Cummins Produces 1 Millionth Engine at Jamestown Plant

April 1, 2008
Cummins Inc. celebrated the production of its 1 millionth engine with a ceremony that included company executives, employees, key customers and other officials

Cummins Inc. celebrated the production of its 1 millionth engine with a ceremony that included company executives, employees, key customers and local, state and federal officials.

The engine, a 15-liter ISX diesel engine that originally was ordered by PACCAR’s Kenworth Truck division, will be kept on display at the company’s Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP). The plant, which was established in 1974, is the sole manufacturer of heavy-duty Cummins engines in North America, following the consolidation of the company’s heavy-duty engine production in 2002, and is one of the company’s largest manufacturing facilities.

“I am honored to say I have been on hand for a number of these production milestones,” said Jim Kelly, President - Engine Business and former JEP Plant Manager. “I am very fond of the people who work at this facility and am extremely proud of the outstanding work being done here.

“Over the past two years, Cummins has become the undisputed leader in the North American heavy-duty truck engine market because we consistently produce the cleanest, most dependable and fuel efficient engine on the market. The credit for much of that goes to the hard-working employees at the Jamestown Engine Plant.”

For all of 2007, Cummins earned a 38 percent share of the Class 8 heavy-duty engine market, and has been gaining share steadily since the introduction of its 2007 EPA-compliant engine. Cummins’ share of the Class 8 market averaged 43 percent for the 10-month period through January 2008.

JEP began engine production in 1978 and celebrated production of its 100,000th engine in 1989. By comparison, it took only 2 ½ years for the company to go from producing its 750,000th engine to today’s milestone.

JEP employs more than 1,300 people, making it the largest private employer in Chautauqua County. Further expansion is planned to create additional manufacturing capacity at the plant.