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Deutz USA's Steve Corley talks clean diesels' growing appeal at Brown Bag Seminar

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Although the United States has not embraced diesel engines like its European counterparts, “with fuel costs consistently in the $3.50 per gallon range,” said Stephen Corley, president and CEO of Deutz Corp., “diesel is becoming more of a consideration.”

Corley updated Georgia Tech students and faculty on clean diesel engines as part of his Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute Brown Bag Seminar on Sept. 9. Demand for clean diesel is certainly on the rise. In 2012, Corley’s company, Deutz Group, had more than $1.7 billion in revenue.

“We’re not a well-known brand,” he explained. “We don’t make the end product, but a lot of our customers do.” Those customers include such well-known names as AGCO and Volvo, which use Deutz engines in their products.

Government regulations are requiring cleaner engines. In 2007, all on-road engines manufactured had to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards, which led to the development of diesel particulate filters. In 2012, the EPA further reduced the level of nitrogen oxides (NOx).

“EPA is very stringent about meeting their standards,” said Corley. “And they have no problems with putting fines on you.”

Now, technologies are being added to monitor diesel engines. A light signals when the engine is not in line with standards and the vehicle owner must go to the dealership for repair.

For a country that has not had to suffer high fuel costs until the past decade, there was little to no demand for diesel engines. Now, Corley noted, his company is seeing more convert from gas to diesel, which may have a positive impact on gasoline consumption.

“Owners of Audi TDI engines have helped save more than 4 million gallons of gas, or the equivalent of more than 240,000 barrels of foreign oil,” said Corley. “TDI technology delivers better fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance. Diesel engines can do more than a hybrid can do.”  

Corley also noted that Deutz’s remanufacturing business is on the rise, which further enhances its environmental impact. “Remanufacturing creates 70 percent in raw material savings, and it reduces energy use by 60 percent,” he noted. “It is a low-cost, high-quality production alternative. Our warranty is the same as new. It’s also good for the economy because it creates jobs locally.”

Deutz is a sales, service, genuine parts and application engineering center for the Americas, supporting the Deutz product range of 30 - 700 hp diesel and natural gas engines. Located northeast of Atlanta, the company employs more than 125 people covering all aspects of marketing and support.

The GTMI Brown Bag Semina Series takes place each Monday between noon and 1 p.m. in the Manufacturing Research Building, Room 114. Students and faculty are invited and are welcome to bring their lunch to the meeting. If you have questions or you want to be added to the reminder list for these events, please contact Tina Guldberg at tina.guldberg@gatech.edu.

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  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Tracy Heath
  • Created:10/09/2013
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016

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