April 2017 - A new end-of-line dynamometer system has been commissioned at Ricardo's UK engine assembly plant, providing a state-of-the-art test capability for some of the world's most powerful production supercar engines.

Marking the culmination of a 24 month, GBP 2 mn investment, the new end-of-line test system has now been fully commissioned at Ricardo's Shoreham Technical Centre. With a power and torque capacity exceeding 700 kW and 900 Nm respectively, the new test installation both increases the range of testing that can be carried out as a part of the production process, while also offering extremely high levels of automation to enhance productivity.

The newly commissioned system enables an incredibly efficient 'production floor to test to floor' time of just 35 minutes. This includes the full 20-minute break-in and power pass off (BIPO) test cycle which is carried out for every engine – up to and including the most powerful of products – assembled at the Ricardo engine plant.

"We are pleased to have completed the installation and commissioning process for this new end of line test system," commented Ricardo Performance Products MD Mark Barge. "The final part of a very significant expansion of our UK engine assembly plant, this new test system increases both our BIPO testing capacity and the power and torque range of the engines that we can test, including for conformity of production. As such, this state-of-the-art plant is both more efficient and productive, as well as future-proofed to better meet the emerging requirements of our customers."