Despite the global challenges of Covid-19, Cummins has not only maintained production throughout the pandemic but added hundreds of jobs to its North-East workforce. PETER BARRON reports

AS it closes in on its sixth decade as one of the North-East’s most important employers, Cummins can look back with pride at how it has risen to the challenge of ‘the pandemic years’.

Indeed, Steve Nendick, Marketing and Communications Director, justifiably describes it as a “Herculean effort”.

Not only has the company’s Darlington plant maintained production throughout the pandemic, it has added 500 jobs to its local workforce, continued making acquisitions, and hit another historic milestone.

The Yarm Road plant, opened in 1965, assembles an average of 300 diesel engines every day for use in a range of applications, including buses, tractors, trucks, boats and excavators. And, in January, it was announced that the factory had manufactured its 1.5 millionth mid-range engine, having produced 66,000 engines during 2021.

“Right from the start of the pandemic, there was a huge focus on how to keep production running while maintaining the health and safety of the manufacturing team,” says Steve. “That was all set up very quickly, with new tooling being designed where necessary. Those involved did a magnificent job in difficult circumstances.”

And, having negotiated those momentous challenges, Cummins is continuing to power into the future to maintain its position as a world-leader in innovation, by investing in new technology while also recognising that clean diesel continues to have an important role to play.

“The challenge to build the required capability and infrastructure for the new technologies, such as electric and hydrogen, means that advanced diesel power remains a strong part of the path to zero carbon. As a company, we are investing in all solutions to be the power supplier of the future,” adds Steve, pictured below.

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The strength of the Darlington site’s reputation was underlined last summer when it was announced that it would be leading the £14.6m Government’s Brunel project, to develop a carbon-free hydrogen engine, designed to replace existing large diesel engines in road haulage.

This links to the company’s February announcement about expanding its powertrain platforms with the industry’s first unified, fuel-agnostic engines that will be able to run on normal diesel, biofuels, natural gas, and hydrogen.

Lord Grimstone, minister for investment, said at the time of the announcement: “The Brunel Project is carrying on Darlington’s long tradition of skilled engineering which will continue to grow for many years to come.”

Cummins has a strategy to reduce the greenhouse gas and air quality impacts of its products and facilities to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. For example, the Darlington plant has been “zero waste to landfill” for the past ten years.

As the company looks to the future, and invests in new technology, a major challenge is attracting engineering talent to the North-East and the recent recruitment drive is continuing in 2022. The Darlington site employs around 1,500 people and, on top of the 500 additional jobs created over the past two years, there are currently 35 vacancies, covering a variety of roles that are both factory and office based.

The expansion is due mainly to increased demand in the main engine and after-treatment business, and the message to potential recruits is that Darlington is a great place to be based: close to the beautiful countryside of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors; and with first-class transport links, including the East Coast mainline railway, A1 motorway, and Teesside International Airport.

In addition, those working at Darlington have global opportunities because Cummins has its headquarters in Indiana, USA, and linked technical centres in every continent.

“It’s a case of come to Darlington and open yourself up to the world,” says Steve, who is an example of someone who has grown with the company and travelled internationally as a result.

He grew up in York and studied business at university in Hull before joining Cummins as a graduate, initially supporting the supply chain operation, bringing parts in for engine production before progressing through a range of roles in engineering, aftermarket, sales and marketing.

And Cummins’ global appeal continues to grow through a number of recent acquisitions, including an announcement in February that the company has entered into an agreement to take over Meritor – a world leader of drivetrain, mobility, braking, aftermarket and electric powertrain solutions – in a $3.7 billion deal.

Cummins Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tom Linebarger, described the Meritor acquisition as “an important milestone” for the business, adding: “Meritor is an industry leader, and the addition of their complementary strengths will help us address one of the most critical technology challenges of our age: developing economically viable zero carbon solutions for commercial and industrial applications.”

A few weeks earlier, the company had announced the acquisition of Jacobs Vehicle Systems (JVS), an engine braking and cylinder deactivation company, to advance its journey towards a zero emissions future.

Last summer, Cummins reinforced its commitment to hydrogen in Europe by announcing the opening of a new facility in Herten, Germany, initially focusing on the assembly of fuel cells for hydrogen trains. It followed the acquisition of the Hydrogenics Corporation and, around the same time, Cummins also announced a joint venture with NPROXX for hydrogen storage.

It has all added up to an impressive financial performance, with revenues for 2021 standing at $24 billion – 21 per cent higher than 2020. Sales increased in all major regions compared to 2020 which was severely affected by the pandemic.

While that programme of worldwide expansion continues, Darlington remains a vital part of the company’s operations. With the vast local investment that has taken place, the Darlington campus has grown considerably and now features engine and emission solution production, product development and testing, and a dedicated facility for Cummins Business Services.

The company is committed to playing its part in supporting the local area. For example, just as the pandemic was taking hold in March 2020, a major financial donation from Cummins enabled ‘The Bread and Butter Thing’ charity to come to Darlington. The contribution helped purchase a van so that waste food from supermarkets and other retailers could be distributed through community hubs at a discounted cost.

Two years after Cummins helped to launch the lifeline initiative, there are now seven hubs in the town, with Darlington Borough Council confident of reaching the milestone of a million meals by the end of 2022. The charity is also planning to expand to Stockton and Middlesbrough with Cummins support.

“We are really proud of the difference we were able to make by helping to bring The Bread and Butter Thing to the town,” says Steve. “Inevitably, the pandemic had a big impact on the work we were able to do in the community last year, but we are looking to revive that this year.”

Cummins is also proud to have become a Premier Partner in The Northern Echo’s Level Up campaign calling on the Government to recognise the case for greater investment in the North-East.

“As one of the major employers and exporters in the region, we wanted to add our voice to The Northern Echo’s positive campaign to promote the region as a great place to live, work and do business. We want to play our part in attracting investment and giving the campaign the support it richly deserves,” says Steve.

These are exciting times for one of the North-East’s most iconic industrial names that started out in Indiana, in 1919, when Clessie Cummins, a humble chauffeur for a wealthy banker, persuaded his boss, William G. Irwin, to invest $2,500 dollars to buy the licence for a design for what became Cummins’ first engine.

Three extraordinary years have passed since the Cummins celebrated its centenary and, despite the challenges of the biggest public health crisis in living memory, the company is powering ahead into the future.

Given all that’s happening in the world, who knows what the next 100 years holds for Cummins?

  • Any business interesting in becoming a partner of The Northern Echo’s Level Up campaign, please contact Pete Noble at pete.noble@localiq.co.uk

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