India Powers Cummins' Destination Zero

Cummins, the American giant of power systems, is no longer just building engines in India for Indians; it is using India as the laboratory and factory for the world. The transformation of India from a regional satellite into a global manufacturing hub is best exemplified by a single piece of hardware: the B6.7H hydrogen combustion engine, which has its application in construction equipment, industrial machinery, and off-highway applications.

In an aggressive bet on the future of clean energy, Cummins has designated its facility in Jamshedpur as the exclusive global manufacturing site for this specific platform. If a customer in Europe or North America wants a Cummins hydrogen engine of this capacity, it will carry a 'Made in India' stamp.

“We are very serious about this technology not only for India but also for the globe,” notes Nitin Jirafe, Managing Director of Tata Cummins Pvt Ltd and Head of Engine Business for Cummins India. This isn't a solitary endeavor; the company produces more than 70,000 engines annually in India for both on-highway and off-highway use, feeding a global appetite for reliable power.

As per the company executives, the focus of their strategy has been on providing a "fuel-agnostic" platform, a clever bit of engineering that allows a single engine block to be adapted for diesel, natural gas, or hydrogen with only minor architectural changes. This flexibility is the cornerstone of Cummins’ 'Destination Zero' strategy, aimed at navigating the messy transition from fossil fuels to a zero-carbon future.

The company is currently in the midst of its largest investment in internal combustion engines in its history, earmarking over $1 billion for clean-sheet engine technology and another $1 billion to upgrade its global manufacturing footprint. India is a primary beneficiary of this largesse. Beau Lintereur, Executive Director of Global Off-Highway Segments and Aftermarket at Cummins Inc., emphasizes that winning in India is critical to the firm’s global success. “Globally, we’re producing over 1.5 million engines,” Lintereur explains. “India is a very big slice of the business.”

The R&D Engine Room

Perhaps more than the manufacturing volume is the intellectual heavy lifting now happening on the subcontinent. The Cummins Technical Center in India has become a linchpin for global innovation. Approximately 70% of the center's capacity is now dedicated to global production needs rather than purely domestic ones. Indian engineers are not just tweaking designs for local problems; they are managing programs for Euro 7 emissions standards, the world’s most stringent exhaust-cleaning regulations.

Likewise, this integration extends to after-treatment systems, the complex chemical laboratories attached to modern exhausts that scrub away pollutants. Cummins has managed to make these systems 70% smaller and 40% lighter than previous versions, an engineering effort driven by global teams that include a heavy Indian presence.  It finds application in the construction equipment, gensets, tractors, and off-highway vehicles requiring CEMM compliance.

Navigating Geopolitics

The shift toward India is also a hedge against a volatile world. As trade tensions and geopolitical shifts complicate global supply chains, India’s super critical supply base offers a stable alternative. “It’s very important for us to leverage all of the key industrial supply base locations, and India is one of those,” says  Lintereur.

However, the path is not without its hurdles. Sourcing challenges, particularly regarding high-tech sensors, have created headwinds in recent years. To counter this, Cummins is pushing for deep localization, ensuring that the key parts of their products are sourced from within India to protect against global shocks.