JCB have announced the next stage of its engine strategy with the news it has forged a partnership with a leading global manufacturer to produce engines for its compact equipment.

JCB has gone from a new entrant in engine manufacturing to a global producer with the first JCB engine rolling off the production line in the UK in November 2004. Since then production has been extended to JCB India’s HQ at Ballabgarh and to date more than 250,000 engines have been produced globally.

JCB went into production this year with the JCB Ecomax engine, which meets EU Stage IIIB/US Tier 4 Interim emissions standards without the need for a diesel particulate filter (DPF) or external exhaust after treatment.

Now JCB has announced it is adopting a range of fuel-efficient Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Final engines from Kohler’s Global Power Group, for many of its compact machine lines. The water-cooled Kohler Direct Injection (KDI) engines - which will be branded JCB Diesel by Kohler - meet the next stage of emissions regulations without the need for a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

On Wednesday this week, the first JCB machine to be fitted with the new engine - a JCB 35D 4x4 Teletruk - was unveiled at the RWM waste management show at the NEC in Birmingham. The Teletruk is JCB’s telescopic forklift with a unique ability to reach forwards, enabling single side loading and accurate placement of loads.

JCB’s Director of Engine Programmes Alan Tolley said: “The decision to partner with Kohler to develop engines for JCB compact machines was driven by the synergy in the technologies used by JCB and Kohler to achieve stringent Tier 4 Final emissions legislation. Kohler’s achievement of Tier 4 Final without the need for a bulky DPF is fully in line with our own engine strategy and allows our designers maximum flexibility when it comes to meeting machine design and packaging requirements.”

The European-built engines will be progressively introduced in JCB products, including midi excavators, the Teletruk TLT35D, 406 and 409 compact wheeled loaders, the 190 and 205 skid steers and 190T and 205T compact tracked loaders, smaller 135, 155 and 175 skid steers and TM180 and TM220 articulated wheeled loading shovels.