Cummins Inc.: Energy performance

Better Buildings Challenge partners strive to decrease portfolio-wide source energy use intensity (EUI), and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline.  The Cummins US portfolio consists of 19 manufacturing plants as of 2015, plus tech centers, warehouses, office buildings and service locations, for a total of 213 facilities. Cummins is consolidating the distributor and service network in the US and this is resulting in an increase of reporting facilities. Cummins' corporate energy management program includes energy champions and energy teams at all major facilities, worldwide. Over the past eight years, these teams have implemented over 477 energy projects. Cummins' goal is to reduce global energy intensity by 25% from 2005 to 2015.  Cummins added 77 non-manufacturing facilities to their portfolio in 2015, but still was able to improve energy intensity by 3 percent for the year, despite expanded product development testing, new construction and expansion.

Looking at the breakdown in percent improvement in energy performance across all facilities can provide insight into how an organization is saving energy.  Some organizations will achieve deep savings at a limited number of buildings, while others demonstrate consistent savings levels across all facilities.  Cummins has achieved energy intensity savings of 15% or greater at 12 of the 19 US manufacturing facilities, including the three of the top four plants with the highest energy footprint (engine plants in Columbus, IN, Rocky Mount, NC and Jamestown, NY) which are also now certified to ISO 50001. Six sites increased energy intensity due to changes in operations.  

Cummins designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems.  Cummins normalizes company-wide energy data using revenue due to the wide variety of products manufactured in their US manufacturing facilities. On a site basis, energy intensity is calculated based on employee labor hours. 

Better Plants Water Savings  partners strive to decrease portfolio-wide water use intensity (WUI), and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline. Cummin's water portfolio consists of 44 locations as of 2015, including the same 19 manufacturing sites and 25 additional sites where water data quality is sufficient to track and record performance improvements.  With a water intensity improvement of 45% since its baseline year of 2010, Cummins has met its 2020 target to reduce water use intensity by 40%. Cummins has improved its water use intensity by developing water balances, conducting water audits to better understand water use and identify improvement opportunities, applying leak detection and correction, and implementing improvements in process controls and cooling tower operations.