Ralph Sarich Quotes

106 Ralph Sarich Quotes

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[In January 1973 on his team being Bruce Fairclough aged 25, Alf Robinson 37, Colin Pumphrey 22, Neil Sarich 21 (His nephew) and Ken Johnsen 18.] I hand-picked them all. I wanted young people.
Ralph Sarich

[In July 1973 on the idea to invent the orbital internal combustion engine. It] Just came.
Ralph Sarich

[In 1973] We adopted a principle of orbiting motion for the piston. The major reason for this is to provide sealing areas which are easy to seal. In other words they retain their engine relationship for any seals. It also reduces the frictional velocities which have been the downfall of many rotary engines so far. Now the piston actually goes in a circular manner like that [rotating hand] without rotation. In other words it simulates the moon going around the earth. So without pulsing it, it pushes the piston in a circular direction.
Ralph Sarich

These slides here or vanes we call them, they form the combustion chambers.
Ralph Sarich

The engine would have a higher frequency than say a V8 engine.
Ralph Sarich

The engine will in fact be much simpler than what you see right here.
Ralph Sarich

[On the major problems he had when developing the engine.] The major one probably like everyone was sealing. Although the orbital motion enabled us to have much easier sealing, there was still problems when you get actual expansion of the engine. In other words the widening of the engine due to heat The material expands and the seals must follow without leaving holes in the combustion compartment. We’ve solved this.
Ralph Sarich

[On comparing it with the Wankel Rotary Engine in 1973] The Wankel Rotary engine obviously is an engine for the future. It’s certainly smooth and has many advantages. What we are claiming here… by having only one piston for any number of firings it reduces the number of component parts. The engine is much simpler to produce than the Wankel Engine. It requires no sophisticated machines or materials. You can in fact increase the diameter without any significant reduction in frictional speeds. The engine is always very compact.
Ralph Sarich

[In 1973 on when it will come into production] A lot of time and money must be spent on intensive testing and development.
Ralph Sarich

[In March 1976 on him in 1972] At that time I had proved to myself that the engine worked. But I failed to realise just how much further development work was needed to make it a commercial proposition.
Ralph Sarich



[In March 1976] I tended to get a bit carried away and I think, because it was an Australian development, the press played it up too much.
Ralph Sarich

[I think, because it was an Australian development, the press played it up too much.
Ralph Sarich

[In March 1976 on BHP’s promised support of $50 million] To date we have spent only about $1 million.
Ralph Sarich

[In March 1976 on a aluminium lightweight four-cylinder unit of 250cc with a diameter of little more than 175mm and a weight of less than six kilograms.]This little engine is much closer to the production stage than our others. It should be ready within a couple of years and we have had many inquiries.
Ralph Sarich

[In March 1976 on a aluminium lightweight four-cylinder unit.] One Japanese motor cycle firm is very interested in using it because of its compact dimensions, power to weight characteristics and low pollution levels. It could also have marine and industrial engine applications.
Ralph Sarich

[In March 1976 on a seven cylinder orbital engine unit he started out with.] I said two years ago that this engine needed about another 10 years development done on it. I will stick to that timetable. I believe, though, that it will eventually be tremendously successful because there is no concept in the world that parallels its small number of moving parts, power to weight ratio characteristics, or its dimensions, which allow it to be placed almost anywhere in a car.
Ralph Sarich

[In 1976 on knocking back $12 million for his brainchild.] There were strings attached to it. And, anyway I never saw the colour of the money, only the paper it was written on.
Ralph Sarich

[In November 1976] Getting the engine to production stage is taking much longer than I thought it would, and there’s no guarantee that we’ll ever get there.
Ralph Sarich

[In November 1976] I would like to see the motor produced entirely with Australian capital – and in WA, but I doubt whether that kind of money is available here.
Ralph Sarich

[In November 1976] Every man here – and we’ve picked the best available – knows he has a job to do. To a man they’re conscientious and mindful of the high importance of the project. They’re working long hours without complaining, and I believe they’re as keen as I am to see the motor perfected.
Ralph Sarich



[In November 1976 he is approaching] Home run.
Ralph Sarich

[In November 1976] My backers have been very patient. I hope they continue to be so.
Ralph Sarich

[In 1980] The orbital engine project is going very very well. [On the main technical problem was to seal the vanes which separate the engine’s six pistons.] It is a very difficult task. If we solve that then chances of ultimate commercial success are good.
Ralph Sarich

[In April 1986] Progressed in its negotiations with a number of companies.
Ralph Sarich

[In July 1986 on when the market would see mass-produced Sarich-powered cars.] There is no way I can truthfully answer questions about a specific timetable… but we have been ultra-cautious in our predictions and in no way can our credibility be challenged.
Ralph Sarich

[In July 1987 on the Sarich Technologies stock price having been $5 and now being $3] The stock price should have been going the other way, but gold stocks have moved much of the interest away from technology.
Ralph Sarich

[In February 1989] We believe the conservatism of the auto industry will end up to our advantage. We believe many manufacturers will be caught, so to speak, with their pants down, and that we may then be the world’s only external supplier.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] Orbital will transform a shuttered General Motors Corp. parts plant in Tecuseh, Michigan, into its first high-volume engine production facility. The 250,000 engine-per-year plant is expected to cost about $250 million and start production in 1992. Because of weight savings, subcompact cars equipped with prototype, 90-pound Orbitals are getting as much as 50 miles to the gallon. Orbital engines should meet federal emissions standards without some of the expensive exhaust scrubbing equipment now used.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] On expecting that Ford and General Motors (Which have both purchased licenses to manufacture and sell engines using Orbital’s computer-regulated, two-stroke combustion system.) designing cars around the Orbital engine soon] By 1993 or 1994, provided the Orbital passes quality tests and federal emissions and fuel economy hurdles.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] Orbital’s US plant also will build engines for boats and industrial equipment.
Ralph Sarich



[In August 1989 on why Sarich Technologies Trust (STT) had signed a deal in the US State of Michigan to enable production of Orbital Combustion Process (OCP) engines for US car makers.] The decision was entirely commercial – I could not get a comparable deal in Australia.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] An immediate advantage of between $70 and $120 million from going offshore to set up the production facilities.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] The State of Michigan would not have committed itself if it did not believe there would be sales. That’s why they’re talking about a second plant already.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989 on the State of Michigan and the Orbital Engine] They believe estimates of 250,000 engines a year to be conservative. They think it will be much closer to 500,000 – of the total world market of 95 million engines a year.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989 on General Motors not having committed itself to making cars to fit the Orbital Engines despite having paid for a licence to do so.] They would be ridiculously stupid to pay for the licence and then not make the cars themselves.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] Michigan sees that the engine will be exported to Europe and Asia. But their main thing was that, if the technology was created elsewhere, it would eat into their existing business. So, that is pioneering.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989 on the Australian Government being reluctant to give support and recognition to the Orbital Engine Company] We should have moved offshore long ago. But we didn’t because I and my staff and BHP were all pro-Australian.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] Initially, we had no experience in engine development. We had to learn to test our engines and develop our own facilities.
Ralph Sarich

In Australia, there were no external suppliers, whereas in America there are people to do odd projects like computing and electronics. We had to be totally self-supportive. We have had to make all our own computers and educate 200 people.
Ralph Sarich

[In August 1989] Our third biggest shareholder now is the State-run Michigan Pension Fund. And they are the second biggest institutional shareholder in GM. They spent three or four years looking at the technology.
Ralph Sarich



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