Darlington engineer Cummins has announced that its Engine Plant in the town has delivered its 1.5 millionth Mid-Range engine across the globe to South Korea and been installed into a Hyundai excavator.

In January, Cummins revealed that it had manufactured its 1.5 millionth Mid-Range engine, a B5.9, and since then, the team at Darlington has been tracking the progress of its engine and have estimated that it travelled over 5,400 miles from the town to a machine plant at Ulsan City, South Korea.

The 5.9 litre engine has been fitted into a 22-ton HX220S Hyundai excavator, providing the power for thousands of hours of heavy workload. This is not the end of the 1.5 millionth engine’s journey as the excavator is destined for a customer in Guatemala at the end of May.

Read more: Cummins chairman visits Yarm Road site

Craig Thomas, Cummins’ Darlington Engine Plant Manager, said: “It is fantastic to be able to follow the journey of the 1.5 millionth engine since it left Darlington.

“This milestone is a great achievement for Cummins, and we are pleased to be able to share it with HCE, our business partners of over 30 years. The distance that this B5.9 engine has travelled truly reflects the global nature of our business, supplying products to customers in over 50 countries directly from Darlington.”

Cummins’ Darlington factory produced 66,000 engines in 2021, and employs around 1,500 people working in engine assembly, exhaust aftertreatment manufacture, technical operations, and business support functions. It manufactures engines spanning a range of 3.8 to 9 litres displacement (75 to 430 hp), powering a wide range truck, bus, construction, agriculture, material handling, marine and power generation applications around the world.

KS Yang, Hyundai Purchasing/Exe.VP, said: “Hyundai would like to congratulate Darlington Engine Plant on this milestone on the production of the 1.5 millionth mid-range engine and we are delighted to receive the engine for use in a Hyundai excavator. We look forward to seeing the two millionth engine produced in the future.”

Hyundai Construction Equipment was formed in 1985 and manufactures a range of industrial machines including excavators, wheel loaders, and forklift trucks. With a head office in Seoul, South Korea it has operational centres in the United States, Europe, India, Brazil, and China.

The Northern Echo: The engine at the Darlington plant (Chris J Parker Photography)The engine at the Darlington plant (Chris J Parker Photography)

When the engine was first produced, Ian McMahon, Convenor for the Unite Union at Cummins - a partner in The Northern Echo’s Level Up campaign - said: “This is fantastic news and once again reinforces what can be achieved by working together to build a stronger Cummins in Darlington. We look forward to continue to collaborate with the company to assure Darlington’s future and expansion for the benefit of not only our members but also for the community and the environment.”

Globally, Cummins Inc, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company’s products range from diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains and powertrain-related components

Headquartered in Columbus in the USA since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 57,800 people and earned about $1.8billion on sales of $19.8billion in 2020.

 

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054