perkins parts from any country.
Unlike some engines, their spare parts are very hard to get. The scarcity now makes it expensive to buy. That led to the next advantage of the Perkins engine.
Perkins spare parts are affordable because of their availability. When something is available, it becomes cheaper to buy.
But whatever that is, it becomes expensive to buy. So Perkins engine spare part availability makes it cheaper and makes it good.
Another factor that favours Perkins engines is that, Perkins engines are also popular among the technicians. Getting a specialist for Perkins is easier than other engines.
So my answer is yes. A Perkins engine is a good diesel engine for you to buy. You can buy it for domestic purposes or for industrial purposes.
IS PERKINS OWNED BY CATERPILLAR
These are two big brands. They are competitors in the market. But the question remains the same: Does Caterpillar own Perkins.
Initially, the answer is no. because, as far back as 1970, Perkins LTD remained a major supplier to Caterpillar.
But at a point, something happened that raised the common question; is Perkins owned a caterpillar?
Perkins was bought by Caterpillar in 1998 for US$1.325 billion, that very deal was claimed to be the world’s largest diesel engine manufacturer.
So that makes the answer yes. Caterpillar has bought Perkins since 1998. So Caterpillar owned Perkins.
No wonder majority of Caterpillar equipment was power by Perkins engines. So Perkins LTD is longer a supplier to Caterpillar any more, rather it is part of the Caterpillar.
DOES PERKINS STILL MAKES DIESEL ENGINE
Based on our last two articles, Caterpillar now owns Perkins. Caterpillar has purchased Perkins, yet Perkins is still producing high-quality engines, in accordance with emissions regulations.
In the below paragraphs, let us check out some Perkins engine models.
These are the few lists of new model Perkins engines:
- The 1103D engines, which have characteristics and benefits that genuinely satisfy your needs for industrial power applications and deliver 36.9–58 kW (49.5–77.8 hp) at 2200 rpm, are ideal for tractors and compact industrial applications.
- The range’s 4-cylinder, 4.4-litre Perkins 1100 Series engines run quietly and smoothly. The 1104 line offers a choice of mechanical or electronically controlled common rail engines designed to meet EU Stage II/IIIA and U.S. EPA Tier 2/Tier 3 equivalent emissions requirements.
- The 1106C offers a range of options from the Perkins 1100 Series diesel engine platform to meet the EU Stage II and U.S. EPA Tier 2 emissions criteria.
- The Perkins® 1706D-E93TA is a 6-cylinder, 9.3-liter engine that comes in a small, lightweight design and can generate up to 310 kW (416 hp) of power and 1810 Nm (1335 lb-ft) of torque. Without compromising on durability or performance, it provides remarkable power density up to 33 kW/L (44 hp/L). This enables OEMs to shrink their engine platform.