Metric Automotive Engineering has released Caterpillar® C9, C13 and C15 crankshafts from IPD into the local aftermarket. This follows on from IDP’s successful crankshafts for older generation Cat® engines such as the 3306, 3406 and 3408. “The quality of the crankshafts are all fully certified by Lloyds of London and double-checked by Metric Automotive Engineering,” Andrew Yorke, operations director, says.

Metric Automotive Engineering represents IPD in the local market, a leading aftermarket provider of engine components for heavy-duty diesel and natural gas powered engines based in the United States. IPD has been synonymous with quality, innovation and service since 1955. Its Caterpillar® replacement parts are manufactured in a Lloyds accredited ISO 9001:2000 quality controlled environment.

Yorke says that the critical differentiator of IPD aftermarket parts is the quality. “These are not just pirate components, as testified to by the Lloyds accreditation. The aftermarket is very competitive. What gives Metric Automotive Engineering the leading edge is that we pride ourselves on offering our customers cost-savings without compromising on quality,” Yorke says.

The significance of the new-generation Cat crankshafts from IPD is that the older-generation engines are 30+ years old, with the new-generation engines coming up on their first service life. “Thus we are starting to see more and more of these engines in the aftermarket. What tends to happen is that, if something has been around for a long time, there is a large quantity of used major components that clients can look out for,” Yorke says.

However, there are not a lot of good core components available for the newer engines. Therefore Metric Automotive Engineering is focusing more on the next generation engines “The older the plant, the less likely a client is likely to spend on a costly engine overhaul. At the end of the day the client has to strike a balance between such considerations,” Yorke says.

“On new engines we might not see that first repair or overhaul because it is under a maintenance   contract with the OEM, so that is not always our market. However, the second and third repairs definitely fall within our ambit. Beyond this, clients will either just run their plant in order to get one more life out of it, or just get it running in order to be able to sell it.”

Metric Automotive Engineering is South Africa’s most comprehensively equipped heavy diesel engine and component re-manufacturer. Established as a family business in 1969, the company has a strong ethos of investing in both quality equipment and expert personnel. This attitude towards customer service and constant product innovation has sustained the company since its inception.

Metric Automotive Engineering can refurbish large diesel engine components and offers services such as cylinder head remanufacture, cylinder block line boring, milling, honing and boring, camshaft grinding, crankshaft grinding, engine assembly and dynamometer testing. Subsidiary Reef Fuel Injection Services offers Bosch, Delphi and Denso approved fuel injection services and is acknowledged as the specialist in CAT fuel systems.