Cooper ties up with UK's Ricardo to build new engines

Engines and components manufacturer Cooper Corporation has extended its existing association with the UK-based Ricardo to jointly develop a new line of advanced diesel and CNG engines for the domestic and overseas markets. The new Cooper engines will power applications for diverse sectors including automotive, gensets, marine, defence, construction equipment and agriculture. Ricardo is an independent technology and strategic consulting provider to transportation and clean energy industries.

As a result of this planned development, Cooper Corporation will expand its range of engines from 3.5 KVA to 1000 KVA. The entire range will be available in both Diesel and CNG versions. The new engines will be in the 2, 4 and 6 cylinder range.

Farrokh N. Cooper, chairman and managing director, Cooper Corporation said, "With this association with Ricardo UK, we will be covering almost 75% of the range of products available in the market putting us in the same league as the biggest players in the industry in a relatively short period of time. This technical partnership will enable us to make a range of cutting edge engines to power applications for diverse sectors such as automotive, gensets, marine, defence, construction and agriculture."

Cooper Corporation has invested Rs 50 crore in the new business and it will develop all components for the engine, assemble and sell the range under 'Cooper-Ricardo'. Ricardo will be responsible for the overall design of the engine and Cooper will develop all components for the engine, assemble and also conduct the required engine tests.

Cooper added, "Despite the overall recessionary trends in the country, Cooper Corporation has witnessed consistent and aggressive growth for the past five years across sectors because of our reputation for technology, after market support and commitment to quality and service. Going forward we intend to expand all our capacities in the cast iron foundry, aluminum foundry, engine lines etc and double our current turnover of Rs 700 crore in the next five years."

Besides India, it sells products to marets like Central America, Africa, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, UAE, Vietnam and Afghanistan. The company also sells auto spare parts and engine components to all leading manufacturers in India and across the world from Japan to Europe and USA.