September 6, 2017 Vol. 14 No. 18

If you’re one of those who’s been thinking that Cummins is a dead duck, and that’s been the tone of more than a few conversations I’ve joined over recent years, think again. Nothing could be further from the truth.

First off, the company presently maintains an 80% market share in the North American medium-duty market, more than 90% of the school and transit bus markets, and still a decent lead on the class-8 side of things with something like a 40% share through June of this year.

Dead in the water? Not exactly.

Globally, the company is very strong. In 2015 it manufactured more than a million engines in the heavy-duty, mid-range, and light-duty markets — from 50 to 650 hp — and nearly half of them were from its joint-venture partner plants around the world.

And they’re killing it in China with their 12-liter engine introduced a couple of years ago. It had a slightly rocky start there but quick remedial action saved the day and now they almost can’t build them fast enough. It will see service in India and elsewhere in the world too. We’ll have a North Americanized version of that engine — to be called the X12 here — launched in March of next year.

There’s also an all new 15-liter engine coming from Cummins in 2022.

TRUE ENOUGH, VERTICAL INTEGRATION has become a key strategy for most truck makers, and that presents a mighty big challenge for the sole remaining independent engine maker. But Cummins is weathering that storm pretty well so far and has plans to protect its future by diversifying its product offerings beyond internal combustion engines.

Last week, to prove the point, the company introduced an all-electric class-7 tractor. More on that rather historic announcement later.

“Energy diversity is the key to the future, and a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer viable,” said Jennifer Rumsey, Cummins vice president and chief technical officer, during a press conference last week in Columbus, IN. “We believe there is a place for a wide range of technologies from diesel and natural gas to electric.