MaK — part of Caterpillar In 1997, the manufacturer of MaK engines became a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar. Caterpillar Motoren, as the company is now called, has manufactured engines for more than 80 years, and today forms Caterpillar’s technological centre for large, medium-speed engines. Caterpillar Motoren has around 1,550 employees throughout the world. Its head office is located in Kiel, Germany.

MaK’s History
MaK (Maschinenbau an Kiel) was established at Friedrichsort in Kiel in 1948. The factory it established itself in had already manufactured engines since 1920. It started with hot bulb engines, then two-stroke engines. Serial production of four stroke diesel engines began in 1930, and following an unstable period with changes of ownership, production of more modern types of engine began in 1962.

In 1992, MaK launched a new generation of long stroke engines. This newcomer was given the type name M20 and had a stroke/bore ratio of 1:5.1, giving a stroke of 300mm. The new engine was a success, both as an auxiliary motor and main engine. In 1994, MaK launched the M32, which had a stroke of 480mm and the same stroke/bore ratio as the M20.

The new MaK engines were constructed with a suspended crankshaft in a stiff, box-shaped engine block in which all of the channels for lubricating oil and charging air were integrated. Both the M20 and M32 had a cylinder block that did not contain cooling water, solving the familiar old problem of corrosion in the cylinder block. The M32 was launched with a cylinder power of 44kW, which was increased after a year to 480kW. The market responded favourably. MaK, which always had had a reputation for its excellent quality, now had a 320 mm bore/600 rpm machine that was superior to its competitors in its power and specific consumption, but had a lower rpm than its competitors and could be offered at a competitive price. M32 is currently the market leader in its class.

The M25 was launched in 1996. This had a bore of 255mm and a stroke of 400mm, rpm of 720/750 and 300 kW cylinder power at 750 rpm.

The next long stroke engine that was launched was the M43 with a bore of 430mm and a stroke of 610mm. M43 is a large and powerful diesel engine that is manufactured as 6, 7, 8 and 9 cylinder in-line units. It has the same structural advantages as its predecessors.

Development of new engines and versions is still taking place.