Cummins Inc. is celebrating its 100th year as a company throughout 2019. Cummins today, which is listed as a Fortune 150 company, employs around 60 000 people worldwide, and serves customers in nearly every country across the globe. Cummins products range from diesel and natural gas engines to hybrid and electric platforms, as well as engine systems components, controls, and related technologies, and it continues to develop new advanced products and services.

The company’s humble roots date back to 1919 when Clessie Cummins and business partner William G. Irwin built a company that was one of the first to take advantage of the ground-breaking technology developed by German engineer Rudolf Diesel in the late 1800s.

“Technological innovation is at the heart of what we do,” Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger reiterates. “Cummins is a global technology leader with a broad portfolio of power solutions. We will continue to innovate to ensure our customers’ success.”

Cummins will further advance diesel and natural gas engine technology, and bring new solutions to market. It is investing in electrified powertrains and developing alternative technologies such as solid oxide and hydrogen fuel cells, and exploring new technologies for future growth. In addition, the company continues to develop integrated engine system technologies and controls, and is working with partners to integrate its products and services in the autonomous vehicles of the future.

While most independent engine manufacturers no longer exist, Cummins’ leadership credits its longevity to its 100 years of commitment to its mission, vision, and values, staying focused on long-term goals, and standing up for what is right. This commitment has been beneficial to all Cummins’ stakeholders, and will continue to guide decisions for the next 100 years.

“We understand our company is only as successful as the communities where we operate, and we are committed to building more prosperous communities around the world,” Mary Chandler, Vice-President of Corporate Responsibility, and CEO of the Cummins Foundation, comments. “Improving our global communities has been a key part of our first 100 years, and will remain a focus for the next century and beyond.

“Our employees lead the way in year-round community problem-solving, making a difference in Cummins’ global priority areas of education, the environment, and equal opportunity for all. Together with our community partners, we look forward to the next 100 years of helping people thrive in their day-to-day lives,” Chandler stresses.

The Cummins Every Employee, Every Community programme promotes employee engagement by ensuring every Cummins employee has the opportunity to contribute at least four hours on company time to his or her community. In the Africa and Middle East regions, the focus is on building more prosperous communities through a four-pillar strategy that concentrates on Technical Education for Communities, Secondary School Education, Environmental Initiatives, and Integration of People with Disabilities.

In anticipation of its centennial, the company recently launched the Cummins Powers Women programme, which represents Cummins’ commitment to the advancement and prosperity of women and girls around the world, and is the next phase of Cummins’ commitment to large-scale community impact. In Nigeria, for example, Cummins leaders joined forces with Rise Up to use Cummins' powerful voice in communities to promote exponential change in the lives of women and girls.

Rise Up's leadership accelerator programme convenes the top leading civil society organisations, communities, and companies working to advance prospects for women. These groups unite to focus on capacity building, networking, and leadership development, all facilitated by Rise Up.

“As I reflect on our history and look to the future, I want people to view Cummins as a company that cares about powering a more prosperous world,” Linebarger notes. “How we do it is ultimately just as important as what we do.”