Cummins and Navistar International announced on August 10th their plans to continue working together in a partnership, as they have for over eighty years.
Working in Unison
Most truck companies, such as Volvo and PACCAR, build their own engines in house, for both cost savings and to ensure all of the parts work together. Navistar International prefers to do things differently, and has partnered with Cummins to supply their engines for heavy-duty and medium-duty vehicles for almost a century.
“We’re excited to deepen what is an already strong partnership with Navistar, spanning more than 80 years,” says Srikanth Padmanabhan, President of Engine Business, Cummins. “Navistar is a critical partner to Cummins and we believe the International LT Series trucks paired with the Cummins X15 Efficiency Series and Eaton Cummins Endurant HD transmission provides the best fuel economy, improved uptime and overall TCO for our mutual long haul customers.”
The news comes on the heels of the launch of Cummins’ newest X15 Efficiency, which is compliant with greenhouse gas emission regulations for new vehicle purchases from now through 2021.
Engines currently in use through Navistar International trucks include the B6.7 and L9 engines, used to power the International MV and HV lines of trucks, as well Navistar’s series of school buses.
Emission Cycles
Truckers and dealers alike wondering if future Navistar International trucks will still be compatible with the Cummins brand have nothing to fear for the time being. The two companies say their agreement has been extended by two emission cycles.
Time from initial development of a heavy-duty vehicle to mass production in sale usually can take up to seven years, but in the terms of this new agreement extension, an emission cycle is equivalent to three years. This agreement will last until the end of 2026, when another extension may be on the horizon.
“This new long-term agreement with Cummins, in combination with our proprietary powertrains, will offer International customers the most competitive and fuel efficient engines in the market while reducing our investment requirements to meet future emissions regulations,” says Phil Christman, President of Operations, Navistar. “The extension of our partnership allows both companies to optimize future research and development investments in existing technologies as well as the flexibility to invest in advanced technologies.”
Conclusion
In other words, Navistar International and Cummins are performing business as usual. It will be interesting to see if the partnership reaches a full century.
Cummins as a business celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2019, and shows no signs of slowing down. Beyond being used in Navistar International trucks, Cummins engines are generally considered to be the standard for heavy-duty truck engines. They also provide engines for Mack Trucks and PACCAR, the latter of which also creates its own engines in house but also works with Cummins to focus better on the building of the truck itself.
With the various partnerships that Cummins has with truck manufacturers in the United States, they will continue being a household name amongst truckers and the trucking industry as a whole for the immediate future.
