ESW launches Skyline™ aftermarket replacement DPFs

3 July 2015

The ESW Group announced the launch of Skyline™ aftermarket DPFs—a line of OEM replacement diesel particulate filters for heavy-duty diesel engines. The filters will be offered via Skyline Emissions, Inc., a new company in the ESW Group.

The Skyline™ DPFs will cover a wide variety of engine makes and models for 2007 and later heavy- and medium-duty trucks and buses, said the company. Skyline™ aftermarket products will be sold and supported in North America through ESW distribution network, and will be backed by a 2-year unlimited mileage warranty.

DPFs were introduced on heavy- and medium duty diesel vehicles in the North American market in 2007. Emission systems in a growing number of 2007 and later trucks and buses are out of the OEM warranty, which typically covers 5 years. This creates a new replacement parts market, and several companies—including those that have specialized in retrofit DPF systems—have launched aftermarket DPF product lines. The list of companies offering aftermarket DPFs includes DCL International, CDTi and FlowGreen.

The US EPA has never adopted an approval process for aftermarket emission parts for heavy-duty diesel engines. While the EPA requires that replacement parts provide emission performance equivalent to the certified OEM components they replace, there is no formal procedure to demonstrate such equivalence, which creates a certain business risk for suppliers of aftermarket DPFs. Ultimately, under the current legal framework, the only way to demonstrate the required emission performance would be to conduct emission testing and durability demonstration following the EPA procedures for the certification of new diesel engines, for each engine family—a process that would not be viable for aftermarket suppliers due to the prohibitively expensive testing costs.

In California, an approval procedure for aftermarket DPFs is being developed by the California ARB.

Source: ESW Group