This year celebrating the 85th anniversary of its foundation, Peterborough-based engine maker Perkins has launched a low-cost engine monitoring device.

This is based around a ‘smart’ oil filler cap and it has also revealed the approach it will be taking to meeting the next round of emissions legislation, Stage V, which machines primarily for off-highway use must meet if they are to be sold after January 1, 2019.

Part of Caterpillar since 1997, Perkins remains a distinct element within the American giant’s business, chiefly due to the strong recognition for and loyalty to its name in certain world markets, said Perkins management.

In its 85-year history it has produced 20m engines, and now has 4500 employees, with factories in the USA, Brazil, India and China, as well as the UK.

Perkins was founded in 1932 by Frank Perkins and Charles Chapman, with the latter the chief engineer, while Perkins primarily led the company’s sales. The firm’s four-cylinder Vixen was its first development, followed by the more powerful Wolf, and the motor manufacturer, Humber, was Perkins’ first volume customer, using the latter engine in its Commer trucks.

In its first year, the company produced 35 engines, while Perkins now has an annual production capacity of 900,000 engines/year across the five countries in which it manufactures. Products now span a power band from 5-2800hp. Caterpillar purchased Perkins from LucasVarity, the former Massey Ferguson parent, in 1997.

The latest challenge has been to meet Stage V emissions legislation, which comes into force on January 1, 2019. This will have little impact on how users operate their machines, argued a spokesman for Perkins. He said it will be using enhanced established systems, including common rail fuelling, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) technology to address nitrous oxide emissions. Further improvements in diesel particulate filters (DPF) will oversee the necessary reduction in particulate matter levels, to meet Stage V.

To illustrate the progress the industry has made in reducing nitrous oxide and particulate emissions, prior to the first round of emissions rules being imposed in 1999, particulate emissions from a 100hp engine had to be no more than 1.6g/kWh.

In addition to a cut in the number of larger particles that can be produced, Stage V rules will see that figure cut to 0.015g/kWh, a 120-fold reduction. For comparison, a 1999 pre-regulation engine produced 6kg of particulate matter over two months – a Stage V engine will produce the same amount over 20 years.

Stage V also covers all sizes and outputs of engine, whereas former stages excluded engines above 750hp (560kW) and below 25hp (19kW) from the need to meet the rules.

Meanwhile, the business has launched a new engine monitoring device, compatible with both new and old engines with electronic or mechanical fuelling. This uses telemetry technology to aid engine performance and service monitoring.

Known as SmartCap, it is fitted in place of the existing oil filler cap, and incorporates Bluetooth connectivity to transmit key engine data to the free Perkins ‘My Engine’ app.

Users can then keep tabs on information such as engine running hours, start/stop frequency, engine/machine location, service log/reminders, and parts book and consumables information. The app aids accurate servicing by alerting users when oil and filter changes are due.

The cap can be retrofitted to any Perkins mechanical or electronic engine. After a few minutes’ set up, it can provide engine telematics and deliver a forthcoming service schedule and a completed service log. With the data transferred to a smartphone or computer, it’s then possible to analyse, for example, how much of an engine’s hours were spent at full load or a high rpm.

Perkins said this will help users of machines which use its engines to increase servicing accuracy to minimise downtime, as well as providing them with data that can help better manage machine performance.

SmartCaps can be specified on new engines and for a cost of around £39.99 can be purchased for retrofitting to existing powerplants. There are no ongoing usage costs beyond battery replacement for the cap itself as necessary.

Perkins engines are fitted to models from Manitou, Claas, Landini/McCormick parent ARGO, some AGCO machines and Knight, among others, including Turkey’s Armatrac and Austria’s Lindner.