Diesel deal

ASIMCO Technologies, Phillips and Temro Industries are to establish a joint venture to design, manufacture and distribute electrical intake air heaters for the Chinese diesel engine market.

The company, named ASIMCO PTI Air Intake System (Yizheng), will be located in a new facility in Yizheng, Jiangsu Province, China where ASIMCO has three manufacturing plants.

ASIMCO said in a statement that intake air heaters provide improved combustion during cold start and initial engine warm-up, ensuring smoother and quicker start-to idle-operation. Intake air heaters also reduce white smoke emissions resulting from unburned fuel. Distribution of the China made intake air heaters to the domestic commercial vehicle market will begin in the fourth quarter of 2006.

PTI is a leader in cold start and emissions control products in the North American market and is recognized for its designs, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. ASIMCO has particular strength in China’s commercial diesel engine sector. The global quality intake air heater manufactured by the joint venture will be added to the wide range of products which ASIMCO supplies to China’s diesel engine assemblers.

Air intake heaters were originally introduced to diesel engine producers as a cost effective cold weather starting aid. However, because they substantially reduce “hydrocarbon” or “white smoke” emissions, they are becoming an integral part of the combustion system formula for meeting clean air emission standards.

Jack Perkowski, Chairman and CEO of ASIMCO said, ‘This partnership brings with it important technology to produce a high performance cold start aid and emissions control product essential for engine manufacturers to meet international standards for Euro III and Euro IV emissions not currently available in the domestic market.’