The future of off-highway power is about integration, not just innovation

OEMs are left to grapple with a raft of complex pressures, such as criteria emissions regulations, cost control, uptime, fuel flexibility, electrification pathways and a growing diversity of end-user operating conditions.

For engine manufacturers, this shift has led them to take a broader view of power that spans diesel, hybrid and electric solutions, supported by engineering integration, digital tools and lifecycle services.

Richard Hemmings is Perkins’ new VP and general manager for sales, marketing, service and parts. He has nearly 20 years of experience across sales, strategy and aftermarket leadership at Perkins, and that experience tells him the industry is moving strongly toward practical outcomes.

“OEMs are focusing much more on driving efficiency, simplifying their product line-ups and minimising downtime. That’s where the real value is being created.”

What OEMs expect now

Across North America, Europe and other regions, OEM expectations are converging around a few core themes. Performance still matters, but it is no longer enough on its own.

It’s clear that OEMs are looking to reduce complexity in both manufacturing and service by using common engine platforms across multiple machine types and regions.

“There’s a strong desire to use one engine family globally,” Hemmings explains. “It helps with inventory management and allows technicians to focus on a smaller number of platforms. That consistency becomes more valuable as machines and power systems get more sophisticated.”

At the same time, fuel flexibility is becoming an expectation. The ability to operate on alternatives such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) or biofuels can help OEMs and end users support efforts to adopt lower-carbon intensity fuels without changing equipment or infrastructure.

This approach reflects a broader industry preference for solutions that deliver sustainability benefits without operational disruption.

Diesel development in a mixed-power future

Despite rapid advances in electrification, diesel engines remain central to off-highway applications – particularly in construction, quarrying, mining and power generation. What is being seen, however, is a change in the way diesel technology is being developed and deployed.

“The jobsite of the future will have a mix of power solutions,” says Hemmings. “That mix will vary by region and application, and it will add complexity. But it doesn’t reduce the importance of diesel; if anything, it increases the focus on making diesel as efficient and productive as possible. That’s certainly our view at Perkins.”

Key areas of diesel innovation include increased power density, enabling OEMs to downsize engines without having to sacrifice performance, and technologies that reduce idle time and fuel consumption.

Connectivity and condition monitoring also play a growing role, helping operators understand how machines are actually used in the field and enabling proactive maintenance strategies.

Another area gaining attention is advanced control systems.

According to Hemmings, “Model-based control systems, which use a dynamic, physics-based algorithm to control the engine, are extremely beneficial for customers as the engine is continually optimising itself.

“It means every end user gets a customised experience, with the engine adapting to the way it’s being used at that precise moment. It’s a more tailored, efficient experience without added complexity.”

Electrification without reinvention

While diesel continues to evolve, electrification is no longer an option only in theory. OEMs are actively evaluating where battery-electric solutions make sense – and where they don’t.

The challenge seems less about the technology itself and more about integration, cost and development time.

One response has been the emergence of Perkins’ drop-in battery-electric power unit, designed to replace a diesel engine within the existing machine architecture.

By matching mechanical connections and electrical interfaces, these systems allow OEMs to electrify platforms quickly, without undertaking costly ground-up redesigns.

“If OEMs can transition from diesel to electric using familiar interfaces and packaging, it helps reduce risk and accelerates decision-making,” Hemmings explains.

Demonstrator projects have shown that this approach can maintain performance while reducing development effort – an important consideration for OEMs managing limited engineering resources.

Hybrids can balance performance and efficiency

Hybrid powertrains are also re-emerging as a solution, particularly for applications where duty cycles, infrastructure or cost make full electrification difficult to implement. Also, rather than viewing hybrids as a transitional technology, many OEMs now see them as a way to balance performance, efficiency and flexibility over the long term.

“The technologies don’t have to compete,” Hemmings says. “They can complement each other. A hybridised diesel solution could, for example, meet performance and total cost of ownership (TCO) requirements in applications where electric-only simply isn’t practical.”

Recent development work has focused on hybrid systems capable of operating on multiple fuels, including lower-carbon and hydrogen-based options.

Digital tools are changing engine design

Digitalisation is also influencing not just how engines are supported, but how they are designed.

As Hemmings says, “Telematics are providing more data on how engines are used in the field, which is impacting engine design to meet real world needs rather than perceived needs. We can also see what failure modes have occurred in the field, so we can design to avoid those. We can now design out many issues as we have a better understanding of what caused them.”

For OEMs and end users alike, the economic impact can be significant, with the cost of a downed machine often outweighing any marginal difference in upfront price or peak performance.

“Connectivity and condition monitoring is revolutionising how customers connect, monitor and manage their equipment in real time. We’re empowering customers to take full control of their operations, so as they gain the insights and proactive support needed to maximise machine uptime and operate more efficiently,” Hemmings says.

Engineering support as a differentiator

As power systems become more diverse, integration has become one of the biggest challenges facing OEMs.

Engineering resources are finite, and new product development is both time-consuming and costly.

This has increased demand for collaborative engineering support that goes beyond supplying an engine.

Hemmings says the Perkins Customer Machine Engineering Team (CMET) was established to address this gap. Drawing on significant accumulated experience, the team works directly with OEM engineers to integrate, optimise and validate power solutions – whether that involves replacing a competitor engine, hybridising an existing platform or testing alternative fuels.

“Sometimes customers engineering resources are limited,” says Hemmings. “The CMET service removes a significant burden and allows access to the expertise that the Perkins team can provide.”

CMET is one way Perkins has found to streamline the process of engineering a Perkins powertrain into OEM machines that leads to optimal system performance, ultimately meeting the needs of the end user.

Beyond this, says Hemmings, “We are continuing to work closely with our OEMs to share our learnings and collaborate on new and exciting pilot projects.”

Watch this space…

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This article was produced by KHL Content Studio, in association with Richard Hemmings, Perkins VP & GM.

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All images courtesy of Perkins

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