Perkins Engines

Perkins Engines Company Limited
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Manufacturing
Founded	1932
Headquarters	Eastfield, Peterborough, England
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Diesel engines; Gas engines
Parent	Caterpillar Inc.
Website	http://www.perkins.com

Perkins in Peterborough

Perkins Engines (officially Perkins Engines Company Limited), a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., is primarily a diesel engine manufacturer for several markets including Agricultural, Construction, Material Handling, Power Generation and Industrial. It was established in Peterborough, England, in 1932. Over the years Perkins has expanded its engine ranges and produces thousands of different engine specifications including diesel and gas engines.

History[edit]

High-speed diesel engines[edit]

A 1935 Perkins diesel car engine (Autocar Handbook, 13th ed.)

F. Perkins Limited, established on 7 June 1932, was founded in Queen Street, Peterborough, to design and manufacture high-speed diesel engines^[1] by Frank Perkins and Charles Wallace Chapman (1897–1979). Chapman was design engineer (technical director) and company secretary and was given a ten percent shareholding. He was to remain with the business for more than a decade^[2] before re-joining the RNVR^[3] though remaining a consultant to the company. Frank Perkins obtained further initial support from directors Alan J M Richardson and George Dodds Perks.^[2]

Before Chapman and Perkins the diesel engine was a heavy and slow revving workhorse, lacking performance. Chapman’s concept was the high-speed diesel – an engine that could challenge gasoline as the primary motive power. The world’s first high-speed diesel engine^{[dubious – discuss]} was Perkins’ four-cylinder Vixen, which made its debut in 1932, and in October 1935 Perkins became the first company to hold six world diesel speed records for a variety of distances set at the Brooklands race track in Surrey. Sales were strong and by the time of World War II the company made two series of engines, P4 and P6. Soon after the war, the company went public,^[1] and established a number of licensees for local manufacturing and sale.^[4]

Massey-Ferguson[edit]

F. Perkins Ltd was purchased by its largest customer, Massey Ferguson, in 1959. Keeping its separate identity, the business continued under the name of Perkins Engines and in 1994 became a subsidiary of LucasVarity. Development continued and Perkins updated its engines to meet stricter emissions rules while developing new series for power generation and forklift trucks.

Caterpillar[edit]

A supplier to Caterpillar Inc. since the 1970s, Perkins was bought by Caterpillar in 1998 for US$1.325 billion, creating what they claimed was the world’s largest diesel engine manufacturer. With an ever-expanding global footprint Perkins now has manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, China, India and a joint venture with Ishikawajima-Shibaura-Machinery company in Japan. On 1 January 2009 Gwenne Henricks became President of Perkins Engines replacing Hans Haefeli,^[5] after having worked in Caterpillar’s Electronics and Connected Worksite Division in North America. Henricks is also a vice-president of Caterpillar.^[6]

Discontinued products[edit]

Various Perkins diesel engines have been made for industrial, agricultural, construction, material handling, marine and power generation markets, and Perkins Gas-based engines (Natural Gases, Landfill Gas, Digester Gas, Bio Gas, Mine Gas) are used for continuous power generation.

Perkins’ 1.6 litre (99 cubic inch) P4C engine, producing 45 or 60 hp (45 kW), was popular in Europe and Israel for taxis and commercially driven cars during the 1950s and early 1960s; many cars, including American imports, were retrofitted with these engines for taxi use, with kits made by Hunter NV of Belgium. Perkins engines were also used as standard factory equipment in Jeeps and Dodge trucks in the United States in the 1960s. They also continued to be popular in European trucks from their original customer, Commer and other companies.^[7]

The Perkins 6.354 medium duty engine was designed to be compact enough to replace petrol/gasoline V8 engines in trucks, despite its in-line six-cylinder design. Producing 112 horsepower (84 kW) in early years (later rising to 120 hp), it had a small jackshaft driven by the timing gears for the auxiliary drive, with the oil pump driven by a quill shaft so it could run auxiliary equipment at engine speed with simple couplings.

Acquisitions[edit]

After acquiring Rolls-Royce Diesels of Shrewsbury in 1984, Perkins continued to supply British Rail with engines for its diesel multiple units. Perkins went on to purchase Gardner Engines in the summer of 1986 to complement their line of lighter diesel engines.^[8]

Master Distributors[edit]

Global product support is provided by 4,000 distribution, parts and service centres.^[9] In 2015, Perkins Engines Company consolidated its U.S. distribution from six to three master distributors.^[10]

Perkins Pacific[edit]

Serving Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Has 5 full-service locations in Ridgefield, WA, Oklahoma City, OK, Surprise, AZ, Santa Fe Springs, CA, and Galt, CA.^[11]

Power Great Lakes[edit]

North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland (including Washington, District of Columbia), West Virginia, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.^[12]

Perkins Power Corp[edit]

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas in the U.S. Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Belize in Central America.^[12]

Perkins Powered Equipment[edit]

Kalmar’s RT022 – The RT022 Light Capacity Rough Terrain Forklift (LCRTF) is built to move materials at sites where there is minimal or often destroyed infrastructure and typically difficult weather conditions. Constructed with a compact design, fourteen inch ground clearance and ability to operate in up to 36 inches of water for material handling in harsh environments, the LCRTF needed a highly-reliable and efficient engine. Manufactured with 1100 Series Perkins engines.^[13]
Wanco Long-Run Light Towers – Wanco Long-Run Light Towers feature an exclusive, revolutionary design that provides more light than a metal halide light tower, but uses far less fuel. Powered by Perkins diesel, 3-cylinder, water-cooled engine.^[14]

Sponsorships[edit]

Perkins plays an active role in all the communities in which it is based, sponsoring a range of programs from Formula Students to the Perkins Great Eastern Run and the Heart-to-Heart program in China to the Thomas Deacon Academy.

References[edit]

^ Jump up to:^a ^b F. PERKINS LIMITED (Incorporated under the Companies Act, 1929). The Times, Monday, 23 July 1951; pg. 9; Issue 52060
^ Jump up to:^a ^b Z Yaakov Wise, Manchester Papers in Economic and Social History, Number 63, Manchester University, March 2008
Jump up^ Obituary, Mr C. W. Chapman. The Times, Monday, 3 December 1979; pg. 14; Issue 60490
Jump up^ “Perkins Heritage Timeline”.
Jump up^ http://www.perkins.com/cda/components/fullArticle?m=69660&x=7&id=1244322
Jump up^ http://www.cat.com/cda/components/fullArticle?m=37466&x=7&id=722587
Jump up^ “Perkins diesel engines and the Perkins Ltd. company”. Allpar. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
Jump up^ Barden, Paul, ed. (June 1986). “Truckmonth: Perkins snaps up Gardner”. TRUCK. London, UK: FF Publishing Ltd: 31.
Jump up^ “Perkins Distributor Locator”.
Jump up^ “Perkins Consolidates North American Distribution – Diesel Progress – November 2015”. www.dieselprogress.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
Jump up^ “Ridgefield-based Perkins Pacific extends reach to three more states”. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
^ Jump up to:^a ^b “Perkins Consolidates North American Distribution – Diesel Progress – November 2015”. www.dieselprogress.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
Jump up^ “Perkins Pacific-powered rough terrain handler succeeding in some of world’s toughest conditions”. www.perkins.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
Jump up^ “Wanco – Long-Run™ Light Towers”. www.wanco.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.

[LIST-1] Jump up to:^a ^b F. PERKINS LIMITED (Incorporated under the Companies Act, 1929). The Times, Monday, 23 July 1951; pg. 9; Issue 52060

[ZYW-2] Jump up to:^a ^b Z Yaakov Wise, Manchester Papers in Economic and Social History, Number 63, Manchester University, March 2008

[3] Jump up^ Obituary, Mr C. W. Chapman. The Times, Monday, 3 December 1979; pg. 14; Issue 60490

[timeline-4] Jump up^ “Perkins Heritage Timeline”.

[5] Jump up^ http://www.perkins.com/cda/components/fullArticle?m=69660&x=7&id=1244322

[6] Jump up^ http://www.cat.com/cda/components/fullArticle?m=37466&x=7&id=722587

[allpar-7] Jump up^ “Perkins diesel engines and the Perkins Ltd. company”. Allpar. Retrieved 2008-05-16.

[8] Jump up^ Barden, Paul, ed. (June 1986). “Truckmonth: Perkins snaps up Gardner”. TRUCK. London, UK: FF Publishing Ltd: 31.

[distributor-9] Jump up^ “Perkins Distributor Locator”.

[10] Jump up^ “Perkins Consolidates North American Distribution – Diesel Progress – November 2015”. www.dieselprogress.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.

[11] Jump up^ “Ridgefield-based Perkins Pacific extends reach to three more states”. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2016-08-08.

[:0-12] Jump up to:^a ^b “Perkins Consolidates North American Distribution – Diesel Progress – November 2015”. www.dieselprogress.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.

[13] Jump up^ “Perkins Pacific-powered rough terrain handler succeeding in some of world’s toughest conditions”. www.perkins.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.

[14] Jump up^ “Wanco – Long-Run™ Light Towers”. www.wanco.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.

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