For all of the talk that has swirled around the industry about Cummins Engine Co. over the last year or so, perhaps the greatest irony is the fact that during that time, amid the rumors of mergers, buyouts and financial maneuverings, the Columbus, Ind.-based diesel engine manufacturer has managed to very quietly expand and develop its industrial engine line.
Indeed now, with the introduction of the B3.3, QSB and QSC diesel engines to its industrial lineup at the recent AED/Condex meeting, it's safe to say that never in the 79-year history of the company has it had a more comprehensive stable of nonroad engines, spanning an output range of 60 to 2700 hp.
"Cummins Engine Co. is absolutely committed to the off-highway business," said Joe Loughrey, group president industrial at Cummins. "We're committed to it as a company because we believe there are terrific growth opportunities for both Cummins and for its distributors around the world."
New Industrial Engine Palings
Model Hp [at] Rpm Peak Torque [at] Rpm
B3.3-60 60 [at] 2200 158 lb. ft. [at] 1600
B3.3-65 65 [at] 2600 158 lb. ft. [at] 1600
B3.3-80 80 [at] 2200 215 lb.ft. [at] 1600
B3.3-85 85 [at] 2600 215 lb.ft. [at] 1600
QSB5.9-190 190 [at] 2500 600 lb. ft. [at] 1500
QSB5.9-205 205 [at] 2500 650 lb.ft. [at] 1500
QSB5.9-220 220 [at] 2500 705 lb.ft. [at] 1500
QSB5.9-240(*) 240 [at] 2500 730 Ib.ft. [at] 1500
QSB5.9-275(*) 275 [at] 2500 660 lb.ft. [at] 1600
QSC8.3-240 240 [at] 2200 800 lb. ft. [at] 1400
QSC8.3-260 260 [at] 2200 870 lb.ft. [at] 1400
QSC8.3-280 280 [at] 2200 935 lb.ft. [at] 1400
QSC8.3-300 300 [at] 2200 1000 lb.ft. [at] 1400
QSC8.3-320(*) 320 [at] 2200 1000 lb.ft. [at] 1400
QSC8.3-340(*) 340 [at] 2200 1050 lb.ft. [at] 1400
* - restricted rating
The introduction of the new Quantum System engines is a key part of the strategic plan for the industrial business, according to Jim Kelly, vice president, industrial business at Cummins. "We're near the end of a five-year journey where we will reengineer and update virtually every engine in our product line," he said. "We've spent more than $1 billion in product development and by the middle of next year, we will have completely redone what at the beginning was a comprehensive product line. We'll be up-to-date with both the performance requirements of our customer base and the engines that meet emissions requirements of their respective markets."
"What we're talking about now," Loughrey added, "is really just one announcement in a series of announcements we'll be making demonstrating Cummins' commitment to making a better and broader product line to pursue and support not only today's customers, but to pursue new markets and new customer opportunities beyond those currently available to us."
The engines shown at AED are new in the sense that they've never been available for industrial applications before now, but those who follow Cummins - and in one case one of Cummins' Far East partners - will recognize them.
Here's a quick review.
B3.3 - A result of Cummins' agreement with Komatsu Corp. of Japan, the news of this engine first hit last year (see July 1998, Diesel Progress). But now prototypes are available for customer testing and Cummins is targeting a range of small ag, construction and power generation applications.
The engine is an updated design of the Komatsu D95 engine, which has been widely used in a range of Komatsu equipment. A liquid-cooled, in-line, four-cylinder engine, bore and stroke is 95 mm x 115 mm, for an overall displacement of 3.26 L. It is available in naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions with ratings from 60 to 85 hp (see related chart).
"The addition of this engine aligns with our strategy of targeting profitable growth opportunities in new markets," said Kelly. "One of the key findings we made in our strategic studies was that in order to hit the kind of growth targets we had in mind, we had to enter new markets. To do that, it was clear we had to expand our product range. This is part of that strategy."
The B3.3 engine utilizes a mechanical fuel system with a Zexel rotary fuel pump and features direct injection. "All of the bigger brothers and sisters in the product line have direct injection," noted Roe East, general manager, construction markets at Cummins. "But when you start getting into this end of the power range, you find more engines that use indirect injection. We feel that direct injection has some very specific benefits over an IDI engine.
"It has lower heat rejection, which translates into smaller radiator and fan sizes. That can save an OEM money on components and space in their equipment. A direct injection engine is also easier to start in the cold and it's much more fuel efficient than an IDI engine."
