This year’s Bauma CONEXPO got off to a good start, with visitors and clients interested in the products and developing their businesses. Yanmar, as a multinational organisation, has worked with global construction equipment firms. “However, with increased manufacturing in India and localisation, these construction machinery manufacturers are expanding their production base in India and producing a large number of machines there, and our business developments with them have been quite beneficial”, says Yash Pal Wadhwa, AVP for Industrial Engine Business.

Please elaborate on Yanmar’s engine line-up.

We displayed engines mainly intended for construction machinery. These engines have a capacity of 50 horsepower or higher. Since the government and industry have implemented the BS4 emission standards, common rails and after-treatment equipment are required.

Both the 4TNV86CHT & 4TNV98CT engines were built in Japan and had EU-Stage 5 and EPA Tier 4 certifications. 4TNV86CHT delivers 48.5 kilowatts at 2600 rpm, which is equivalent to the other engines on display, and it can meet the upcoming BS5 emission standard with our CEV norms. We also show a product, a light tower, and an application that used a Yanmar range engine. It’s common on construction sites these days because we have to work all hours of the day and night. Therefore, a light tower has become a site requirement.

How do you look at the need for fuel-efficient, energy-efficient, and cost-effective engines?

Yanmar is well-known for its compactness and fuel efficiency. We have been manufacturing DI engines that are the most fuel-efficient in their class. Discussing the forthcoming fuel efficiency standards in various product uses. We already qualify for some of them, as our product is globally and widely used in Europe, the US, and Japan. Our Indian facility produces the same high-quality, fuel-efficient engines for Indian clients. Being energy efficient is only one aspect; reducing emissions is another. We are already looking towards green initiatives, as gas engines are currently available in Japan, and we have progressed to the next level of electric vehicles.

Yanmar has also acquired a battery manufacturing company in Germany; they provide a complete solution for supplying applications similar to existing Yanmar machines, such as excavators. A mini excavator with an electric platform is being produced on a commercial scale. We also examine the Indian market for EV applications for tractors and other construction machinery.

How do you provide best-in-class service at a competitive price to the industry?

Our facility in India manufactures engines ranging in power from 20 to 50 horsepower. We have done a lot of localisation of the components, particularly the important ones such as the 5C cylinder block, Cylinder head, Crank shaft, Cam Shaft & Connecting rod. This provided us with a pricing advantage and consistently high quality; these components are exported and used in other Japanese factories. As a result, we have proof of consistent quality and volume discounts.

However, the industry was stressed with more and more output rather than new components development due to limited manpower working allowed during COVID. As a result, our material or the depth of our localisation was less extensive than expected. Our localisation is gradually improving. So, as planned, we will commence manufacture of the upcoming BS5 range with more locally available engine components, resulting in cost reductions for the customer. We preserve the engine’s character with the same quality, making it export-worthy, and these plant engines will be exported to our global offices and OEMs for the rest of our lives.

How are global developments affecting this industry’s supply chain?

Given the current situation in China and other parts of the world, this is an enormous task. Because of the increasing logistical costs, the factory procurement has been under a lot of pressure to deliver the production’s components on schedule. As a result, we are exploring localisation on a larger scale. Now that COVID has passed, we are encouraged to improve the localisation content to achieve the optimal price points for the consumer.

What are your predictions for the future of hydrogen-green energy-infused engines?

Yanmar is already involved in research and development in this area. We also have a global partnership with big firms conducting research.

For more details visit: https://www.yanmar.com/