On March 9, President Biden assembled a team of executives and two Midwestern governors to address the semiconductor shortage. Cummins President and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Rumsey was asked to attend the roundtable to relay Cummins’ support for private and public action and share how the shortage has impacted business. 

In addition to Rumsey, executives from Whirlpool, HP, Medtronic, Samsung, and Micron participated with Indiana’s Governor, Eric Holcomb and Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

President Biden had a simple ask: support the Bipartisan Innovation Act. The president looked to Rumsey and the other leaders to learn how their businesses and states have been impacted, and how critical semiconductors are to their success.

President Biden asked Rumsey about Cummins’ production of battery electric and alternative fueled engines, and if the semiconductor shortage will impact the company’s progress and plans to be competitive globally. He also wanted to know how passing the Innovation Act can help.

“I spent time prior to my current role as Chief Technical Officer, so I saw firsthand the need for innovation, and the power of government and private sectors coming together to focus on innovation,” said Rumsey. “There has never been a more important time than now to focus on domestic innovation when you consider the environmental and technical challenges we face as a society.”

Rumsey highlighted the importance of partnership and how Cummins has worked closely with the Department of Energy through the 21st Century Truck Partnership. The partnership has enabled the company to advance technology and improve fuel efficiency in trucks by a 50 percent reduction in CO2.

Rumsey continued to speak on the importance of coming together in a bipartisan way to drive and fuel innovation in the U.S., and bring high-tech manufacturing jobs to the U.S. She then touched on the critical role semiconductors play in Cummins’ products.

“Our products do not run, in most cases, without semiconductors,” added Rumsey. “They’re critical for emissions and safety-control systems, and increasingly we’re utilizing them as our technology advances, and we have not been able to get enough.”

The scarcity of semiconductors has impacted the company’s ability to build and deliver products to the company’s customers. Rumsey explained how the semiconductor chips used in Cummins’ products are very different from those used in cell phones and other electronics, due to the intense environments and labor engines must perform in.

Rumsey concluded by offering support and a commitment to continue Cummins’ expertise and knowledge to solve this critical global problem.
 

The desire for gender equity motivates change. This has come to fruition for Cummins’ China Area Business Organization (ABO), as parity is brought to the retirement age for women and men, making a positive difference in the lives of their colleagues. Cummins has renewed and strengthened its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) that includes a range of new initiatives designed to hold all of employees accountable in developing a workplace that makes room for everyone to succeed.

In China, the current national policies that define the retirement age for female and male employees were defined over 70 years ago. The current statutory retirement age in China is 60 years for male workers, 55 years for female cadres (specially trained professionals) and 50 years for female workers. However, at a company-wide level, Cummins continues to focus dedicated efforts on providing equal opportunities to all people, regardless of gender, age, and other vectors of diversity. Therefore, Cummins believes it is right to drive positive change within the company by providing equity to female employees, by leveling the time all employees are eligible to work in their careers at their own discretion.

The alignment of retirement age for female and male employees is not only a reflection of Cummins’ commitment to DE&I but aligns with the overall direction to help address the societal pressure of an “aging population.” The company believes this policy not only provides more opportunity for current female employees to fully unleash their potential, but also sends a positive signal in attracting more top female talent in the pursuit of career aspirations, which in turn will accelerate progress toward Cummins’ aspirational goal of 50% female representation.

Powering employee development and success is critical for the vitality and sustainability of the company. Cummins has and will continuously put dedicated effort into delivering tailor-made leadership development programs at multiple stages of an employee’s career development. Cummins is at its best when everyone is included and treated with respect, and everyone is provided the opportunity to contribute to successfully drive the business forward. Cummins is honored to have the opportunity to champion this positive change towards more gender equality in our industry and society.
 

On Oct. 15, Clessie Lyle Cummins was honored at a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially announcing the opening of the American Trucking and Industry Leader (ATIL) Hall of Fame. “Father of the Highway Diesel Engine” Clessie Lyle Cummins, founder of the Cummins Engine Company and Jack and Gus Mack, founders of Mack Trucks were the first inductees into the newly established Hall of Fame Class.

The ceremony coincided with the American Truck Historical Society’s (ATHS) 50th Anniversary celebration at the ATHS home office in Kansas City, Missouri (U.S.) as well as a ribbon cutting for their new facility.

Honoring an industry pioneer

"No transport industry hall of fame could exist without paying homage to these elite inductees. The impact they have on the industry is ongoing and everlasting. The American Trucking and Industry Leader Hall of Fame honors the pioneers of the trucking industry, whether they are drivers, company owners, or innovators to the industry," said Tom Mullen, ATIL Hall of Fame Chair.

“The pioneers of our industry have made it what it is today – one of the most critical industries in the U.S. and making sure that we preserve this history is ever important– especially honoring a man whose name our company still bears 102 years later. Clessie was a true entrepreneur, incredible inventor and salesman who pioneered and improved the designs of diesel engines," said Amy Boerger, Cummins Vice President and General Manager of North American On Highway Business, who represented the company at this historic event.

Legacy

"My grandfather saw a need for an engine, created a design, built it, tested it, revised it, 'perfected it' and parallel to all this, created a market by personally demonstrating its potential through fuel economy runs, speed records, and endurance events," remarked Matt Cummins, Clessie’s grandson.

Clessie Lyle Cummins co-founded the Cummins Engine Company in 1919. He was also an incredible inventor, entrepreneur and salesman who pioneered and improved the designs of diesel engines. He was awarded more than 33 United States patents for his inventions, and numerous world records for endurance and speed for trucks, buses and race cars.

Today, more than 100 years later, his legacy of innovation remains alive and well in Cummins’ diverse suite of power solutions that power a more prosperous world.

Learn more about Clessie and his Cummins legacy. 

With increased grid instability, and power outages due to natural disasters and inclement weather - the need for reliable power system equipment is crucial from small business and light commercial to mission-critical and life-saving applications. In response, Cummins Power Generation has designed a series of game-changing transfer switches: The PowerCommand® X-Series Transfer Switches. 

With market-leading innovation, the PowerCommand® X-Series Transfer Switches have been nominated for the prestigious Consulting Specifying Engineer (CSE) 2021 Product of the Year Award! 

Pulling from over 80 years of experience in designing transfer switches and more than 100 years of providing power generation solutions globally - the revolutionary Cummins PowerCommand® X-Series Transfer Switches are engineered to survive exceedingly high fault currents at levels that could potentially blow out or damage other transfer switches. Rated from 40A – 3000A, the X-Series Transfer Switches meet the highest UL-certified withstand and closing rate in the market, allowing for an enhanced performance that is achieved utilizing the patented blow-on technology only available from Cummins. The superior ratings provide the freedom to use any over-current protection device to protect the transfer switch: eliminating many challenges associated with selective coordination of the system. 

“We are thrilled the PowerCommand® X-Series has been nominated as a 2021 CSE Product of the Year finalist! Featuring advanced controls with modern communications and a best-in-class switching mechanism, the X-Series provides the highest withstand and closing rating on the market.  With such robust features and functionalities, this product has been designed and tested to be the strongest link between utility and standby power for the most critical of applications,” said Wissam Balshe, System and Controls Business Director of Cummins Power Generation, discussing the team’s response about their CSE 2021 Product of the Year Nomination

In addition, the X-Series features the fully integrated PowerCommand® 80 controller allowing for unrivaled adaptability, connectivity, and intelligence in a wide variety of applications.

The team behind the acclaimed PowerCommand® X-Series transfer switches listened to over 1,000 consulting engineers to design the most intelligent, durable and fastest transfer switches in the market. 

Learn about the X-Series transfer switches