Liebherr fuel injection solutions, 50 years in the US market
«Liebherr has much expertise in the development and manufacturing of combustion engines, which helps to support the market. Therefore, it goes without saying that it was important to establish a sales office in the US. The Components Division has been present in the US for around ten years and now promotes the expertise in fuel injection among others».
Liebherr is among the primary brands in developing fuel injection solutions. In addition, last year Liebherr USA celebrated its very first 50 years of activity. Paul Mercurio, Sales Manager for diesel fuel injection equipment at Liebherr USA, has talked about Liebherr common rail systems and gives insights into the technology, his daily business in the US and the challenges he and the Components’ team are facing day by day.
Mercurio is an engineer by trade with over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, the last ten spent in diesel systems.
The fuel injection equipment business unit at Liebherr USA
It’s called fuel injection equipment one of the business units within the Liebherr-Components Division, which does not only develop and manufacture combustion engines, but also fuel injection systems as a core component.
«We know that electric vehicles are coming to the US market. However, many studies show that due to power density, reliability and cost requirements, diesel will remain the prominent powertrain of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles for many years to come. As this trend continues, Liebherr has much expertise in the development and manufacturing of combustion engines, which helps to support the market. Therefore, it goes without saying that it was important to establish a sales office in the US. The Components Division has been present in the US for around ten years and now promotes the expertise in fuel injection among others».
«Pumps and injectors to support engines in the 500 to 1,000 hp range»
«For the majority of heavy duty and off-highway diesel in the US market, we are well-positioned with pumps and injectors to support engines in the 500 to 1,000 hp range. Exactly here I see the biggest opportunity. In addition, we have products, already in series production, which cover the power range from 1,500 to 2,000 hp for large engines».
In March 2020, Liebherr announced a strategic cooperation with Stanadyne for the global development and production of common rail systems for the on- and off-highway market. What has happened to this cooperation over the course of the last year?
«Despite the challenges we all have been facing since 2020, our cooperation has grown further, so that we have identified new strategic developments in the US market. This will enable us to expand our activities in the US, particularly in the view of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which came into effective in July 2020. The US manufacturers of heavy-duty engines and equipment will increasingly require local production, and we will be well-prepared to meet that».
The future of (diesel) injection technology for North America
«As I mentioned previously, we know diesel will remain the prominent powertrain of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles for many years to come. And Liebherr has the right products to support that. Regarding alternative fuel and powertrains, Liebherr does offer injection systems for alternative fuel powered engines and is also working on injection systems for hydrogen powered engines. Regarding electrified mobility, Liebherr is also developing electrified powertrains for some specific off highway vehicle applications», concluded Paul Mercurio.
