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Fuel Injection Omar Cueto’s Fiber Optic Innovation p. 10
july/august 2012
| north american diesel magazine
www.northamericandiesel.com
Table of Contents
Duramax at Sea pg. 6
Igniting Jacksonville pg. 10
Trust your supplier? pg. 14
North American diesel Magazine july/august 2012 • charlotte, nc www.northamericandiesel.com Editorial Publisher Todd Whitehurst Editor Deanna Efird Contributing Writers Todd Cimino, Todd Whitehurst ART Art Director Somiah Lattimore Contributing Artists & Photographers Todd Whitehurst, BigStockPhoto.com ADVERTISING National Sales Todd Whitehurst • (704) 651-9731 4229 Myers Hunter Lane, #203 Charlotte, NC 28270
Table of contents photo and cover photo courtesy of BigStockPhoto.com
PUBLISHER’s letter Todd Whitehurst
What makes a great magazine? What makes a great story?
Photo courtesy of Todd Whitehurst.
My hope is that you will find the answers to those questions with the launch of North American Diesel Magazine. My goal as publisher is very simple, but to accomplish it will take hard work and a talented staff. That goal is to tell honest stories of hard-working diesel shop owners across the country. Whether they deal in engines, fuel injection, turbochargers, performance products or industrial applications, I want to bring their stories to light so they can be appreciated. For me, that means getting great interviews and great photographs so that we share their message and mission with our readers. Reading North American Diesel Magazine should be easy and entertaining, but also give you a clear and concise mental image of the story. If, after one reading, you can tell your friends, family and coworkers the stories that we illustrate here, then we have done our job well. That’s impact, and that is what we are about. Other magazines focus on technical issues and, at times, we will too; but our main focus is the generations of people behind the machines that power the transportation of goods in North America. The diesel industry is estimated at $20 billion for 2012, with no signs of slowing down. The companies represented in our magazine are the companies that power the transportation with diesel. If you begin a relationship with one of our companies in NADM we will be thrilled that a trust was established through us. These companies impact our lives every day, even though we don’t realize it. Come join us as we get to know one another through the pages of North American Diesel Magazine.
4 july/august 2012 | north american diesel magazine
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Editor’s letter Deanna Efird
Welcome to the inaugural issue of North American Diesel Magazine! In the coming months we will be sharing with you stories of the hardworking men and women behind the diesel industry. This publication is unique in that it will focus on the personal side of an industry that is often not thought of as personal. Photo courtesy of Eric Beach.
In this first issue, we introduce you to Omar Cueto and L&J Diesel of Jacksonville, Florida. His is a real success story – a hardworking man running a family business, experiencing the challenges any business owner experiences over the years while growing a company. Cueto’s story is only one of the many stories we will bring you over the coming years in publication. Whether it’s a product or a service, a company or an individual, North American Diesel Magazine is the authority, delivering valuable and interesting information within the industry. We look forward to building a relationship with you, our readers. Should you have any comments, questions or story ideas, please feel free to email them to me at editor@northamericandiesel.com.
We want to know you! Do you have an interesting story to tell about your experience in the diesel industry? Write to us! We want to hear your stories and consider them for publication! Send comments, questions and story ideas to: editor@northamericandiesel.com.
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Duramax Goes to Sea Marinediesel Sweden By Todd Cimino
6 july/august 2012 | north american diesel magazine
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With its popularity on dry land, General Motors’ Duramax diesel is testing its sea legs. The European company, Marinediesel Sweden (MDS), is making major strides to introduce this popular power plant to a sector of the marine industry that has been dominated by the likes of Caterpillar and Volvo. It’s a small company that wants to swim with some very big fish. MDS has not limited its design with the typical small diesel engines that are historically flat and featureless. Their fusion of mechanical and digital properties has produced an enhancement of the Duramax platform that is second to none in the marine market. In 2010, MDS signed an OEM agreement with General Motors Engine Division to procure the Duramax, adding the 6.6 liter unit to its line of already popular 6.5 liter GM-based models. Soon after, the Swedish firm partnered with Performance Diesel of Webster, Texas to offer sales and support for the North American market.
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MDS offers variations of the Duramax that range from 350 to 500 horsepower with 720 to 1150 foot-pounds of torque at midrange (2000 – 3400 RPMs). Because of this platform’s proven success with the Hummer and Humvee applications, extensive research has been conducted to enable the MDS Duramax to fit most military marine uses. For the last three years MDS has appeared at the MultiAgency Craft Conference (MACC), touting its vast ability to meet the ever changing small-unit military and municipal needs around the world. The newest model in development is the TSC
Marinediesel Sweden AB Metallgatan 6 262 72 Ängelholm Phone: +46 431 801 30 Online: www.marinedieselengineering.com/md
with Lysholm twin-screw superchargers and is still based on the 6.6 Duramax platform. This version is expected to produce almost 700 horsepower and 1560 foot pounds of torque while offering the responsiveness and throttle control of a conventional gasoline engine. Applications. In North America, where the relative price of gasoline is rising, pleasure boat owners are seeking more efficient, longer lasting diesel replacements for their conventional gas engines. One of the great selling points of the Duramax platform is its ability to fit into any engine bed that has been designed
for a big block gasoline counterpart. In the small military market numerous production and spec projects have included the MDS Duramax into their vessels. One such project has been the “Qselva” Stealth boat, a 20-foot river patrol boat that is both fast and impervious to radar detection (http://www. qselva.com). Specifications and Features. The MDS Duramax features a fully-marinized block that is both commercially-rated and lightweight, offering the best power-to-weight ratio in the market. The injection
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Above photo courtesy of Marinediesel Sweden, right photo courtesy of BigStockPhoto.com
system is regulated with MDS’s own proprietary ECU that gives better acceleration and a digitallike responsiveness only before known to gas engine users. This, combined with the variable geometry turbo system, allows vessels to plane and accelerate faster than any other conventional turbo power option on the market today. The MDS Duramx is EPA-, Eu- and IMOcompliant and can be regulated to meet future standards as compliance changes. Because of its rigid block design, this engine is not only durable, it’s much quieter than other comparable units. This noise suppression is accomplished with a deep-skirt block structure and by connecting the bearing caps to the lower part of the block with side bolts, in addition to the main bolts. A special gray iron alloy is the material of choice for the main block, and the crankshaft is forged with grade 4340 steel and uses six 14 mm head bolts per cylinder.
As with many past marine engine designs, concerns have always surfaced regarding the access to key maintenance items such as air, oil and fuel filters. On the MDS Duramax, all have been located conveniently, making these components easy to change, even in the most restrictive engine compartments.
“[The MDS Duramax] allows vessels to plane and accelerate faster than any other conventional turbo power option on the market today.”
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Drive Options. With a wide variety of bell housing options, the MDS Duramax can be mated to any of the Borg Warner and ZF marine transmissions. The standard Mercury Marine Bravo, TRS and Super Speed Master bell housings can also be used. For inboard-outboard models in the higher power range, the Konrad drive is recommended (http://www. konradmarine.com). The mate-ability of the Duramax assures the use of almost all the same drive options that are applicable for gasoline counterparts, including the Arneson (http://www.arnesonindustries.com) and MSA (http://www.tuprop.com)
surface drives for high speed applications. For shallow water operation this versatile power plant can also mate to the bullet proof Berkley Jet Drive (http:// www.berkeleyjet.com). Sales and Pricing. MDS is a Swedishbased company. http://www. marinedieselengeering.com In North America the MDS Duramax is available through Performance Diesel in Watson, Texas. (281) 464-2345 or toll free at (877) 702-1234. Online you can find them at http://www. PerformanceDiesel.com. Prices range from $ 33,000 to $40,000 U.S. Dollars, FOB Watson, Texas.
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Omar Cueto (center) and his colleagues. Photo courtesy of Omar Cueto.
Omar Cueto: Fuel Injection Innovation L&J Diesel Service, Inc., Jacksonville, FL Every business has a story behind it; however few mirror the American dream success story as closely as that of L&J Diesel Service, Inc. of Jacksonville Florida. Founded by Luis and Joaquin Cueto, the company is now run by Omar Cueto and his wife, Jeanie. Originally the business was solely focused on legacy fuel injection systems and pump remanufacturing; however, the business has diversified over the past five years. 10 july/august 2012 | north american diesel magazine
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L&J Diesel Service, Inc. 5323 Lenox Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32205 (904) 786-7402 www.ljdiesel.com
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Similar to all small businesses there have been economic highs and lows over the past four decades, and those highs and lows have taught their own lessons. Fortunately, Cueto combines hard work, a creative flair for tackling difficult jobs and an extraordinary memory for detail. He couples these with vision and a determination that embodies the American dream. Cueto’s gift for running a business and understanding the diesel industry evidenced themselves when he was a young boy working in the family business. By the age of 11, Cueto was working alongside his father in the family’s diesel remanufacturing facility during vacations and summer breaks. He now works alongside his son, Zachary. The company, L&J Diesel, originally founded by his father and uncle in Miami, relocated to Jacksonville in 1974. At age 25, Cueto inherited the company shortly after his father purchased a larger facility. With what Cueto himself describes as a perilous decision, the company entered into contracts with two large fleets. The welcomed growth and excitement proved to be a disaster when the contract was not renewed. As the fleet service agreement imploded, so too did a large portion of the company’s revenue stream. The company needed to retrench, and Cueto needed to identify his own new vision. Moving away from the traditional models that guided his father, Cueto realized that his gift in engineering and his ability to think out-of-thebox could be harnessed to take the business into new directions. Combining his years of work experience and an extraordinary ability to retain statistics and technical data, Cueto realigned L&J Diesel Service’s resources. He embarked on adapting and creating equipment to make the diesel injector remanufacturing process more precise and efficient. In the 1990s original equipment manufacturers (OEM), terminated independent support. Within 10 years of independent remanufactures lacking originally manufacture internal calibration data, the diesel industry focus turned toward emission reduction through after-treatment solutions using retrofitted product. They were supported, for the most part, by large grants. This left an opening for Cueto to take a different route. In addition to a lack of internal calibration data, expensive test bench equipment had to be cost factored into the profit margins of small remanufacturing facilities. Cueto realized this, and he committed himself and his company’s resources into the development of precision test bench equipment. During a trip to the mountains of North Carolina, Cueto spent days on the problem of how to make an efficient, effective, and innovative injector test bench. While hiking a trail, he recalled that the speed of light is the fastest thing in the universe. Logically, somehow, that needed to be harnessed and integrated into test equipment. He hired an engineer and initiated the design process to manufacture his conceptual design. Serendipitously, he began exploring the properties of cavitation and, using a heavy glass gallon jug and juryrigged equipment, he was able to replicate cavitation in the company’s laboratory. The introduction of fiber optics to both transmit and read reflected light would demand years of research and much more sophisticated equipment. During this developmental stage, Cueto shared with his mother his concept design, and a few weeks later his mother referred to his concept as “diesel logic.” L&J Diesel’s R&D division now had a name: DIESELOGIC. It launched its first test bench in 2002. Using his own capital for research development, Cueto devoted five years to developing a measurement system using fiber-optic cable and cavitation working in parallel with pressure readings. The company christened the test bench NEO. The final product is a multifunction test machine with seven configurations providing a wide range of testing, including CRI, EUI, HEUI, and nozzle flow. In 2011 NEO
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went into production. Cueto quickly found himself training technicians on the use and adaptability of the NEO. Simultaneously, he began plans for expanding L&J Diesel’s infrastructure to address the needs of an expanding remanufacturing market. In 2011, the company expanded its online sales by branching out into new markets. It is now in the forefront of online sales and ecommerce transactions through the company’s online store and ecommerce sites. The company further expanded its retail service. Recently, L&J Diesel announced it is relocating into a new building. The building will provide expanded office facilities, room for manufacturing expansion, increased warehouse space and an enlarged retail service center. There have been growing pains typical of any company and for a man taking control of his destiny. At the height of the company’s first expansion, it employed 34 workers. That number trimmed to eight after impulsive decisions of 1995. However during all of this time, Cueto remained optimistic
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“It is Cueto’s can-do attitude that keeps L&J Diesel moving along on all cylinders...” and enjoyed the support of his family. He had the good fortune to turn the company around, and he looks forward to the new expansion. Jeanie works alongside him, and his son Zachary is learning the business from the bottom up, just as Cueto himself did. While working as a technician, Zachary has also completed time study analysis and has introduced efficiency and innovation of his own design. Much like his father and grandfather before him, the diesel industry appears to be in the blood. Additionally, Cueto’s youngest son, Bryce, often helps in the shop, and his daughter, Marcela, often sits and
does her homework in her mother’s office and helps with filing. Cueto continues to be an outspoken proponent for open dialogue with the OEM, and a proponent of the Clean Air Act enforcement. For the past three years, Cueto has led an awareness campaign about the Clean Air Act provisions for dissemination of internal calibrations. His presentations, spoken before fellow trade members and congressional leaders, appear in several trade publications. They reflect Cueto’s concern for the state of the diesel remanufacturing industry in the United States. It is Cueto’s can-do attitude that keeps L&J Diesel moving along on all cylinders, and that attitude is what makes possible the continued growth and expansion of the family-owned business.
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trust your supplier? we do. Turbo Exchange, Concord, NC By Todd Whitehurst
Turbo Exchange, Inc. Andre Van Der Westhuizen 500-A Pitts School Road Concord, NC 28027 (800) 377-6605 (704) 721-6661
Turbo Exchange in Concord, NC services dealers all over the southeast and the U.S., as well as the end-user at any variety of companies that use diesel turbos. Their business has grown in the face of a recession. Partly their growth is due to how the diesel industry as a whole has grown, and partly that is due to the industry’s need for quality service and parts. Mainly it is due to hard work and a dedication to doing things the right way.
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Andre Van Der Westhuizen (just plain Andre West in America) is a successful and hard working South African business owner in Concord, NC. His coming to the states 27 years ago, in 1985, was the start of an outstanding career based on service. After serving in the military and working as a diesel mechanic in the late 70s and early 80s, West developed himself into a leader at a very young age becoming Vice President and General Manager of Turbo Air in Charlotte, NC. In 1991 he resigned from Turbo Air and launched Turbo Exchange, which has been in business for 21 years. West attributes his growth
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Left: Preparing for balancer test. Right: The turbo balancer. Below: The turbo housing. Photos courtesy of Todd Whitehurst
and success at Turbo Exchange to a simple, but valuable, character trait. Honesty, in business and in relationships, is what grounds this man and his company. In the early days, after seeing others close to him overcharge and lose customers, West decided to base his business on outstanding quality work at a fair price. In our interview West said, “Be proud in what you do. Treat every customer like they are your only customer.” This practice has earned Turbo Exchange 3 major designations as authorized distributors over the last 21 years – one for Borg Warner, one for Garret, and one for Holset turbochargers. “Our best growth has occurred even after we pulled all outside sales reps off the road,” West says. “The best salesmen we have are our customers and their appreciation for what we do.” When taking a tour of the 6000 sq. ft. facility of Turbo Exchange, located in the heart of racing country near the Charlotte Motor Speedway, you see the high level of professionalism and
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organization of the company. West is proud of the fact that he has the tools and trained personnel to repair and rebuild turbochargers in a state of the art facility. A warehouse holding stock core components and already-remanufactured turbos makes West and Turbo Exchange one of the first places anyone in the
southeast, or anywhere in the country for that matter, would want to call for quality turbos. Turbo Exchange stands by their word when it comes to shipping. If they can ship it next day they will. If not the customer will know without any games, delays, or hassles. An authorized dealer, Turbo Exchange has
exact procedures and factory specifications for remanufacturing and machining parts. Non-authorized distributors may sell quality parts but not always to original specs. That is just one more added value that Turbo Exchange offers its customers. TE is equipped with all of the machines necessary to do the best job of cleaning to machining to calibrating and testing your repaired or rebuilt Turbocharger. The balancer is crucial to the long life of turbos that are stamped for approval by Turbo Exchange.
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