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| 20 Questions with
Mike Osenga Mike, First before you get to the
questions I would appreciate it if you would let the public know
a little about yourself, your family, what you do for a living
(other than answering e-mail), hobbies, etc... Publisher of Diesel Progress and Diesel Progress International magazines. Diesel Progress is a 63-year old monthly trade magazine for the engine and engine-powered equipment markets in North America, while Diesel Progress International covers the engine and engine-powered equipment markets outside of North America. Also Senior Vice President of the parent company, Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications, headquartered in Brookfield, Wis. Joined Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications as an associate editor in 1975, from Carroll College, Waukesha, Wis. where he graduated with degrees in Political Science and Mass Communications. Prior to that worked as a reporter for the Waukesha Freeman newspaper and in the public relations department of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. Named Assistant Managing Editor of Diesel Progress Engines & Drives in 1981; Managing Editor in 1985; Editor-in-Chief in 1989; Editor & Publisher in 1996; and Publisher in 1997, as well as Vice President of Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications in 1992, and Senior Vice President in 1996. Also serve as Senior Editor of Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide, Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications China Edition, and Compressor Techtwo associated publications to Diesel Progress, as well as the annual Diesel & Gas Turbine Catalog. In 23 years with Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications have authored over 600 feature articles on literally all aspects of the engine and engine-powered-equipment business. Big baseball fan, lousy golfer. Gonna skip questions, #2, 3, 4 and 20: the fuels and lubes side is pretty technical and confusing and we're sorting a lot of it out ourselves right now. No problem Mike, #1 How long has Diesel Progress been in publication? What has made Diesel Progress so successful? Diesel Progress has founded in 1935 to promote the use of diesel power in any and all applications. At the time diesels were used in boats, power generation, aircraft (!) and were only beginning to find their way into vehicles. The high speed engine really was in its infancy. It's somewhat cliché, but the reason I think we've been successful is that we've changed as the industry has changed. In the 1930s through the 1950s we were very promotional of diesels in general as it tried to first establish itself, and then grow and expand as an industry. Very rah-rah. In the 1960s through the 1980s we reflected the growth of smaller high speed diesels. Also, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the industry got large enough that we split up our magazines. We started Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide to cover BIG engines (locomotive being the small end of that range) and gas turbines. Diesel & Gas Turbine Worldwide basically covers all non-mobile equipment engines roughly 2500 hp and bigger. If you look at issues of Diesel Progress from that time period, gas turbines were running at Indy and there were very serious predictions that we would all be driving gas turbine cars and trucks to work in the 1990s. Oops. It seemed to be the powerplant of the future. Deere had one in a tractor; Mack (and others) in trucks, Chrysler in a car. Now gas turbines are very, very big and are used mostly in utility power generation, ships (mostly ferries and military) and oil & gas installations. Still waiting to drive the first one to work. Later we started what is now Diesel Progress International to focus specific coverage of the North American and world markets. In the 1990s I think we've really taken off because we've expanded to cover all types of industrial engines; gasoline, diesel, gaseous-fueled, as well as powertrains, hydraulics and everything else that goes into an engine system; on-highway, off-highway, stationary and marine. We've also greatly expanded our coverage of the "news" side of the industry. Adding our own web site, www.dieselpub.com, hasn't hurt either. Sorry for the commercial.
#5 What vehicle manufactures are currently meeting EPA emissions for the next level? Nothing's official until it's certified. But they all say they are and they all have to. Not complying is not an option. You either meet the levels or you don't play. How they meet those levels and the cost of doing it and the operational, service and maintenance costs are entirely another, and very long answer. But I think it's safe to say all of the current on-highway diesel manufacturers in the U.S. have or will shortly have engines that can meet the next level. If they don't, they won't be in business. #6 What changes are expected from those vehicle manufacturers not meeting the next level of EPA emissions? Bankruptcy would be the biggest change. As with question 6, not meeting the standards is not an option. You either do, or you don't. And if you don't, you find something else to manufacture, because you're out of the engine and/or equipment business. #7 How long will the current Cummins, Cat and Detroit truck engine meet emissions? So much depends on how they are operated and maintained. If you don't take care of any kind of engine-powered-equipment it won't stay in compliance. I do foresee a time when anything engine-powered, especially in urban areas, where everything on the road, no matter how old will have to meet some sort of emissions level. Its there with cars in many areas now. Which could mean when equipment goes in for a major overhaul it will have to meet an emissions level before it goes back on the road. #8 What changes can we expect in the trucking market in the next 5 years? Wow. Gotta week? More consolidation. Fewer, but larger truck manufacturers; larger fleets; more specialized haulers; less options in specing trucks; more operating cost pressures; even more (if you can believe it) pressure on fuel economy and operating costs. Sharp pencils and a very real understanding of costs will be critical. #9 Which truck engine manufacturer is selling the most engines in the USA? Worldwide? It depends on what size trucks we're talking about. Certainly the Ford-Freightliner combination makes them the leader in big trucks. Navistar is the king in medium-duty and light-duty, in engines sold. #10 What are the features that seem to make the (top seller) the most popular? For all the hype, power is still king. You have to have the right fuel economy, but if your fuel numbers are good and you can pass people on hills, it's hard to beat. Price is critical. If you're not at the right price, you don't get in the door. Service is also important. People want more power but don't want to pay for it. #11 Which Agricultural equipment manufacturers are prepared to meet the next EPA demands? Like on-highway, they all have to or that can't sell. Emissions compliance is not an option, in any engine-powered-equipment market. Either do it, or go sit on the bench, you can't play. So, while they'd probably disagree with me, the ag manufacturers are pretty much on equal footing with emissions-related engine technology. Plus, other than Deere, most of the farm equipment folks buy their engines from the same manufacturers that supply the truck market. #12 What changes are they making to prepare themselves to meet these demands? Probably the biggest change all the off-highway manufacturers will have to make is going to electronically-controlled engines. They're out there now and you're only going to see more of them and more sophisticated systems. Almost a direct parallel to what you saw in the on-highway market. Very hard to meet emissions without electronic control. #13 Which Light Duty diesel (Dodge, Ford, Chevy) seems to be the most popular, reliable - and your opinions on the big 3? Not going to get me into that argument! All have fans, all have detractors. Might as well ask me if I like Earnhardt or Gordon better. Nope. Nada. No way! Ford-Navistar is the sales leader. Does that make them the best? Toyota sells more cars than Rolls-Royce and Porsche. It all depends on your perspective. #14 How long does Dodge have left on their contract with Cummins? It runs to 2002 or 2003, I believe. #15 What are their plans if they lose the Cummins contract? Let's see, Dodge is owned by Chrysler. Chrysler is now Daimler-Chrysler. Daimler-Benz owns Mercedes-Benz, which makes its own diesels, and also owns part of Detroit Diesel, which in turn supplies Chrysler with diesels. I don't know their plans. We haven't heard anything about pulling the Cummins engines. Cummins sure doesn't want to lose the contact. But Dodge does seem to have some options with the recent Let's Make A Car Deal game. #16 Rumors are that Ford is going to use the Cummins Engine in their pickups after the contract with Dodge expires....Is this true? We hear lots of rumors. In fact we sometime feel like Rumor Control Central. The party line is we don't comment on rumors. Don't know if this is true or not; it's one of about 10 rumors we've heard, but personally doesn't seem likely to us. #17 How long does GM plan to continue to use the current 6.5L engine? I'm not sure. We hear 2000. We hear lots of things, so the simple answer is we don't know. #18 Is the Isuzu the next diesel engine in the GM light duty diesel? Is it the same engine that was listed in an earlier edition of Diesel Progress or has it changed? What are the specs of the next GM engine if possible? Details I'm not sure of, but GM has publicly stated that Isuzu will be its diesel development center, or centre, depending where you are in the world, so I'd say anything that comes out of Isuzu has a good chance of finding its way to GM. I think we'll have more on Isuzu diesels before the end of the year. # 19 Will we see a Cat engine in a light duty truck in the near future? With Cat, everything's possible. Caterpillar seems to have its eyes on any market that uses engines, big, little and in-between. They're everywhere else on-highway, I don't see why they wouldn't take a look at lighter duty vehicles. I don't think they bought Perkins solely for off-highway use however. Thanks again for your time Mike.
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