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Lombardini Srl was an Italian manufacturer ofdiesel engines up to 134HP, which is now part of American manufacturerKohler Co. after acquisition. The company was founded inReggio Emilia by brothers Adelmo and Rainero Lombardini in 1933 under the name of "Lombardini Fabbrica Italiana Motori S.p.A.". Adelmo Lombardini had already been manufacturing combustion engines since 1922 with a company called "Società Anonima Cooperativa Metallurgica" inNovellara (RE).[1]
Along with engines, the company of the two Lombardini brothers manufactured finished products such as pumping sets. AfterWorld War II this trend increased with production of agriculturaltractors and tillers.
In 1963 a new premise was built in the outskirts of Reggio Emilia which marked the transition to large scale production. Taking advantage of the tumultuous growth of the Italian economy and of the ever-increasing demand for agricultural machinery, Lombardini enjoyed a long and steady expansion, resulting in the company becoming a leader in small agricultural equipment. At this stage, the company decided to abandon production of finished products in order to focus on bare engines alone. This change reflected a strategic decision of the company not to compete against their own customers.
During the years Lombardini became the most prominent Diesel manufacturer in Italy in its range and bought out its competitors one by one. Slanzi, Cotiemme, Acme and lastly Ruggerini company were all bought out and incorporated into Lombardini.
As the growth of the company went on, its structure became more and more that of a modern industrial group. Commercial branches were established in theUK,Spain,France,Germany andUS. Aside from the main premises in Reggio Emilia, new factories were established inRieti (Italy),Czech Republic andIndia.
In 1999 Lombardini was sold toMark IV Industries; shortly thereafter they took over their long-time competitorRuggerini Motori [fr]. In 2007, Lombardini was sold to the AmericanKohler Company becoming part of its Power Group.
Lombardini manufacturesair- andliquid-cooledDiesel engines. It also has a small range ofgasoline engines (petrol).
Liquid-cooled Lombardini engines range from 440 to 2200 cc and from 11 to 65HP. They come as twin-, three- or four-cylinder. Lombardini has engineered a 440cc engine withcommon rail, which is today the smallest common rail in the world.
The range of Lombardini gasoline engines has shrunk in the years. Today[when?] only two models of gasoline are available, known as Intermotor's: a 9 and an 11 HP. One of those is theIM350, often called "The world's best engine". Also, a liquid-cooled gasoline engine of 20HP remains in production. Lombardini, being part of Kohler group, is now marketing the Kohler gasoline engines which range from 4 to 40HP and come in a variety of models and configurations.
The construction industry is the second field of application of Lombardini engines. Machinery such as trench rollers, reversible compactors, single drum rollers, vibratory plates, mini rollers etc, are an example of that. Some major European OEMs have some Lombardini in their products.
This is one of the latest market Lombardini has entered. It includes Micro cars (Ligier,Chatenet,Giotti Victoria etc.),quads,ATVs,3-wheelers, and similar. For this market, Lombardini has engineered a special 440 cc engine withcommon rail injection, theCT Move launched in 2006.[2]
Other applications include Gensets and welders, tower lights, sweepers, high pressure cleaners, pumping sets, cranes, aerial platform and so on.
During the years Lombardini has had license agreements with companies in different countries. Such agreements allowed a local manufacturer to assemble Lombardini engines for its local market under the direct supervision of Lombardini. All such agreements are now expired and nobody is currently authorised to assemble engines under the Lombardini brand except Lombardini itself. Lombardini is also no longer involved in ensuring the quality of such productions and where they continue the engines can not be considered genuine Lombardini engines.[citation needed]
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