MOTEURS BAUDOUIN I PROFILE

Moteurs Baudouin is a highly experienced engine manufacturer that has strong presence in several key sectors, including marine. CEO Fabrizio Mozzi, Vice President of Strategy & Engineering Sébastien Peyron and Marine Sales Director Mehdi Kebaili provided an exclusive interview to Inside Marine’s Imogen Ward.

Dominating the world of marine propulsion, Moteurs Baudouin is a household name. With a reputation for excellence and a portfolio to prove it, the company currently holds an enviable market position.

“Baudouin has the largest diesel product range in marine and power generation applications, which varies from 15kW to 4,000kW,” said CEO Fabrizio Mozzi. “There is no other company in our industry that has such an impressive offering for its customers.”

Baudouin has evolved rapidly over its 105-year history, now designing and manufacturing engines for several sectors, including marine, power generation and industrial.

Although the company is now thriving, it has felt hardship: In 2009, Baudouin was at risk of closing its factories; however, Weichai Power (one of the world’s largest manufacturers of diesel engines) stepped in to help. Under the ownership of Weichai, Baudouin was able to harmonise the highs and lows and come out stronger than ever.

“We’ve gone from selling several hundred engines to selling 25,000 engines last year alone,” said Mr Mozzi. “This really highlights the efforts that everybody has put into the business, and that is incredibly exciting.”

Winning with Weichai

Making the most of Weichai’s expertise and willingness to invest, Baudouin has successfully utilised its parent to further develop its offering. Discussing a new plan for growth, Vice President of Strategy & Engineering Sébastien Peyron said: “We understand that to maintain our market position, we have to continue to expand and diversify.

“To address this, we have recently implemented an incredibly challenging and important product plan. Over the next five years, we intend to produce a complete range of new heavy-duty engines that answer our customers’ needs. This means higher specific power, higher displacements, high torque at low speed, fuel economy, emissions compliance and flexibility.

“Unlike our competitors, our marine engines are truly designed for the harsh marine environment and are not conversions of industrial or truck engines for marine use. This allows us to meet the needs of some of the most demanding customers in the engine industry; ensuring every requirement is met and guaranteeing robustness and functionality.”

This line is expected to comprise ten marine engines and will be perfect for heavy and intermediate duty, as well as use in the pleasure market. With the release of 6F21, this plan is already in motion.

6F21 is the most compact marine engine on the market. It includes components for diesel technology, with a very highpressure injection system and a double stage turbocharger.

“6F21 is the first step in Marine Baudouin’s new diversified era,” Mr Peyron explained. “It is the most power dense 13-litre engine available and is capable of going from intermittent duty at 599kW to 735kW at high performance duty, which is very impressive for a 13-litre engine.”

Keen to continue this evolution, the company is always quick to utilise the brilliant minds of a hybrid customerfocused department.

“We have a dedicated department that is somewhere between R&D and sales, which supports customers even before their order is finalised,” Mr Peyron said. “At this point, we can adapt the design with special options and additional features. The department also provides assistance regarding calculations and installation issues.”

“I think Baudouin’s strength is really in its ability to create a number of products that can cater to customers’ needs,”

Mr Mozzi agreed: “This has been magnified by the support of Weichai, a company that is exceptionally good at manufacturing high product volumes for the engine industry. We can now bring to the market large levels of standardised products and complex tailor-made alternatives.”

Although these developments are incredibly exciting, the company has always been able to depend on the M26, its most popular design.

Modernising the M26

Initially entering the market in the 1990s, the M26 was a huge success. Designed to produce continuous power, this engine enabled the company to compete in the big leagues of engine manufacturing.

“The M26 series was really a game changer for us as it placed us in line with the big players of engine manufacturing,” said Mr Mozzi. “The engine was manufactured in six-, eight- and 12-cylinder sizes and could power up to 500kW.”

In 2010, this series entered its second generation with the introduction of M26.2. Produced with the same cylinder configuration as its predecessor, according to Mr Mozzi this engine remains the company’s best-selling product, having sold thousands to-date.

Now in its third generation, the M26.3 can be purchased as a custom-build or as a standard product, which is manufactured as a 32-litre multipurpose engine.

“The M26.3 can be used for fishing, passenger and offshore vessels,” said Mr Peyron. “It goes from 441kW to 1215kW and is designed specifically for marine applications.

“There are several reasons why this engine is so great. Firstly, it is easily maintained. We take this aspect very seriously during the design stage and understand that every engine room is different. So, we place the crank house inspection doors, the tubular heat exchanger and all the filters on the front of the product. We also offer a lot of marine options with this model.

“Safety is also paramount. We developed the ‘four-step redundancy’ design which means that if there are any electrical faults, the crew will always be able to manoeuvre back to harbour. Lastly, it is state-of-the-art regarding emissions, because it can be designed to incorporate IMO II and III solutions, EPA 3 and 4 solutions for the USA, and Stage V for the Inland Waterways market.”

Providing low emission solutions is a philosophy Baudouin is also applying on the new engines in development, such as the M33 platform in 6 and 16 cylinders, which is due by the end of 2024.

Projects with power

Maintaining a strong presence across the globe, Baudouin has been part of several major developments. With 40% of its business dedicated to passenger vessels, and 35% in workboats, the company partakes in a diverse variety of projects.

The company is currently collaborating with Hornblower Marine on the City Experiences Partnership, which will result in Baudouin powering and re-powering all Hornblower’s vessels. Baudouin also works with several major shipyards, including Penguin Shipyard, Singapore.

Other Baudouin Projects:

The company is currently collaborating with Hornblower Marine on the City Experiences Partnership, which will result in Baudouin powering and repowering all of Hornblower’s vessels.

The company also works with several major shipyards, including Penguin Shipyard, Singapore..

Going forward, Baudouin will continue along the path of expansion, and it will do so with a great team of people backing it. “The company is growing fast, and every day is new and exciting,” Mr Kebaili concluded. “In the next three years, we plan to more than double our market share and we will achieve that through dedication and from the help of an exceptional team, both here at Baudouin and at Weichai Power.”