The
US engine builder has been forced to halt production of MaxxForce 13 and 15 diesel
engines following the EPA’s decision to oppose the company’s type of engine
emissions technology.
So,
in an embarrassing about-face, Navistar will adopt SCR technology and is
working closely with Cummins to resolve its current issues. Navistar, based in Lisle, Illinois, has
opposed SCR technology for years and is now paying the price.
Navistar
has come to a long-term supply agreement with Cummins Inc. of Columbus, Indiana
to use its heavy-duty diesel engines and “emissions after-treatment systems” for
Big Bore engines.
Navistar’s
Troy Clarke, president and chief operating officer, is master-minding the
company’s dramatic change of heart – and change of direction.
Engineering
teams from both Navistar and Cummins have been working furiously together in the last few months to
resolve matters quickly since the engine builder halted production.
This has not been an easy time for Navistar’s senior executives who have had to
eat humble pie for the past decisions that have been taken.
This
month, pilot production of International ProStar trucks fitted with Cummins
ISX15 I6 diesel engines will begin. First shipments are expected in December.
However,
it will not be until March 2013 that International ProStar vehicles fitted with
Navistar’s MaxxForce13 engines will enter pilot production. Regular production
is expected to begin in April 2013.
Then
it is understood the company’s line-up of regular trucks, all fitted with appropriate
SCR-based technology, will gradually begin to be unveiled throughout 2013.
During
the transition to full production, Navistar will continue to build and ship EPA-compliant
vehicles in all vehicle classes, using appropriate combinations of earned
emission credits and/or non-compliance penalties (NCPs).
The
interruption of production that has affected Navistar engines and trucks is
likely to impact heavily on the company’s financial results for the year.
One
of the principal casualties of MaxxForce’s emissions dilemma is Tupy SA of
Joinville, Brazil. It has had to interrupt shipment of Big Bore compacted
graphite iron (CGI) I6 cylinder blocks. Interrupted production at Tupy’s foundry
as well as Navistar’s Pure Power foundry in the US has also affected
third-quarter financial results of SinterCast which has developed CGI process
control technology and earns royalties from each CGI block cast.
A
source close to the foundry noted: “Navistar has indicated that production (of engines) will
resume during November 2012.”
Meanwhile Cummins, unlike many other heavy duty truck OEMs in Europe and North America,
has yet to adopt CGI cylinder blocks and heads for its diesel engines. The company has, however, conducted many studies and carried out development work on CGI materials.∎
