The Large Engine Components profit center develops and produces pistons from 150 to 580 or 650 mm in diameter for almost all well-known manufacturers of large four-stroke engines. To raise productivity, since 2004 manufacturing has been consolidated in the Markgröningen plant in southern Germany. The corresponding piston pins and cylinder liners complete the product program.

MAHLE is the market leader in the development and supply of large pistons for gasoline, diesel, heavy oil and multi-fuel engines. They are installed in such applications as locomotives, heavy construction equipment, container freight ships and tankers, luxury liners and ferries as well as in power plants and the emergency power units of hospitals and nuclear power plants.

Highest load bearing capacity and long life - all MAHLE large bore pistons fulfill these basic needs. To be able to satisfy the special requirements of different areas of application, MAHLE produces a broad portfolio of piston types, such as cast aluminum and electron beam-welded pistons, MONOTHERM® and composite pistons with aluminum, nodular cast and steel skirts. MAHLE will secure and extend its market leadership with the newly developed, and patented, forged steel FERROCOMP® pistons. These pistons, which hold promise of development, already produced excellent running results during testing.

For these reasons as well, MAHLE was selected to participate in the German project sponsored by the Research Association for Internal Combustion Engines and the Hercules project sponsored by the European Union. The project aims to develop a piston with a 100 percent performance increase at about 400 bar peak cylinder pressure and about 50 bar break mean effective pressure.