PDF [1.6 MB] - Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG

egulating the exhaust gas inflow, depending
on temperature, the flap ensures
that the converter is more or less
always working to optimum efficiency,
a factor that also extends its servicelife
considerably.”
“Another example,” continues the 58year-old
exhaust gas specialist “is to
ensure compliance with future EURO 5
standards which specifically in the case
of diesel engines increasingly call for
low-pressure EGR for achieving an especially
high rate of recirculation. There
is also the sequential turbocharger feature,
of growing significance on diesel
engines, where an additional smaller
turbocharger ensures that the power
boost available is delivered even at low
engine speeds.
Last but not least,
noise control on
upscale vehicles
is a factor for consideration;various
sound profiles
are selectable,
from a muffled
to a throaty
sports car style
roar.” “Neither
should we forget,”
adds Lösing,
“the EGR
valves for commercial
vehicles
that work at temperatures
of up to
180° C under punishing
conditions
of aggressive exhaust
condensate
and pressure
surges as steep
as 1,300 bar/sec. These valves are necessary
to ensure that trucks and buses,
too, can comply with current and future
emission standards.”
Javier Egurrola continues: “What really
distinguishes us from competition is
the know-how and experience of our
employees accumulated through more
than 30 years of market presence, and
enabling us nowadays to mix and
merge a diversity of components (e.g.
EGR valve with bypass or the new cooler),
thus creating new, innovative and
nonetheless rugged products matching
the highest standards of quality and
customer demands. Our entire team as
well as their profound knowledge re-
Newsline
Pierburg GmbH’s Emission Control business unit powerfully positioned worldwide
A specialist in emission reduction
(Continued from page 12)
garding our products and present and
future emission control techniques
and, not least of all, the expectations
and needs of our customers—these are
the key factors that set us apart from
competition.”
As to the future, the Emission Control
business unit perceives itself as strategically
well positioned. Egurrola: “The
advantage of having an autonomous
profit-center style business unit is that,
unlike previously, it assumes full responsibility
for such factors as design,
timing, profit and quality throughout a
product’s lifecycle. Secondly, the business
unit is focused on a specific product
sector and can leave the development
of tomorrow’s products to the Advanced
Engineering department. This,
Powerfully positioned product portfolio: Dr. Karl-Heinrich Lösing (l.) Senior Manager
Development EGR (trucks) and Exhaust-Gas Flaps and his Secondary Air Systems
coworker, Dr. Holger Paffrath, with the latest high-temperature exhaust gas flap.
in turn, results in a more efficient division
of labor. And, finally, a structure
such as this functions according to a
global vision that starts with group
guidelines and is reflected in the global
coordination and meshing of activities
within the various departments
and branches with a view to achieving
a common goal. All this gives us the energy
to confidently cope with future developments
and actively help shape
the future of the automobile.”
Pierburg expert Lösing has a quite
specific notion of how this future will
shape out. “We can be certain that in
future the entire area of engineering
development and simulation will play a
13
much more predominant role in the relationship
between the carmakers and
their suppliers. Also likely to undergo
considerable change are the requirements
regarding flexibility in terms of
engineering design changes and the
perception of the engine and the auto
as complete systems in themselves.”
Adds Sari, his engineering colleague:
“In future, our customers will require
even more than today technical support
in the design and test phases.
They will also expect us to park on their
premises one of our application engineers
for direct consultation.”
A glance at the list of projects currently
in the pipeline indicates that the
Emission Control business unit is focusing
its product range closely on futurerequirements
and emission
standards.
Alongside a new
generation of EGR
valves, we find
such undertakings
as EGR
valves for commercial
vehicles
or for exceptionally
high flow
rates, others with
an integrated bypass
function or
else for low-pressure
operation. A
further item on
the agenda is an
optimized sec-
Photo: Markus J. Ferger
ondary air sys-
tem.
Javier Egurrola
concludes: “The
new business
unit set-up is a sustainable system to
help us achieve present and future performance
targets. Since its conception
we have attained over 30 percent
added productivity through the resulting
changeover in process layout and
materials flow. Moreover, through improved
First Time Quality (FTQ) we have
managed to upgrade our Overall Equipment
Efficiency (OEE), in some cases
by over 50 percent. Measured against
our business plan we have also shown
a 17-percent sales boost. From such a
promising baseline we are certain of
having laid for ourselves a sound foundation
and hence look forward to solid
business progress in the years ahead.”