Westerbeke Corporation was founded in 1937 by John H. Westerbeke Sr. The Company is engaged in the design, manufacture, and sale of diesel and gasoline marine engines and generators, industrial diesel generators, and marine air conditioners.

Westerbeke Products
Since the Company began, Westerbeke has designed and built diesel engines and generators for a wide variety of uses. As early as 1938, Westerbeke was one of the first companies to introduce the Detroit Diesel 6-71 into marine use. In 1959, the Company began to marinize small diesel engine blocks from Perkins. This created the market for small marine diesels primarily for sailboat auxiliary power. The same engines were also used for marine diesel generators. In the 1980’s the Company revolutionized the marine diesel market by introducing a line of quiet, compact, lightweight dependable generators that were the smallest available anywhere. Presently, the Company marinizes diesel and gasoline engines from several leading manufacturers. Westerbeke engines range from 12 to 170 horsepower, and Westerbeke generators range from 3.8 to 95 kilowatts.  Westerbeke also manufactures Universal diesel engines from 20 to 42 horsepower, and Rotary Aire marine climate control systems - 10,000 and 17,000 BTU self-contained.

Westerbeke has also designed and built engines and generators for highly specialized applications, several of which are non-marine. These include special sub-zero cold start generators for the Aurora Australis project at the reactivated Admiral Byrd base in the Antarctic, an eight hundred kilowatt standby diesel generator in use by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Lottery Commission, and a custom mobile generator for use by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in measuring air quality in the Adirondack Mountains. Westerbeke developed and was issued a US patent on a LubeCell - a device which injects oil into the cylinders to improve cold weather startup of diesel engines.

Company
The Company employs over 80 full time people. The Company’s executive and administrative offices and manufacturing operations are located in Taunton, Massachusetts in a 110,000 square foot facility owned by the Company.

Operations
Westerbeke has extensive in-house design and machining capability, utilizing CAD/CAM and CNC equipment to produce complex components such as manifolds, bell housings, and other custom parts. This equipment provides Westerbeke customers with high quality components where tight tolerances are critical to performance and product longevity.  Company production lines are organized so as to provide maximum flexibility to cater to special customer needs. The Company has well-established planning, control and inventory programs to support that flexibility.

All production activity takes place within a well-structured quality program. Westerbeke works very closely with its suppliers to assure the quality of the components they provide. Shop personnel carefully monitor the quality of the products as they progress through the plant. Every engine and generator is fully tested under load in Westerbeke test facility before shipment - no exceptions.

Westerbeke sells its products through a worldwide network of Master Distributors. The Company also sells directly to its major OEM customers.

Customers
The Company is well known and highly regarded in the marine industry. Westerbeke customers include many of the world’s most prestigious boat builders: companies who build million dollar yachts and power boats, such as Hinckley Yachts, Little Harbor, Grand Banks. Westerbeke also supplies some of the world’s largest production boat builders, such as Chris-Craft, Catalina Yachts, and Oyster with generators and engines.

For many years, Westerbeke supplied government agencies that have unusually stringent performance requirements. For example, Westerbeke engines power over 1,100 U. S. Navy Motor Whaleboats, and over 1,400 U. S. Coast Guard Lifeboats. In addition, Westerbeke engines and/or generators are used in fireboats, police boats, harbor pilot boats, and high-speed drug patrol boats in the U. S. and in other countries. Westerbeke products have been certified by the American Bureau of Shipping and Lloyd’s of London and carry the "CE" mark.  All Westerbeke engines and generators and Universal Engines meet or exceed the emissions requirements established by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board.

Memberships and Boat Show Participation
Westerbeke is active in boating industry associations. The Company is a member of the NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association), the NEMA (National Engine Manufacturers Association), and the ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council). Westerbeke has been an exhibitor in the Annapolis Sail and Powerboat shows, and the Miami international boat show since those shows began. Westerbeke also participates directly and indirectly through our distributors in numerous other boat shows throughout the world.

With over sixty-seven years experience in manufacturing diesel engines and generators, Westerbeke’s expertise is unsurpassed in the marine industry. This expertise has translated into state-of-the-art compact lightweight products with unique features.