After announcing to establish a new $150 million manufacturing plant in India several months ago, Perkins has announced the location of the new facility that will produce 4000 Series of diesel engines. The facility, which is expected to go into production in 2013, will be based in the Shendra Industrial Area in Aurangabad. Construction of the new plant is scheduled to start this year and be completed by the middle of next year, Perkins said.

“The new plant will be a great addition to our global manufacturing capability and will help us forge even closer ties with our valued Asian OEM customers,” said Perkins President Gwenne Henricks. “The facility will also play a vital role in the Aurangabad community as we look to utilize local skills and recruit experienced employees to create yet another world class facility for Perkins.”

Initially the facility will have the capacity to produce around 3000 engines per year with the capability to increase to 5000 units. Perkins said the workforce will grow from 60 employees at the plant’s inception to approximately 450 when it opens in 2013. The 4000 Series is currently only manufactured at Perkins’ Stafford, U.K., large engine center but demand from the electric power sector has meant that the India expansion is a necessity, Perkins said. This is despite Stafford opening a new third manufacturing line in 2011 to boost its own production.The 4000 Series is a range of 6-, 8-, 12- and 16-cylinder diesel and spark-ignited gas engines ranging from 932 to 2793 hp.

In line with Perkins’ strategy of manufacturing closer to its customers, the new India plant will serve the growing demand from the Asian markets while the Stafford facility will concentrate on supplying customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and South America.

Perkins has two distribution partners in India – GMMCO Power in Chennai and Powerparts Private Limited in New Delhi.