×

 

Cummins plant produces company's 1 millionth engine

RP news wires, Noria Corporation

Cummins Inc. on March 31 celebrated the production of its 1 millionth engine with a ceremony in Lakewood, N.Y., that included company executives, employees, key customers and local, state and federal officials.

The engine, a 15-liter ISX diesel engine that originally was ordered by PACCAR’s Kenworth Truck division, will be kept on display at the company’s Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP). The plant, which was established in 1974, is the sole manufacturer of heavy-duty Cummins engines in North America, following the consolidation of the company’s heavy-duty engine production in 2002, and is one of the company’s largest manufacturing facilities.

“I am honored to say I have been on hand for a number of these production milestones,” said Jim Kelly, president for the Engine Business and a former JEP plant manager. “I am very fond of the people who work at this facility and am extremely proud of the outstanding work being done here. Over the past two years, Cummins has become the undisputed leader in the North American heavy-duty truck engine market because we consistently produce the cleanest, most dependable and fuel efficient engine on the market. The credit for much of that goes to the hard-working employees at the Jamestown Engine Plant.”

For all of 2007, Cummins earned a 38 percent share of the Class 8 heavy-duty engine market, and has been gaining share steadily since the introduction of its 2007 EPA-compliant engine. Cummins’ share of the Class 8 market averaged 43 percent for the 10-month period through January 2008. The engine builds on the company’s cooled-EGR technology, which has been well-received by customers since its introduction in 2002.

JEP began engine production in 1978 and celebrated production of its 100,000 engine in 1989. By comparison, it took only 2.5 years for the company to go from producing its 750,000th engine to the March 31 milestone.

JEP employs more than 1,300 people, making it the largest private employer in Chautauqua County. Further expansion is planned to create additional manufacturing capacity at the plant.

Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Ind., Cummins serves customers in more than 160 countries through its network of 550 company-owned and independent distributor facilities and more than 5,000 dealer locations. Cummins reported net income of $739 million on sales of $13.05 billion in 2007.

Subscribe to Machinery Lubrication

About the Author