Delphi Delivers Expanded All Makes Coverage for Fuel and Engine Management

Because we are a tier one OE supplier with Delphi engineered vehicle systems with virtually every major OEM, we are able to seamlessly transfer those designs to a wider range of vehicles, said Mark Shasteen, vice president, independent aftermarket, Delphi Product and Service Solutions. As a result we are committed to develop OE engineered products that will fit all vehicle makes and models for our customers, including late model applications. This will make inventory management easier, distribution quicker and they will profit from cost efficiencies and opportunities gained due to our program.

Delphi is also able to pull ahead OE technology so that older vehicles can benefit from today's technological advances, enabling technicians to provide better vehicle performance for their customers, explained Brian Altenberger, marketing director, North America, Delphi Product & Service Solutions. Delphi Planar O2 sensors are a good example of this. Capitalizing on our OE technolgy, we developed a smarter solution with wider aftermarket coverage for not only older, but late model applications. This allows older vehicles to benefit from Delphi planar O2 sensors fastest light off time, resulting in 40-50% reduction in cold start emissions.

Pencil Coil Technology

This OE technology is fairly new to the aftermarket and uses one single coil design to replace the traditional multiple coil packs. Pencil coils, also known as coil on plug, were developed so the spark and spark timing could be better controlled on an individual cylinder basis. Each cylinder has an ignition coil mounted directly above the spark plug on the cylinder head cover. A short suppressor/connector replaces the spark plug wire and links the coil to the plug. Pencil coil designs are becoming more prevalent, as it improves spark power and accuracy, reduces radio frequency interference, and eliminates spark distribution.

Pencil coil technology benefits from a minimum amount of energy lost, due to the resistance of spark plug wires. The advantage here is total control, no moving parts, and extreme high rpm capability. This is the design used on most Indy and F1 engines which are generating nearly 15,000 - 16,000 RPM.

Future expansion

We remain committed to continued coverage expansion in our other product categories in 2012 each to Delphi's OE standards, said Altenberger. Whether it's engineered and designed for OE production or an aftermarket application, every Delphi part must adhere to our global technical requirements. In fact, all parts released for the aftermarket undergo the same rigorous OE product development processes, including Production Part Verification (PPV) and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP).

The PPV confirms the part being produced performs exactly as the prototype was designed; and the PPAP ensures every part meets all of the requirements defined in the engineering samples. Furthermore, any plant manufacturing a Delphi part must adhere to all of Delphi's manufacturing standards to include performance, noise and durability testing.