KS Kolbenschmidt GmbH, a member of the Rheinmetall Group, has been awarded a contract for commercial vehicle steel pistons worth over €70 million. The supplier is thus successfully continuing the strategic expansion of its steel piston business on the European and North American markets. The customer is a leading manufacturer in the premium truck segment. Tipping the scales in favor of Kolbenschmidt were the use of state-of-the-art technologies, outstanding customer service, and a competitive local presence.
The ultramodern steel pistons for the NAFTA market will be supplied over a period of six years as from the fourth quarter of 2019. The production plant is the Mexican location of KS Kolbenschmidt de Mexico, where steel pistons are manufactured for the North American market since 2013. Besides making the actual pistons, the manufacturer completes the assembly with rings and pins.
The components will be installed in six-cylinder inline engines of this commercial vehicle manufacturer. The 455-to-505 HP heavy-duty engines feature the newest technologies and, in the USA, rank as the flagship model of this OEM. A special challenge on this type of engine: the ambitious blow-by and oil consumption targets plus the very high ignition pressures. The double friction stir-welded steel pistons are manufactured according to KS Kolbenschmidt’s Weldteks design to produce a piston that is extremely rugged and durable, and meets the extended lifetime performance benchmark for on-road applications of at least 1.6 million kilometers.
